WHI Impact Spotlight: California

This 2023 county snapshot map of California members in a subset of our commercial health plan membership shows how physical, behavioral, and social factors affect the overall health of the people we serve.

Hover over or click a specific county on the map to display WHI information about that county. Higher numbers indicate better health.

The pop-up for each county shows the average WHI. Two counties can have a similar average WHI, but their physical (PD) and social (SD) drivers may be different, so these numbers are also included to give a better understanding of what is affecting health in that county. A lower physical driver assessment may indicate that more people in that county have illnesses or lack access to quality healthcare, while a lower social driver assessment may indicate more significant health-related social needs (whether for individuals or their community) such as greater transportation challenges. 

For example, counties that are experiencing an increase in substance use disorders within their population may show a lower physical driver assessment even if their overall WHI is in the average range. Rural counties may show a lower social driver assessment due to transportation barriers or lack of access to nutritious food.

For privacy purposes, any areas or filters containing fewer than 30 members are not displayed and shown in white.

The WHI measures the overall health of a state’s residents.  It can numerically validate information that may be only anecdotally believed about social drivers of health, and as a result, identify actions that may be taken to improve health. For example:

• Across California's major regions, physical health is overall consistent, while social health varies. There is ample opportunity to address health-related social needs.
• The nine-county San Francisco Bay Area has high WHI values, with an average WHI of 60, PD of 53, and SD of 67.
• Similarly, Greater Los Angeles demonstrates higher than average WHI values, with an average WHI of 56, PD of 54, and SD of 58 across the five-county metropolitan area.
• Outside of California's major cities, physical well-being remains above average and there are opportunities to address health-related social needs. Across 40 rural counties that cover nearly 15% of the state's population, the average WHI is 50, the average PD is 53, and the average SD is 47.

Elevance Health-affiliated plans can also use the WHI at a more granular level to improve member health outcomes in California. Leaning on established partnerships with our network of community-based organizations, we can support our members’ health more holistically.

*“PD” stands for physical drivers of health, and it encompasses the factors that typically go into measuring health, such as presence of illness, whether a person has access to and uses the healthcare system, care for chronic illnesses, and whether a person gets regularly tested for illnesses. The “SD” stands for the social drivers of health that have traditionally been left out of health measurement or given less importance, such as where someone lives, their employment situation, the ability to get nutritious food, and whether they have transportation. These factors make up the Whole Health Index and work together to gauge overall health.

The WHI uses more than 90 data points that fall into the broad categories of physical, behavioral, and social health. These data points range from financial strain, transportation accessibility, and housing instability to preventive dental exams, immunizations, and medication for mental health conditions.

The WHI includes not only members who live in the displayed state and receive health benefits coverage from an Elevance Health-affiliated health plan, but also members who live in the displayed state and who receive health benefits coverage through employers headquartered in other states in which Elevance Health-affiliated health plans are offered.