The health care safety net consists of the programs and providers that serve Californians with low incomes.
The largest safety-net program in California is Medi-Cal, which provides health insurance coverage to residents
earning less than 138% of the federal poverty level. Many Californians earning more than this threshold have
gained subsidized insurance through Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange.

Safety-net health care providers have a legal mandate or explicit mission to provide care for patients who have
low incomes or are uninsured. These providers include various types of hospitals, clinics, and private doctors,
many of whom have seen increased demand for their services in recent years.

California’s Health Care Safety Net: Essential Access for Millions presents data on the providers and programs that compose California’s safety-net system.

Key findings include:

• Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are a key provider in the state’s safety net. The number of patients receiving care at FQHCs increased 31%, from 4.1 million in 2015 to 5.3 million in 2022.
• Two-thirds of FQHC patients were covered by Medi-Cal in 2022.
• Net patient revenues accounted for over two-thirds of total revenue for community clinics in 2021. Government support and other contributions accounted for the remainder.
• Between 2017 and 2021, hospitals experienced a 15% decline in Medi-Cal outpatient visits; the largest decline occurred at city/county hospitals.

The full report, and all the charts found in the report, are available for download below. These materials are part of CHCF’s California Health Care Almanac, an online clearinghouse for key data and analyses describing the state’s health care landscape. To see past editions of this almanac, contact us.