







Ranking: California is 23rd this year; it was 24th in 2008.
Strengths: Strengths include a low prevalence of smoking at 14.0 percent of the population, a low prevalence of obesity at 24.2 percent of the population, a low occupational fatalities rate at 3.2 deaths per 100,000 workers, a low infant mortality rate at 5.2 deaths per 1,000 live births, a low rate of cancer deaths at 173.9 deaths per 100,000 population and a low rate of preventable hospitalizations with 60.7 discharges per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.
Challenges: Challenges include high levels of air pollution at 13.9 micrograms of fine particulate per cubic meter, a high rate of uninsured population at 18.4 percent and a high incidence of infectious disease at 22.2 cases per 100,000 population. California ranks lower for determinants than for health outcomes, indicating that overall healthiness may decline over time.
See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on California.
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The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in California
Guide on how to find health insurance in California.
Official State Government Sites with California Health Insurance Information.
California Department of Health Care Services
California Department of Public Health
Medicare information from California State Department of Aging -- State government resources for Californians needing help with Medicare and other government health insurance programs on federal, state and local levels.
Office of Multicultural Health, California State Department of Health Services-- The state agency which tries to reduce inequality in health status, information and resources on multicultural health.
Consumer Information from the California State Department of Insurance -- Health insurance topics and information geared specially for consumers.
California State Department of Insurance -- Deals with issues of individual health insurance in California, as well as other types of insurance.
