Health conditions in Utah are exceptionally good. In 2000, death rates per 100,000 population for heart disease (137.2), cancer (112.9), cerebrovascular disease (37.9), and accidents (34.0) were lower than the average national rates while the suicide rate (16.0) was above the national norm. The infant mortality rate—6.0 per 1,000 live births in 1996—was among the lowest in the US, and the overall death rate (563.1 per 100,000 persons in 1998) was well below the national average of 873.1. In 2000, Utah had the lowest proportion of adult smokers of any state, only 12.9% of residents 18 years of age and older. A total of 3,381 legal abortions were performed in 1999, or 7 per 1,000 women. The HIV mortality rate was 1.0 per 100,000 population in 2000, near the US national average of 5.3. A total of 2,097 AIDS cases had been reported through 2001.
Utah's 42 community hospitals had 203,037 admissions and 4,437 beds in 2001. There were 5,816 full-time registered nurses and 759 full-time licensed practical nurses in 2001 and 221 physicians per 100,000 population in 2000. The average expense of a community hospital for care was $988 per inpatient day in 2001.
Federal government grants to cover the Medicare and Medicaid services in 2001 totaled $688 million; 210,400 enrollees received Medicare benefits that year. At least 14.8% of Utah's residents were uninsured in 2002.