All Californians should have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Californians with low incomes often face greater barriers to care than those with higher incomes.
Californians with Low Incomes provides data based on the 2022 California Health Interview Survey. This quick reference guide is 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.
One in four Californians with low income* reported their health status as “fair” or “poor.”
Twenty-five percent of Californians with low incomes reported their health status as “fair” or “poor” compared to 9% of Californians with higher incomes.
Nearly one in four Californians with low income* did not have a usual source of care.
The usual source of care varied by income level. Twenty-three percent of Californians with lower incomes reported they did not have a usual source of care.
A higher percentage of Californians with low incomes* reported difficulty finding specialty care.
In 2022, 29% of adults with low income in California who needed to see a medical specialist reported they had trouble finding one who would see them or accept them as a new patient. Seventeen percent of those with higher incomes reported difficulty. There was minimal difference in difficulty finding primary care by income level.
* Low income is household income of less than 200% of federal poverty level.
