The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Get PolitiFact in your inbox. * Weekly Email Newsletter * Daily Email Newsletter Your Email Address Sign Up ![](\\" brown_3/d957b67a6cfb99961ae39c6523da7812.jpg\\") ![](\\" brown_3/6e29f64b18a0e689f0b6901d76f846bb.jpg\\") Jerry Brown stated on January 13, 2017 in a letter: The uninsured rate in California reached \"a historic low of 7.4 percent in 2016.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" true/3d4df195c595a07e3fd69b5e4aab3e3c.jpg.\\") ![\\"true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") * Health Care * California * Jerry Brown ![\\"California](\\" California Gov. Jerry Brown answers a question at the state Capitol in Sacramento in January 2016. AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli ![\\"Chris](\\" By Chris Nichols January 19, 2017 # TRUE: California’s uninsured rate has hit \'historic low\' As Republicans in Washington D.C. move ahead with plans to dismantle Obamacare, California Gov. Jerry Brown is pushing back with claims the federal health care law has boosted health coverage in the state. Brown said California’s uninsured rate is at \"a historic low.\" \"The uninsured rate in California has gone down from 17.2 percent in 2013 to a historic low of 7.4 percent in 2016.\" Brown made this and other statements about the law’s effect on California in a letter to GOP House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield on Jan. 13, 2017. McCarthy had asked Brown for recommendations on changing the law, formally known as the Affordable Care Act. ![\\"\\"](\\" We wanted to know whether Brown’s claim about \"a historic low\" was accurate. We set out on a fact check. Our research Gov. Brown’s office cited data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that confirm the uninsured rates cited for 2013 and 2016. The 7.4 percent uninsured rate was reported in a survey covering January through June of 2016 by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. It represents the rate for all ages in California. The same survey cites an 8.4 percent uninsured rate for Californians under 65 years of age. The ‘all ages’ uninsured rate is slightly lower because it includes the 65 and older population, the vast majority of which has health insurance through Medicare. The governor’s office also cited several sources as evidence that California’s uninsured rate has reached \"a historic low.\" Those include a health care almanac maintained by the California Health Care Foundation. It shows the state’s uninsured rate from 1987 to 2015 for Californians under 65, though not the rate for all ages. In 1987, it was 17.6 percent. ![\\"\\"](\\" California\'s uninsured rate hovered near 20 percent during the 1990s and 2000s before declining sharply in recent years as the Affordable Care Act took effect. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on September 8, 2024 in Instagram posts Immigrants get $2,000 each time they cross the border illegally. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Sofia Ahmed • September 12, 2024 The foundation described the state’s 2015 uninsured rate of 8.5 percent for Californians under 65 as \"a historic low.\" Deborah Kelch, executive director of the Sacramento-based Insure the Uninsured Project, noted there are many different ways to measure California’s uninsured rate. But no matter which source is examined, she said, \"I think it’s fair to say we have reached a historic low of the uninsured.\" In an interview, Shana Charles, faculty associate at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, also described current uninsured rates as \"historic lows.\" Charles said there wasn’t much tracking of the state’s uninsured rate before the 1990s, adding coverage \"certainly wasn’t better\" in past decades. She said there’s been \"a slow expansion\" of health coverage over time in California and across the country since Medicare and Medicaid were enacted in the 1960s. Our ruling Gov. Jerry Brown claimed California’s uninsured rate in 2016 was \"a historic low\" at 7.4 percent. As evidence, his office pointed to the 7.4 percent uninsured rate reported in a survey covering the first half of 2016 by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. That rate is for all ages in California. When discussing this topic, many researchers cite the uninsured rate for Californians under 65, which was slightly higher at 8.4 percent. Even at that rate, it would be an historic low. Data for that rate is more widely available. A health care almanac shows the state’s uninsured rate for Californians under 65 hovered near 20 percent during the 1990s and 2000s before dropping sharply in recent years. Its records go back to 1987 when that rate was 17.6 percent. Researchers who study California’s uninsured rate say this measurement was not closely tracked before the 1980s, but said the rate was certainly not lower in past decades. No matter how you measure it, they added, the uninsured rate in California has reached an historic low. We rate Brown\'s claim True. TRUE – The statement is accurate and there’s nothing significant missing. Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Gov. Jerry Brown, letter to U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Jan. 13, 2017. Interview, Evan Westrup, spokesman for Gov. Brown, Jan. 16, 2017. Interview, Shana Charles, Faculty Associate, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Jan. 17, 2017. Interview, Deborah Kelch, executive director, Insure the Uninsured Project, Jan. 18, 2017. California Health Care Foundation, California Health Care Almanac, Insurance Coverage Source and Unemployment Trends California, 1987 to 2015, December 2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, \"Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January–June 2016,\", November 2016. State Health Access Data Assistance Center, Uninsured in California 2008 to 2015, accessed January 2017 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Chris Nichols ![](\\" ![](\\" Larry Elder stated on August 31, 2021 in a CNN interview: “I don’t believe the science suggests that young people should be vaccinated. I don’t believe that young people should have to wear masks at school. I’m not sure the science is settled on that at all.