Texans are feeling the financial sting of healthcare costs, as a recent Forbes Advisor study crowns the Lone Star State the fifth priciest in the country for medical expenses.

The study, which compared healthcare costs across all 50 states plus Washington D.C., based on metrics like annual deductibles and premiums for employer-provided insurance, found that many Texans are opting to skip doctor visits due to cost, a staggering 16 percent of adults passed on medical visits within the last year, as report by CultureMap Austin. Alongside this concerning trend, nearly 15 percent of children in Texas live in families who have buckled under the pressure of paying medical bills.

North Carolina took the unenviable top spot, with the most expensive healthcare by far, while Hawaii countered as the state where residents can sigh in relief at having the least expensive healthcare costs, according to Forbes.

The KFF health tracking poll placed unexpected medical bills and healthcare services as the top financial fears for Americans in 2024, these fears are far from unfounded because nearly two in five adults have delayed or completely skipped necessary healthcare services in the past two years simply because they couldn't afford it. Forbes notes that the high premiums and deductibles are major barriers for many, for example, Texas boasts the fourth-highest average annual premiums for plus-one and family coverage in the nation.