Publications / How Vital Are Medi-Cal Payments to Hospitals in CA Congressional Districts 22, 40 & 41?

How Vital Are Medi-Cal Payments to Hospitals in CA Congressional Districts 22, 40 & 41?

Key takeaways

  • Medi-Cal payments to hospitals totaled $213 million in Congressional District (CD) 40, $460 million in CD 41, and $820 million in CD 22.
  • These Medi-Cal payments constituted 14% of hospitals’ combined net patient revenue in CD 40; 19% in CD 41, and 50% in CD 22.
  • All three CDs are home to individual facilities, usually public or children’s hospitals, that rely on Medi-Cal payments for well over half of their net patient revenue, making them particularly vulnerable to any Medi-Cal funding reductions.

As of April 2025, Congress is considering large-scale federal cuts to programs that include Medicaid (called Medi-Cal in California). As this debate continues, it’s important to consider the vital role Medi-Cal plays in financially supporting the state’s hospitals.

In 2023 (the most recent data available), Medi-Cal patients made up 37% of all visits to general acute care hospitals in California. Medi-Cal paid these hospitals a total of $39 billion, which constituted about 30% of hospitals’ net patient revenue. These metrics are one way to help gauge how financially reliant hospitals are on the program.

The three fact sheets available on this page apply the same metrics to hospitals in three parts of the state: Congressional District (CD) 40, located in Orange County; CD 41, part of the Inland Empire region; and CD 22 in the Central Valley.

  • CD-40 key facts:
    • Medi-Cal enrollees: 157,262 (21% of all residents)
    • Medi-Cal hospital visits: 142,383 (23% of all visits)
    • Hospital net patient revenue from Medi-Cal (all hospitals combined): $213 million (14% of all net patient revenue)
    • Hospital most reliant on Medi-Cal: Healthbridge Children’s Hospital (89% of net patient revenue from Medi-Cal)
  • CD-41 key facts:
    • Medi-Cal enrollees: 256,180 (34% of all residents)
    • Medi-Cal hospital visits: 190,137 (33% of all visits)
    • Hospital net patient revenue from Medi-Cal (all hospitals combined): $460 million (19% of all net patient revenue)
    • Hospital most reliant on Medi-Cal: Menifee Global Medical Center (54% of net patient revenue from Medi-Cal)
  • CD-22 key facts:
    • Medi-Cal enrollees: 521,192 (67% of all residents)
    • Medi-Cal hospital visits: 207,639 (46% of all visits)
    • Hospital net patient revenue from Medi-Cal (all hospitals combined): $820 million (50% of all net patient revenue)
    • Hospital most reliant on Medi-Cal: Kern Medical Hospital (72% of net patient revenue from Medi-Cal)

Explore the fact sheets for more data and information from the three congressional districts.