diff --git a/libpod/healthcheck.go b/libpod/healthcheck.go
index ba42954767..93837f2862 100644
--- a/libpod/healthcheck.go
+++ b/libpod/healthcheck.go
@@ -28,9 +28,8 @@ func (r *Runtime) HealthCheck(ctx context.Context, name string) (define.HealthCh
 		return define.HealthCheckContainerNotFound, fmt.Errorf("unable to look up %s to perform a health check: %w", name, err)
 	}
 
-	hcStatus, err := checkHealthCheckCanBeRun(container)
-	if err != nil {
-		return hcStatus, err
+	if !container.HasHealthCheck() {
+		return define.HealthCheckNotDefined, fmt.Errorf("container %s has no defined healthcheck", container.ID())
 	}
 
 	isStartupHC := false
@@ -119,6 +118,8 @@ func (c *Container) runHealthCheck(ctx context.Context, isStartup bool) (define.
 	if hcErr != nil {
 		hcResult = define.HealthCheckFailure
 		switch {
+		case errors.Is(hcErr, define.ErrCtrStateInvalid):
+			return define.HealthCheckContainerStopped, "", fmt.Errorf("container %s is not running: %w", c.ID(), hcErr)
 		case errors.Is(hcErr, define.ErrOCIRuntimeNotFound) ||
 			errors.Is(hcErr, define.ErrOCIRuntimePermissionDenied) ||
 			errors.Is(hcErr, define.ErrOCIRuntime):
@@ -219,20 +220,6 @@ func (c *Container) processHealthCheckStatus(status string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func checkHealthCheckCanBeRun(c *Container) (define.HealthCheckStatus, error) {
-	cstate, err := c.State()
-	if err != nil {
-		return define.HealthCheckInternalError, err
-	}
-	if cstate != define.ContainerStateRunning {
-		return define.HealthCheckContainerStopped, fmt.Errorf("container %s is not running", c.ID())
-	}
-	if !c.HasHealthCheck() {
-		return define.HealthCheckNotDefined, fmt.Errorf("container %s has no defined healthcheck", c.ID())
-	}
-	return define.HealthCheckDefined, nil
-}
-
 // Increment the current startup healthcheck success counter.
 // Can stop the startup HC and start the regular HC if the startup HC has enough
 // consecutive successes.
diff --git a/test/e2e/healthcheck_run_test.go b/test/e2e/healthcheck_run_test.go
index 8d987cefe2..673998cce9 100644
--- a/test/e2e/healthcheck_run_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/healthcheck_run_test.go
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Podman healthcheck run", func() {
 
 		hc := podmanTest.Podman([]string{"healthcheck", "run", "hc"})
 		hc.WaitWithDefaultTimeout()
-		Expect(hc).Should(ExitWithError(125, "is not running"))
+		Expect(hc).Should(ExitWithError(125, "is not running: can only create exec sessions on running containers: container state improper"))
 	})
 
 	It("podman healthcheck on container without healthcheck", func() {