A new report highlights how race, language, and insurance status continue to shape who ends up in California hospitals for conditions that could have been avoided with timely care. More than 175,000 Californians were hospitalized in 2022 for preventable illnesses like asthma, diabetes, and high blood pressure—conditions that often signal deeper systemic failures in access to primary care.
Black Californians were hospitalized at significantly higher rates than white residents. Nearly 14% of Black Californians were admitted for preventable conditions, compared to just under 9% of white Californians. In San Diego County, that translates to more than one in eight Black residents. “Black Californians are hospitalized at much higher rates for conditions that are preventable,” said Kiran Savage-Sangwan, executive director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network.
Language barriers and Medi-Cal enrollment also played a role. People who spoke a language other than English and those on Medi-Cal—the state’s Medicaid program—were more likely to be hospitalized for preventable conditions. Medi-Cal patients were admitted at more than twice the rate of those with private insurance.
Savage-Sangwan pointed to uncontrolled diabetes as a key example. “People could require an amputation if their diabetes is very poorly controlled because of their lack of access to health care,” she said. In 2021 alone, 578 San Diego residents lost a foot or leg to diabetes.
The report warns that proposed Medicaid cuts could worsen these disparities, costing lives and driving up healthcare costs.
See: “Preventable hospitalizations in California show continued health disparities as Medicaid faces possible cuts” (May 13, 2025)