State Information: California
This state-specific page on California provides new materials published by Families USA, key health contacts, state government links, news and views from the state, and other resources that might be helpful to California advocates. Click on the links below to view the information you are interested in.
Key Health Contacts
Alameda Health Consortium
1320 Harbor Bay Parkway, Suite 250
Alameda, CA 94502
Phone: 510-769-2230
Email: information@alamedahealthconsortium.org
Website: www.alamedahealthconsortium.org
Alliance for Retired Americans
600 Grand Avenue, Suite 410
Oakland, CA 94610
Phone: 510-663-4085
Email: info@CaliforniaAlliance.org
Website: http://www.californiaalliance.org/
CA Association for Adult Day Services
921 11th Street Suite 1100
Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: caads@caads.org
Website: http://caads.org/
California Black Health Network
9328 Elk Grove Blvd. Suite 105 #376
Elk Grove, CA 95824
Phone: 619-295-5413
Fax: 619-295-5749
Email: info@cbhn.org
Website: http://www.cbhn.org/
California Black Women's Health Project
101 N. La Brea Avenue, Suite 610
Inglewood, CA 90301-1793
Phone: 310-412-1828
Fax: 310-412-0923
Email: wellwoman@cabwhp.org
Website: http://www.cabwhp.org/
California Budget Project
1107 9th Street, Suite 310
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-444-0500
Fax: 916-444-0172
Email: cbp@cbp.org
Website: www.cbp.org
California Children's Health Initiative
1017 L St., #289
Sacramento, CA 95814
California Council of Churches/California Church IMPACT
4044 Pasadena Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95821
Phone: 916-488-7300 ex. 3
Website: http://www.calchurches.org/
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network
654 13th Street
Oakland, CA 94612
Website: http://www.cpehn.org/
California Pan-Ethnic Network (CPEHN)
654 13th Street
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: 510-832-1160
Fax: 510-832-1175
Email: info@cpehn.org
Website: www.cpehn.org
CPEHN is a statewide network of multicultural health organizations working together to improve health care access and eliminate health status disparities in California's communities of color. The mission of CPEHN is to promote changes to health policy decisionmaking and health care delivery systems that improve the health status of diverse communities. Through a collaborative process with its partners in the African American, Asian and Pacific Islander, Latino and Latina, and Native American communities, CPEHN monitors, analyzes, and informs health care policies, legislation, and business strategies.
California Primary Care Association
1215 K Street, Suite 700
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-440-8170
Fax: 916-440-8172
Website: http://www.cpca.org/
The California Wellness Foundation
6320 Canoga Avenue, Suite 1700
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Phone: 818-702-1900
Fax: 818-702-1999
Website: www.tcwf.org
The mission of The California Wellness Foundation is to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education, and disease prevention.
Center for Health Care Rights
520 South Lafayette Park Place, Suite 214
Los Angeles, CA 90057
Phone: 213-383-4519
Fax: 213-383-4598
Website: healthcarerights.org
The Center for Health Care Rights is a nonprofit health care advocacy organization serving consumers through a combination of direct service programs and policy-level advocacy. The center provides direct services to Medicare enrollees in Los Angeles County as the Los Angeles County Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP). The Center also sponsors the Health Rights Hotline, a free, independent assistance program for health care consumers in the Sacramento area.
Children Now
1212 Broadway, 5th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: 510-763-2444
Fax: 510-763-1974
Email: children@childrennow.org
Website: http://www.childrennow.org
Children Now uses research and mass communications to make the wellbeing of children a top priority across the nation.
Children's Advocacy Institute
5998 Alcala Park
University of San Diego Law School
San Diego, CA 92110
Phone: 619-260-4806
Fax: 619-260-4753
Email: info@caichildlaw.org
Website: http://www.caichildlaw.org/
Children's Defense Fund
2201 Broadway, Suite 705
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: 510-663-3224
Fax: 510-663-1783
Website: http://www.cdfca.org/
The Children's Partnership
1351 3rd Street Promenade, Suite 206
Santa Monica, CA 90401-1321
Phone: 310-260-1220
Fax: 310-260-1921
Email: frontdoor@childrenspartnership.org
Website: www.childrenspartnership.org
The Children's Partnership (TCP) is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to inform leaders and the public about the needs of America's 70 million children, specifically on health and technology access issues. TCP undertakes research and policy analysis, publishes reports and multimedia materials, and forges new alliances among parents, policymakers, and the private sector to achieve tangible gains for children.
