Your State of Health

By
E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy
-
By inthasone @ Adobe Stock

You know there are a number of reasons you may want to move your money or your business from one state to another. Taxes, enacted or proposed, are one reason many fairly wealthy Americans have taken to the road to find a new America. Regulations on firearm ownership, crime, and housing affordability are other reasons many people cite for their decision to move from one state to another.

But what about your health? Since Covid-19, Americans have realized that what state you live in can have a major impact on your health freedom. While residents of New York were locked in and shut away, residents of Florida were living a relatively free life. And similar differences were found across America depending on the state’s laws and politicians.

How do you know what to expect when you move to a new state? What will your health freedom look like there, and will it conform to your expectations? A new study published by the Center for Modern Health ranks the states by their health freedom. The Health Freedom Index: 2026 Edition finds wide disparities in freedom among the states, and across its five main domains of freedom. Those domains include:

  1. Professional freedom
  2. Institutional freedom
  3. Patient freedom
  4. Payment freedom
  5. Delivery freedom

The Top 10 states ranked by the Health Freedom Index are as follows:

  1. Arizona
  2. Colorado
  3. Idaho
  4. North Dakota
  5. Utah
  6. New Hampshire
  7. Montana
  8. Maine
  9. Oklahoma
  10. Oregon

You will no doubt recognize many of these states as among the top tier of Your Survival Guy’s 2026 Super States rankings.

As Americans get older and retire, they interact more with healthcare providers. It’s something we talk about quite a bit. Undoubtedly, many will want to have the maximum amount of freedom to guide their healthcare with their doctors in the way that they choose.

Action Line: It is important to plan for medical costs when you are saving for retirement. When you want to talk about your retirement, email me at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com. And click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy
E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy
E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West (RIP JB) and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.

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