Turns out where you live may dramatically impact what your medical costs are. Since the depths of the Great Recession, the cost of health care in the U.S. has steadily risen. As a result, Americans are shouldering more of their health care costs than they have in recent years, according to the Washington Post. No one likes having to go to the doctor's office, but in this climate, it's wise to save up should the need arise. With this in mind, CareerTrends — part of the Graphiq network — found the 50 places where seeing a doctor costs the most. The data comes from the Council for Community and Economic Research's Cost of Living Index (2015). The report is compiled by pricing the cost of a general practitioner's routine examination of an established patient across different locations. Of the top 50 most expensive locations, the Midwest is the region with the most representation. A visit to the doctor in each location costs over $120, and the 10 most expensive places have prices over $160. One interesting note about the list is that four of the 10 most expensive places are located in Alaska. The state has had issues with high health care costs for years, which has forced some residents to look elsewhere for more affordable treatment. Few Southern areas show up in the top 50, with heavy concentrations in the Pacific Northwest and New England regions. The distribution of most expensive doctor visits is more varied when looking at the 200 most expensive locations, which can be seen in the interactive heat map below. Source