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • September 11, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Larry Elder stated on August 19, 2021 in a tweet: “California voters to be able to download ballots at home for recall election, sparking security concerns.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • August 27, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on June 1, 2021 in an interview on MSNBC: \"Sadly during the course of the pandemic one-third of our small businesses have closed.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • June 7, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" John Cox stated on May 4, 2021 in a campaign press conference: California Gov. Gavin Newsom “just let 76,000 inmates out of jail.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • May 5, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kevin Kiley stated on April 26, 2021 in a tweet: “San Francisco had twice as many drug overdose deaths as COVID deaths last year.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • April 29, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Gavin Newsom stated on March 9, 2021 in a State of the State Address: “California’s [COVID-19] death rate has remained one of the lowest per capita in the nation: 134 deaths per 100,000, compared to 158 nationally, 153 in Texas and 247 in New York.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • March 10, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Doug LaMalfa stated on March 2, 2021 in a constituent email.: Voting-rights legislation proposed by Democrats in Congress called H.R. 1 “would force states to restore the voting rights of convicted felons—including violent felons convicted of murder or rape.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • March 4, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kevin Sorbo stated on February 15, 2021 in a tweet: “So California is requiring signature verification for Gavin Newsom’s recall, but didn’t require it for the mail in ballots.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Bill McCarthy • February 16, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kevin McCarthy stated on February 9, 2021 in a press release: Raising the national minimum wage to $15 per hour “would destroy up to 3.7 million jobs.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • February 11, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Bloggers stated on January 28, 2021 in a blog: Facebook tried to “shut down” the campaign to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • February 2, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Rusty Hicks stated on January 12, 2021 in a press conference: The effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom is \"a coup.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • January 14, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Shannon Grove stated on January 6, 2021 in a tweet: \"Antifa\" is to blame for storming the U.S. Capitol. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • January 7, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on January 1, 2021 in a Facebook post: There are “absolutely no patients” at Los Angeles hospital considered the center of region\'s COVID-19 surge. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • January 6, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" James Gallagher stated on December 3, 2020 in a tweet: “Government imposed lockdowns do NOT reduce [COVID-19] cases or stop spikes.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • December 16, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on November 11, 2020 in a tweet: Video shows California election workers \"cheating\" by collecting ballots from drop box on Nov. 4. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • November 11, 2020 ### TRUE: California’s uninsured rate has hit \'historic low\' * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on September 28, 2024 in an X post: Video shows “the bunker-busting bombs that ended the lives of (Hassan) Nasrallah and Hezbollah’s leadership.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 29, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 27, 2024 in a video: Shows video of damage from Hurricane Helene. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • September 28, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" TikTok posts stated on September 22, 2024 in una publicación enTikTok: En el sur de Filadelfia, la campaña de Kamala Harris “está pagando a la gente $700 por semana para viajar y asistir a todos sus eventos”. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Maria Briceño • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 25, 2024 in an Instagram post: Hurricane Helene was the product of intentional weather modification. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Loreben Tuquero • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 25, 2024 in a post: Video shows footage of Hurricane Helene ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Grace Abels • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Vote No on 3 stated on September 7, 2024 in a TV ad: Florida’s Amendment 3 is “the monopoly amendment.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Samantha Putterman • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Jared Moskowitz stated on September 19, 2024 in una audiencia en la Cámara de Representantes: “El Proyecto 2025 quiere deshacerse de la NOAA” y del Servicio Nacional de Meteorología. ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Maria Briceño • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on September 24, 2024 in social media posts: Vice President Kamala Harris responded, “Next question please,” when asked about the economy during an Aug. 29 CNN interview. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Sofia Ahmed • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on September 18, 2024 in a Threads post: Melania Trump “was an escort.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Serena Williams reportedly passes away following tragic car crash in Texas.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. 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The uninsured rate in California reached a historic low of 74 percent in 2016