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North Carolina has the highest healthcare costs in the United States.

Posted by Michael Whatley,

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False. Rankings of U.S. healthcare costs in 2026 show that states such as Alaska, Massachusetts, and New York lead the nation in healthcare spending and costs, not North Carolina.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

Roy Cooper made Healthcare Cost More! Cooper allowed healthcare premiums to jump 183% under his watch. Now, NC has the highest healthcare costs in the nation while he has raked in over $400k in donations from healthcare companies and their executives. Your family pays more for health care and Cooper gets paid off. Sounds corrupt to me.
Michael Whatley@WhatleyNC · Post →

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What we found

Contradicts. Data comparing healthcare costs across states in 2026 indicates that states like Alaska, Massachusetts, and New York have the highest per capita healthcare costs in the nation.[1][2]

Context. While reports note significant price disparities and high hospital markups within North Carolina, the state does not rank as the overall most expensive state for healthcare nationally.[3]

Sources

12 sources: 10 not rated, 1 primary, 1 fact-checker

  1. 1Mapped: The Most Expensive States for Healthcare in 2026visualcapitalist.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
  2. 2Mapped: The Most Expensive States for Healthcare ...facebook.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
  3. 3North Carolina Hospitals Charge Families Huge Price ...shpnc.gov · primary source · cited for: context
9 more sources read, not cited in a finding +
  1. 4Trump Wrong About U.S. Rank in Education Spending and ...factcheck.org · fact-checker
  2. 5Best US states for senior healthcare? CA ranked in top 10sacbee.com · not rated
  3. 6The healthiest states for women, children in 2026beckerspayer.com · not rated
  4. 7Americans' Challenges with Health Care Costskff.org · not rated
  5. 8Best States to Live in the US, 2026 Quality Rankingscostoflivingusa.com · not rated
  6. 9Healthcare Cost Index By US State in 2026livingcostindex.com · not rated
  7. 10US Healthcare Spending by State in 2026 – A State-by-State ...nchstats.com · not rated
  8. 11Healthcare Costs by State 2026: Premiums & Access ...costoflivingbystate.com · not rated
  9. 12Health Care Costs by State 2026 - World Population Reviewworldpopulationreview.com · not rated

Where this claim was made

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  • New post

    Fact check: North Carolina patients deserve a fair assessment of how their medical expenses compare to other states. States like Alaska, Massachusetts, and New York have the highest healthcare costs, not North Carolina, according to cost rankings.

    polygraphs.xyz/claims/michael-whatley…

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