Health presents a mixed picture in New York State. The state has some of the finest hospital and medical education facilities in the US, but it also has large numbers of the needy with serious health problems.
The infant death rate stood at 6.4 per 1,000 live births in 2000, below the national rate of 6.9. New York State was one of the first states to liberalize its abortion laws, in 1970. A total of 137,234 legal abortions were performed in the state in 1999, most of which were in New York City. The 1997 state ratio of 34 legal abortions per 1,000 women was higher than that of any other state except California.
The overall death rate of 865.5 per 100,000 residents in 2000 was slightly below the national average of 873.1. The state ranks above the national average rates in deaths due to heart disease and malignant neoplasms (cancer), but below the national average in deaths due to cerebrovascular diseases, suicide, and accidents. Major causes of death in 2000 (with their rates per 100,000 population) included heart disease, 314.4; cancer, 203.5; cerebrovascular diseases, 43.8; accidents and adverse effects, 23.2; and suicide, 6.2. In 2000, New York had the lowest suicide rate compared to the national rate of 10.7. The HIV-related death rate was 12.2 per 100,000 residents in 2000, significantly higher than the national rate of 5.3; a total of 149,341 AIDS cases had been reported through 2001, more than in any other state. Among adults ages 18 and older, 21.6% were smokers in 2000.
Major public health issues in the 1990s included emerging infections, such as multidrug-resistant TB; chronic diseases, such as those related to smoking; HIV/AIDS; violent and abusive behavior; and the care of vulnerable populations.
New York's 212 community hospitals had 2,410,906 admissions and 67,296 beds in 2001. There were 73,234 full-time registered nurses and 8,580 full-time licensed practical nurses in 2001 and 409 physicians per 100,000 population in 2000. The average expense of a community hospital for care was $1,807 per inpatient day in 2001.
Federal government grants to cover the Medicare and Medicaid services in 2001 totaled $16.7 billion; 2,728,967 enrollees received Medicare benefits that year. At least 15.5% of New York's residents were uninsured in 2002.