Women's Health Report Card: Grim Grades

(WebMD)  The U.S. gets an "unsatisfactory" grade on a new women's health report card issued by the National Women's Law Center and Oregon Health & Science University.

Overall, the U.S. met only three out of 27 benchmarks in the report card. Obesity and diabetes were among the factors that dimmed states' grades.

The benchmarks that were met were for the number of women who get an annual dental checkup, the percentage of women age 40 and older who get mammograms regularly, and the percentage of women aged 50 and older who get screened for colorectal cancer.

No state got a "satisfactory" mark, though three states - Vermont, Minnesota, and Massachusetts - got a "satisfactory minus" grade.

State Report Cards on Women's Health

Here are the report card results for all states and Washington, D.C., starting with the highest grades.

The grades are as follows:

• Satisfactory minus: S-


• Unsatisfactory: U


• Failing: F

Rankings were based on women's health status and on policies related to women's health.

1. Vermont: S-


2. Minnesota: S-


3. Massachusetts: S-


4. Connecticut: U


5. New Hampshire: U


6. Colorado: U


7. Hawaii: U


8. Maine: U


9. Washington: U


10. California: U


11. Rhode Island: U


12. Iowa: U


13. Montana: U


14. Oregon: U


15. Utah: U


16. Kansas: U


17. North Dakota: U


18. Nebraska: U


19. Arizona: U


20. New Jersey: U


21. Wisconsin: U


22. South Dakota: U


23. Virginia: U


24. Florida: U


25. Maryland: U


26. Alaska: U


27. New York: U


28. Wyoming: U


29. Delaware: U


30. Michigan: U


31. Ohio: U


32. Pennsylvania: U


33. Illinois: U


34. Idaho: U


35. New Mexico: U


36. North Carolina: U


37. Georgia: U


38. Missouri: U


39. Nevada: U


40. Indiana: F


41. Alabama: F


42. Texas: F


43. South Carolina: F


44. Washington, D.C.: F


45. Tennessee: F


46. Kentucky: F


47. West Virginia: F


48. Oklahoma: F


49. Arkansas: F


50. Louisiana: F


51. Mississippi: F

By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang
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