SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Extreme heat waves have cost California residents at least $7.7 billion and killed nearly 460 people over the past decade, according to a report released Monday by the California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara.
While virtually every California resident was affected in some way, people of color and the elderly were particularly impacted by the health consequences, the report found.
The Department of Insurance’s initial analysis shows the staggering and far-reaching effects of extreme heat at the start of a week of temperatures above 86 degrees Fahrenheit in inland California.
It also comes a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a budget that eliminated millions of dollars previously planned for cooling and resilience centers and a program to track heat-related hospital visits. Lawmakers over the weekend put proposed language for a climate bond on the November ballot that would provide about $400 million for extreme heat programs — including $100 million for resilience centers — if approved by voters.
Lara said the report underscored the need to protect residents and address the economic costs of heat. “Extreme heat is a silent, escalating disaster that threatens our health, economy, and way of life in California,” said Lara, who sponsored the 2022 legislation that prompted the report. “We must prioritize resilience-building efforts and innovative insurance solutions to protect our state from the growing impacts and financial risks of extreme heat.”
The number of premature deaths is likely still an undercount. The Los Angeles Times estimated in 2019 that high temperatures killed nearly 4,000 people between 2010 and 2019, more than six times the state’s official figure.
But even the state’s figure is still higher than the death toll from other disasters, such as wildfires and storms.
According to the report, the total costs of the seven extreme heat waves since 2013 include lost labor productivity, power outage costs, infrastructure repairs and premature deaths.
Black, Hispanic and Native American communities suffered disproportionately from adverse health outcomes, including emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Older populations had the highest rates of premature death, and younger populations had the highest rates of heat emergencies.
Acute kidney failure, respiratory failure, mental health problems and ischemic stroke contributed to more than 5,000 hospitalizations during the seven heat waves. Hospitals saw nearly 10,600 emergency department visits, more than 138,000 outpatient visits and nearly 344 adverse birth outcomes.
The report also reveals how few insurance tools exist to help people and businesses recover damages caused by heat.
Of those hospitalized, only 17 percent had private insurance, much lower than the state average.
According to the report, heat is likely not covered in insurance policies for the industry, and crop insurance policies often do not cover heat for California’s many specialty crops.
Several state agencies, including the Insurance Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, are working to establish an extreme heat wave ranking and alert system, as called for by the same 2022 legislation. CalHeatScore is set to be operational by January 2025.
