83 California hospitals at risk due to Medicaid cuts, report finds

A recent report from a left-leaning think tank found California has 83 hospitals at heightened risk of closing, cutting services, or laying off staff as a result of major federal Medicaid cuts included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a budget reconciliation law signed last year.

The report — “The Big Ugly Threat to Safety Net Hospitals” by Public Citizen researcher Eileen O’Grady — finds the hospitals considered most vulnerable are those that rely heavily on Medicaid and have posted negative profit margins over multiple years.

Nationally, the report identifies 446 hospitals as “at heightened risk,” collectively serving about 6.6 million patients in 2024 and employing roughly 275,000 direct patient care workers, the analysis says.

“The cuts will be devastating to many low-income and disabled individuals who rely on Medicaid,” the report says, warning of “knock-on effects on hospitals that disproportionately serve these communities.”

California has one of the highest shares of hospitals at risk

Public Citizen’s analysis flags hospitals as “at risk” if they meet two conditions, averaged over 2022–2024:

Medicaid/CHIP/low-income program payer mix of 20% or higher, and

Negative net profit margins.

California is one of five states where more than a quarter of hospitals are considered at heightened risk in the analysis.

The report emphasizes that the list is not a forecast of closure. “The list of at-risk hospitals is meant to be descriptive rather than predictive; it does not forecast that these hospitals will close,” the report says.

Where California’s 83 at‑risk hospitals are located

The 83 California hospitals on the list span every part of the state — from the far North Coast (Eureka/Arcata/Fortuna) to the border region (San Diego County and Imperial Valley) and from coastal and Bay Area hubs to inland and mountain communities. The list includes:

Central Valley (15)

Adventist Health Bakersfield — Bakersfield

Coalinga Regional Medical Center — Coalinga

Delano Regional Med. Ctr. — Delano

St. Agnes Medical Center — Fresno

Biggs-Gridley Memorial Hospital — Gridley

Adventist Health Lodi Memorial — Lodi

Adventist Health And Rideout — Marysville

Stanislaus Surgical — Modesto

Sierra View Medical Center — Porterville

Methodist Hospital Of Sacramento — Sacramento

UC Davis Medical Center — Sacramento

Mark Twain Medical Center — San Andreas

Dameron Hospital — Stockton

Adventist Health Tulare — Tulare

Kaweah Delta Medical Center — Visalia

Bay Area (14)

Sutter Delta Medical Center — Antioch

Alta Bates Medical Center — Berkeley

St Rose Hospital — Hayward

Healdsburg Hospital — Healdsburg

Queen Of The Valley Medical Center — Napa

Petaluma Valley Hospital — Petaluma

Cpmc – Mission Bernal Campus — San Francisco

Laguna Honda Hospital — San Francisco

Saint Francis Memorial Hospital — San Francisco

UCSF Medical Center — San Francisco

Zuckerberg San Francisco General — San Francisco

Regional Medical Center Of San Jose — San Jose

Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital — Santa Rosa

Sutter Solano Medical Center — Vallejo

Los Angeles area (22)

Providence St Joseph Medical Center — Burbank

Emanate Health Medical Center — Covina

Encino Hospital — Encino

Adventist Health Glendale — Glendale

Glendale Memorial Hospital & Health Center — Glendale

St. Mary Medical Center — Long Beach

East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital — Los Angeles

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center — Los Angeles

L A Downtown Medical Center — Los Angeles

Martin Luther King Community Hospital — Los Angeles

PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital — Los Angeles

Providence Holy Cross Med. Center — Mission Hills

Garfield Medical Center — Monterey Park

Coast Plaza Hospital — Norwalk

San Dimas Community Hospital — San Dimas

San Gabriel Valley Medical Center — San Gabriel

Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center – San Pedro

Greater El Monte Community Hospital — South El Monte

Pacifica Hospital Of The Valley — Sun Valley

Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medi — Tarzana

Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center — Torrance

Valley Presbyterian Hospital — Van Nuys

Orange County (9)

Anaheim Global Medical Center — Anaheim

Anaheim Regional Medical Center — Anaheim

Garden Grove Hospital Medical Center — Garden Grove

Huntington Beach Hospital — Huntington Beach

La Palma Intercommunity Hospital — La Palma

Chapman Global Medical Center — Orange

St. Joseph Hospital Of Orange — Orange

Orange County Global Medical Center — Santa Ana

South Coast Global Medical Center — Santa Ana

Inland Empire (4)

San Gorgonio Memorial — Banning

Llumc Murrieta — Murrieta

St. Bernardine Medical Center — San Bernardino

Menifee Valley Medical Center — Sun City

San Diego County (3)

Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center — Chula Vista

Tri-City Medical Center — Oceanside

Scripps Mercy Hospital — San Diego

Central Coast (3)

St. Johns Regional Medical Center — Oxnard

Ventura County Medical Center — Ventura

Watsonville Community Hosptial — Watsonville

Northern California and Far North (7)

Mad River Community Hospital — Arcata

St. Joseph Hospital – Eureka — Eureka

Redwood Memorial Hospital — Fortuna

Adventist Health Mendocino Coast — Ft Bragg

Shasta Regional Medical Center — Redding

Banner Lassen Medical Center — Susanville

Glenn Medical Center — Willows

Sierra and Desert (4)

Northern Inyo Hospital — Bishop

Southern Inyo Hospital — Lone Pine

Palmdale Regional Medical Center — Palmdale

Ridgecrest Regional Hospital — Ridgecrest

Imperial Valley (2)

Pioneers Mem. Hospital — Brawley

El Centro Regional Medical Center — El Centro

What hospital cutbacks could mean for patients

The study reported that even when hospitals don’t close, financial pressure can show up first as

Service reductions (for example, obstetrics/maternity care, inpatient capacity, specialty clinics)

Staff layoffs or hiring freezes

Longer wait times and more transfers to distant facilities

The report says the law's impacts will take time to play out, but points to layoffs and service cuts nationally as potential early signs of what financial strain can trigger.

Methodology behind the Medicaid hospital risk report

The report uses CMS hospital financial data (2022–2024) and identifies hospitals with both heavy reliance on Medicaid and negative margins, emphasizing that the list is intended to highlight heightened vulnerability, not to predict closures.