More than 175,000 Californians were hospitalized in 2022 for conditions that could have been managed with timely, preventive care—such as diabetes, asthma and high blood pressure. The findings, published in a report co-authored by the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) and the California Black Health Network, found that race, language and insurance status continue to shape who ends up in the hospital for preventable illnesses
“Black Californians are hospitalized at much higher rates for conditions that are preventable,” said Kiran Savage-Sangwan, executive director of CPEHN. “As are people who speak a language other than English and also importantly people who are enrolled in Medi-Cal.”
According to the report, nearly 14% of Black Californians were hospitalized for preventable conditions, compared to just under 9% of white Californians. In San Diego County, that represents more than 1 in 8 Black residents.
People on Medi-Cal — the state’s Medicaid program — were hospitalized for preventable conditions at more than twice the rate of those with private insurance.
“A good example is something like uncontrolled diabetes where we know how to manage that in an outpatient setting, through primary and preventative care,” Savage-Sangwan said. “People could require an amputation if their diabetes is very poorly controlled because of their lack of access to health care.”
In 2021, 578 San Diego residents lost a foot or leg to diabetes—something Savage-Sangwan said often could be prevented with better care.
The report estimates that reducing these disparities could save the state money.
“If we were to reduce, for example, that difference between Black Californians and white Californians such that Black Californians still had some preventable hospitalizations but just didn’t have more than white Californians we would save the state over $126 million a year,” Savage-Sangwan said.
The report’s release comes just as House Republicans unveiled a draft bill directing the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to slash $880 billion from the programs it oversees through 2034. Medicaid is among the programs likely to face significant funding cuts, Savage-Sangwan said.
“When you terminate people's access to health care, it doesn't mean they won't get sick,” she said. “It means they won't have access to the timely and appropriate primary care that they need, and will therefore become sicker and end up in emergency departments and hospitals, which cost the health care system much more money.”
Instead of shrinking access to care, she argued, California and the nation should invest in expanding it — both to save money and to keep vulnerable communities healthy.
