California Health Insurance

State Rankings

For being such a large and highly populated state, California fared well in UnitedHealthcare's yearly state health rankings, coming in 24th. Although it is difficult to generalize the health of such a diverse and large state, certain healthcare trends can be examined and critiqued to improve overall health in the state. Clinical care statistics in California were very solid. The state ranks in the top ten in early prenatal care and preventable hospitalizations and is in the top half in primary care physicians, no small feat for the most populated state in the country. Additionally, California is second overall in lowest smoking rate and fourth in occupational fatalities.

These quality healthcare statistics may stem from California's high amount of public health funding, which is 13th overall at $108 per person. Unfortunately, California still has its fair share of health problems, starting with air pollution, a category in which California is last in the United States. Healthcare in California is also hurt by poor immunization coverage, high school graduation rates, violent crime, and childhood poverty.

California Healthcare

According to the Kaiser Foundation, California has one of the highest uninsured percentages, at 19%. As a large state with a large immigrant and poor population, this comes as no surprise. Unfortunately, the high level of public health funding has yet to make up for shortcomings in insured residents. California ranks in the bottom half of states in poor mental health days and poor physical health days.

On a more positive note, infant mortality, cancer deaths, and premature deaths are all very low. Improving California healthcare as a whole will be difficult, considering the large geographic and economic disparity inherent in the state population. However, small changes are likely to make a big different. Luckily, California residents still have a wide range of healthcare plans that are rated highly by the NCQA: