San Diegans tend to spend more on health care than fellow Californians
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San Diego County residents spend more on health care than the California and national averages, according to a recent study published by JAMA.
Why it matters: Medical spending is surging nationwide, with demand and other factors pushing it to a projected $7.7 trillion by 2032 — but actual spending varies from county to county.
How it works: Researchers analyzed Americans' health care spending using data from billions of insurance claims and hundreds of millions of hospital visits and admissions for 2010 through 2019.
- The analysis includes spending via private insurance, Medicaid and Medicare, plus out-of-pocket.
By the numbers: Average health care spending per capita in San Diego County in 2019 was $8,442, compared to $7,374 nationwide and $7,709 statewide.
- Local residents also pay more than those in Los Angeles ($7,385), San Francisco ($7,083) and Orange counties ($8,063).
- Marin County ($12,101) and others in the Bay Area were among the highest in the country.
Between the lines: The county-level findings tend to reflect broader cost-of-living realities.
- Meanwhile, another recent report showed San Diego County dropped to the middle of the pack nationally and statewide for health outcomes and community conditions that affect our health.
Zoom in: Type 2 diabetes was the single health condition with the most associated spending in San Diego ($1.5 billion overall) and nationally.
- Joint pain was second-highest locally at $1.4 billion overall.
The intrigue: Explore more data in the online interactive breaking it down by type of care, specific conditions, and more.
Caveat: The study doesn't capture health care spending during or immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic and the inflationary period that followed.
- Some health care-related categories, including OTC drugs and medical transportation, were not included — nor was Veterans Affairs spending.