With 89 percent of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 having some sort of pre-existing condition, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on the States Offering the Most Coronavirus Support, as well as accompanying videos. The report seeks to examine how states care for people who are at risk both health-wise and financially.
To identify which states offer the most support during the COVID-19 pandemic, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 17 key metrics. Our data set ranges from whether the state will offer free vaccinations once a vaccine exists to the share of households in poverty that receive social assistance. Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A.
Coronavirus Support in New Mexico (1=Most, 25=Avg.):
- 16th – Coronavirus Relief Fund per Capita
- 10th – Adoption of Telehealth Services
- 9th – Share of Households in Poverty Receiving Social Assistance
- 5th – Ratio of Average Weekly Wage Covered by Unemployment Benefit
- 14th – Number of Permanent Supportive Housing Beds per Homeless Population
For the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-offering-the-most-coronavirus-support/73333/
Q&A with WalletHub
What groups need the most support during the coronavirus pandemic?
“It’s not just people with pre-existing conditions or the elderly who are vulnerable to COVID-19. Many Americans who aren’t at-risk physically are in a dangerous position financially,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Coronavirus has caused millions of Americans to lose their jobs, which means unemployment insurance and social assistance programs have become nearly as vital to fighting the pandemic as medical treatment. Now more than ever, proper nutrition and hygiene are essential to good overall health, which makes me especially worried about vulnerable populations such as the homeless, who are more likely than most to come in contact with the virus.”
How can people help their at-risk friends and neighbors?
“People can support their at-risk friends and neighbors in several ways, such as helping them minimize the amount of time they spend in public by going shopping for essential items in their place and dropping them off at the door. What a lot of people don’t consider is that any arrangements taken to support those at risk need to be long-term, since at-risk populations remain vulnerable until a vaccine is found,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst.
Why does Massachusetts offer the most support during the COVID-19 pandemic?
“One reason that Massachusetts offers the most support during the coronavirus pandemic is that it is one of only three states to require that patients don’t have to foot any of the bill for coronavirus treatment, which goes above and beyond just the free testing that most states offer,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Massachusetts will also offer a COVID-19 vaccine at no cost, once one is available.”
Why does North Carolina rank lowest for offering support during the coronavirus pandemic?
“One major reason why North Carolina is the lowest ranking state when it comes to offering support during the coronavirus pandemic is its high rate of residents without health insurance,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “North Carolina also lags behind other states in adopting online healthcare technology, and it has the lowest percentage of all unemployed people receiving unemployment insurance in the country.”
