According to USA Today, children on average are significantly healthier in certain states as opposed to others. Overall, when factoring in 13 measures of children’s health care, children are best off in the state of Iowa and worst off in the state of Oklahoma. In addition, some states have significantly higher percentages of children who are vaccinated (Massachusetts having the highest percentage and Nevada having the lowest), percentages of children who are uninsured (Michigan having the lowest percentage and Texas having the highest), and costs (Utah being the cheapest and the District of Columbia being the most expensive).

Only 46% of kids visit the doctor and dentist at least once a year in Idaho, but 75% of Massachusetts children do. Infant mortality rates are 2.5 times higher in the District of Columbia than in Maine. And South Carolina kids are 5.7 times as likely to wind up in the hospital for asthma as those in Vermont.

These measures of children’s health are part of a report out today by The Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that studies health issues and supports efforts to cover more people. The report found that top-performing states tend to have lower rates of uninsured children than those ranked at the bottom but also have higher health costs.

While other studies have considered how children fare, this is the first to compile an array of 13 measures relating to access to medical care, quality and cost for children in each state. Overall, Iowa ranked first and Oklahoma ranked last. Among the findings:

•Vaccinations. The percentage of children who received five recommended vaccinations from ages 19 months to 35 months ranges from 94% in Massachusetts to 67% in Nevada.

•Uninsured. The percentage of uninsured children ranges from 5% in Michigan to 20% in Texas.

•Costs. Utah has the lowest spending per person at $3,972. The District of Columbia has the highest at $8,295.

The report uses data from government agencies as well as private groups, such as the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-partisan research group. It concludes that all states fall short in one area or another and could improve.

If all states performed as well as the top state in each category, the report says, an additional 4.6 million children nationwide would have health insurance, 11.8 million more would visit the doctor and dentist at least once a year, and nearly 800,000 more would be current on their vaccinations.

Karen Davis, president of The Commonwealth Fund, says the low rate of immunizations in some states could be remedied by upgrading systems to track them and notify parents and providers.

“If we had a modern information system, we would be reminding patients and primary care physicians that (the children) are overdue for their shots,” Davis says.

The report comes amid efforts by many states to bolster insurance programs aimed at families.

President Bush in December signed an extension of funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program after twice vetoing Congress’ attempts to expand it. The program, which sends federal money to the states through March 2009, has cut the percentage of uninsured low-income children by 25% from 1996 to 2006, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Top-ranked Iowa attributes its success in part to providing a range of services and coordinating care among doctors, hospitals and clinics.

“We focus on coverage to be sure, but also access to social, emotional and mental health services, dental services and prenatal care,” says Christopher Atchison, associate dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa.

Matthew Davis, an associate professor of pediatrics and public policy at the University of Michigan, disagrees with researchers’ decision to mark down states for having higher spending levels.

Yet overall, he says, the report is useful and shows that “states can learn from each other.”

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