MEDI-CAL ENROLLMENT DROPS FOR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
Individuals who have health insurance and a usual source of care are more likely to seek routine health care and take advantage of preventative health screening services than those without such coverage.[1] The result is a healthier population and more cost-effective health care. Delaying or not receiving needed medical care may result in more serious illness, increased complications, and longer hospital stays.[2] This indicator measures the percentage of residents without health insurance coverage, the number of residents per primary care physician, whether residents have a usual source of care or delayed care, and Medi-Cal enrollment.
TREND
In 2024, 7.4% of San Bernardino County residents were uninsured, fewer than in 2023 when 8.1% of the population was uninsured. The long-term trend is also toward fewer uninsured, with a drop of almost two percentage points since 2015, when 9.0% of residents were uninsured.
PROPORTION UNINSURED CONTINUES TO DECLINE
Uninsured in San Bernardino County, 2015-2024
Medi-Cal enrollment fell 2% between 2024 and 2025, from 856,910 people enrolled to 836,885. However, during the 10-year period between 2014 and 2025, Medi-Cal enrollment increased 8%.
MEDI-CAL ENROLLMENT DECLINING
Enrollment in Medi-Cal in San Bernardino County, 2016-2025
RACE/ETHNICITY DETAIL
Residents who identify as “some other race” comprised 41% of the uninsured population in San Bernardino County, while only 29% of the San Bernardino County population as a whole identify as some other race. In terms of ethnicity, 71% of the uninsured population is Hispanic/Latino, though Hispanic/Latinos make up 57% of the total population. In the accompanying charts, the distribution of the San Bernardino County population by race and ethnicity is provided for context.
RATES OF UNINSURED BY RACE/ETHNICITY ARE GENERALLY NOT PROPORTIONATE TO THE UNDERLYING RACE/ETHNICITY POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of Uninsured and Total Population by Race in San Bernardino County, 2024
LATINOS COMPRISE MAJORITY OF UNINSURED POPULATION
Distribution of Uninsured and Total Population by Ethnicity in San Bernardino County, 2024
SOCIOECONOMIC DETAIL
When broken out by household annual income, those with incomes in the mid ranges ($25,000-$34,999 and $35,000-$49,999) were the most likely to be uninsured (both 10.1%). Regarding education level, 13.3% of those with less than a high school diploma were uninsured, compared with 3.7% of those with a college degree. At 10.5% each, young adults (ages 19-25 years old) and adults (ages 26-64 years old) were the age groups most likely to be uninsured, while only 2.1% of children under age six were uninsured.
RESIDENTS WITHOUT A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE UNINSURED
Uninsured by Income, Education, and Age in San Bernardino County, 2024
GEOGRAPHIC COMPARISON
The San Bernardino County rate of uninsured (7.4%) is higher than the California rate (5.9%) but lower than the United States rate (8.2%). It is in the mid-range among all peer counties compared.
SAN BERNARDINO’S RATE OF UNINSURED IS IN THE MIDDLE AMONG COUNTIES COMPARED
County Comparison of Uninsured, 2024
In terms of access to health care, according to the 2024 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), 82.5% of San Bernardino County residents under age 65 had a usual place to go to when they were sick or needed health advice, in the middle among neighboring counties. In addition, 16.1% of San Bernardino County residents under age 65 delayed or did not get the medical care that they needed.
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY RATE OF HAVING USUAL PLACE TO GO FOR HEALTH CARE IN THE MIDDLE AMONG COUNTIES COMPARED
County Comparison of Health Care Access (Under Age 65), 2024
There are 1,699 people for each primary care physician (PCP) in San Bernardino County, which is a less favorable ratio than the state and all neighboring counties compared, except Clark County and Riverside County. The national target ratio (consisting of “top performers” falling in the 90th percentile) is 1,030 people for each PCP.[3]
COUNTY HAS LESS FAVORABLE RATIO OF RESIDENTS TO PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS THAN CALIFORNIA AVERAGE
County Comparison of the Number of Residents per Primary Care Physician, 2024
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center is a 456-bed university-affiliated teaching hospital licensed by the State of California Department of Public Health, operated by San Bernardino County, and governed by the Board of Supervisors. It is ARMC’s mission, in an environment of learning and innovation, to serve our diverse community with high-quality, compassionate care. The hospital, located on a 70-acre campus in Colton, California, operates the Edward G. Hirschman Regional Burn Center, the Dev A. GnanaDev Trauma Center, a comprehensive stroke center, an inpatient behavioral health center, neonatal intensive care unit, women’s health and maternal-fetal medicine, orthopedics, five primary care centers, and more. ARMC also provides more than 40 outpatient specialty care services. ARMC is helping to achieve the countywide vision by addressing the community’s wellness and educational needs. ARMC is the primary teaching hospital for the California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM). The University welcomed its first class of students in 2018. For more information on CUSM, visit https://cusm.edu/. For more information about ARMC, visit https://www.arrowheadregional.org/ or view this informational video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbqv6Ef7qfg.
[1] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Healthy People 2030, https://odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health/literature-summaries/access-primary-care (accessed April 6, 2025)
[2] Diamant AL, et al. Delays and Unmet Need for Health Care Among Adult Primary Care, American Journal of Public Health (2004), 94 (5) 783-789
[3] Primary care physicians include practicing physicians under age 75 specializing in general practice medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics.