A study has found vast differences from one city to the next in the amount spent on health care for Americans with employer-sponsored health plans.
"Studying these geographic variations can help us identify locations where health care costs are less, yet the quality of care and outcomes are not compromised. Understanding where, why, and how medical care costs less can provide solutions to control our nation's health care spending," said Ray Fabius, M.D., chief medical officer for the Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters and one of the study's authors.
The Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters conducted and funded the study, which assessed the use and cost of health care services for 23.5 million Americans in 382 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) in 2009.
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[See also: Top 5 most expensive health care markets]
Here are the 5 lowest-spending regions in the U.S. for people with employer-sponsored health insurance along with their annual health care costs per person:
1. Ogden-Clearfield, Utah
Annual health care costs per person: $2,623
2. Dubuque, Iowa
Annual health care costs per person: $2,719
3. Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.-Mo.
Often referred to as Northwest Arkansas, this is a four-county area including three Arkansas counties and one Missouri county. The MSA is anchored by the Arkansas cities of Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville.
Annual health care costs per person: $2,762
4. Fort Smith, AR-OK
Annual health care costs per person: $2,916
5. Laredo, Texas
Annual health care costs per person: $2,919
(Photo: Rudy Rosel, 5, pushes Isias Martinez, 6, along a dirt road in a neighborhood named Colonia Hermosa near downtown Laredo, Texas, Friday, Feb. 29, 2008. AP Photo/LM Otero)
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