Out-of-Pocket Spending by Low-Income Families Raising a Child with a Disability

A quarter of low-income Americans who have a child with a disability spend over 3 percent of their income to meet their child’s health needs, but how much a family spends can vary greatly depending on the state where they live.

In a study published in the December 2009 supplement of the journal Pediatrics, researchers looked at out-of-pocket spending among low-income families on the health care needs of a child with a disability. They found that the burden varied by state and correlated to eligibility for Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Ultimately, residents of the District of Columbia fared best while those in Montana were most likely to spend significantly.

Find out where your state stands in the ranking of the 50 states and the District of Columbia:

1. District of Columbia

2. Rhode Island

3. Hawaii

4. Ohio

5. Washington

6. New York

7. Louisiana

8. South Carolina

9. California

10. Vermont

11. Arkansas

12. Missouri

13. Texas

14. Massachusetts

15. Georgia

16. West Virginia

17. Maine

18. Iowa

19. New Mexico

20. Mississippi

21. Indiana

22. Pennsylvania

23. Alabama

24. Oklahoma

25. Delaware

26. New Hampshire

27. North Carolina

28. Illinois

29. Kentucky

30. Kansas

31. Connecticut

32. Virginia

33. Maryland

34. South Dakota

35. Wisconsin

36. Arizona

37. Nevada

38. Idaho

39. Alaska

40. Florida

41. Colorado

42. Nebraska

43. Tennessee

44. Michigan

45. Wyoming

46. New Jersey

47. Oregon

48. North Dakota

49. Minnesota

50. Utah

51. Montana

Source: Washington University in St. Louis