California: stingy on health care?

A new report finds that only eight states in the nation spend less on health care per resident than California.

The study, conducted by the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and based on data collected from 2005 to 2009, found that total health-care sending per Californian equaled $6,238—the national average was $6,815—according to the Los Angeles Times. The report noted that one reason California’s average is so low is that 7 million residents are uninsured. States that spent more on health care typically had more older, affluent residents, and states that spent less had more young residents with lower incomes.

The federal health-care reform law is expected to extend coverage to nearly 5 million Californians through Medi-Cal or by offering subsidies for private insurance.