Best state in America: Vermont, for its healthy kids

A lifetime of good health starts in childhood. Health insurance, access to health care and regular exercise make for fit kids with long life expectancies. And nowhere in America are kids healthier than in Vermont.

Across a range of metrics, the Green Mountain State excels, according to the latest data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fewer than one in four Vermont children are overweight or obese. More than 81 percent have access to medical and dental care . Nearly 99 percent have health insurance. And one-third of all Vermont children report exercising at least 20 minutes a day.

Vermont’s relatively small and prosperous population makes it easier than in some other states for officials to reach out to potentially vulnerable children, said Cathy Hess, managing director for coverage and access at the National Academy for State Health Policy. What’s more, Vermont has been a pioneer in children’s health reform.

The state’s Dr. Dynasaur program, created in 1989, covered tens of thousands of low-income children long before the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program came into being. Congressional authors modeled the federal program in part on Vermont’s plan.

Vermont policymakers have also worked for years to build partnerships between public and private institutions to promote children’s health. There’s the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program , run through the University of Vermont; Children’s Integrated Services , run through the state Department for Children and Families, which works to connect low-income families with young children to social services; and the Blueprint for Health , established in 2006 to improve health-care services and control costs.

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