Community Health Councils
3761 Stocker, Suite 201
Los Angeles, CA 90008-5111
Phone: 323-295-9372
Fax: 323-295-9467
Email: hlthcouncils@earthlink.net
Website: www.chc-inc.org
Congress of California Seniors
1230 N. Street, Suite 201
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-442-4474
Fax: 916-442-1877
Email: info@seniors.org
Website: www.seniors.org
Consumers Union
1535 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: 415-431-6747
Fax: 415-431-0906
Website: www.consumersunion.org
Disability Rights California (Formerly Known As: Protection and Advocacy)
3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 902
Los Angeles, CA 90010-2512
Website: www.pai-ca.org
Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights
1750 Ocean Park Boulevard, Suite 200
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Phone: 310-392-0522
Fax: 310-392-8874
Email: ftcr@consumerwatchdog.org
Website: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/
Health Access
1127 11th St., Ste. 234
Sacramento, CA 95814
Website: http://www.health-access.org/
Health Administration Responsibility Project (HARP)
552 12th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90402-2908
Website: www.harp.org
HARP is a resource for patients, doctors, and attorneys seeking to hold HMOs, managed health care organizations, and nursing facilities accountable for the consequences of their decisions.
Health Care for All-California
P. O. Box 2578
Mill Valley, CA 94942-2578
Phone: 888-442-4255
Fax: 415-821-8202
Website: www.healthcareforall.org
Health Care for All-California (HCA) is a nonprofit grassroots organization that advocates for universal health care using a single-payer, publicly financed system. With more than 1,000 members in over 20 affiliates from Butte County to San Diego County, HCA has led the single-payer movement in California since 1995. HCA is the sponsoring organization for State Senator Sheila Kuehl's single payer bill, SB 921, the Health for All Californians Act.
Human Services Network
1125 W. 6th Street, Suite 302
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Phone: 213-202-5920
Fax: 213-202-5925
Insure the Uninsured Project
2444 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 415
Santa Monica, CA 90403-5813
Phone: 310-828-0338
Email: info@itup.org
Website: http://www.itup.org/
Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP) seeks to increase health coverage of California's 6.8 million uninsured. ITUP has been involved in efforts to develop, discuss, and disseminate practical solutions to providing coverage to the uninsured, including state, county, and local initiatives, purchasing pools, and commercial health plans. To that end, the project works with employers, policymakers, hospitals, doctors, and clinics. To highlight these efforts and opportunities, ITUP has developed and distributed written materials, held annual conferences, and organized an ongoing series of workgroups and presentations.
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California
1225 8th Street, Suite 500
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-448-3234
Fax: 916-448-3248
Website: http://www.lchc.org/
Maternal and Child Health Access
1111 West 6th Street, Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Phone: 213-749-4261
Fax: 213-745-1040
Website: http://www.mchaccess.org/
National Center for Youth Law (NCYL)
405 14th Street, 15th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: 510-835-8098
Fax: 510-835-8099
Email: info@youthlaw.org
Website: http://www.youthlaw.org/
National Health Equity Coalition
3731 Stocker, Suite 201
Los Angeles, CA 90008
National Health Law Program
3701 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 750
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Phone: 310-204-6010
Fax: 213-386-0774
Email: nhelp@healthlaw.org
Website: www.healthlaw.org
The PICO California Project
2510 J Street, Suite 200
Sacramento, CA 95816-4496
Phone: 916-447-7959
Fax: 916-447-7955
Email: picocalifornia@aol.com
Website: www.picocalifornia.org
Network Website: www.piconetwork.org
PICO (Pacific Institute for Community Organization) is a national network of community organizations that was established in 1972. The PICO California Project and its 16 member organizations teach people how to address problems collectively and how to work for systemic solutions. The project currently represents 300,000 families in 350 congregations and has a presence in over half of the State Senate and Assembly districts. It works to develop a leadership base consisting of low-income and middle-class working people representing the diversity of California.
Project Inform
1375 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
Protection and Advocacy
3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 902
Los Angeles, CA 90010-2512
Phone: 213-427-8747
Fax: 213-427-8767
Website: www.pai-ca.org
Senior Action Network
965 Mission, Suite 705
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: 415-546-1333
Fax: 415-546-1344
Visión y Compromiso
2536 Edwards Ave.
El Cerrito, CA 94530
Western Center on Law and Poverty
1107 9th Street, Suite 801
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-442-0753
Fax: 916-442-7966
Email: info@wclp.org
Website: www.wclp.org
Working Partnerships USA
2102 Almaden Road, Suite 107
San Jose, CA 95125
Phone: 408 269-7872
Fax: 408 269-0183
Website: http://www.wpusa.org/
[Return to top]
State Government Links
State of California Website
State Department of Insurance Website
The Medical Care Services page of the state's website provides information on the state's health delivery systems. Also visit the Medi-Cal home page for more information on Medicaid-related issues.
California Department of Managed Care Website
To contact the Managed Care Ombudsman Complaint line, call 1-888-452-8609.
The state legislature's website offers information on pending and passed legislation, state representatives, and the legislative process.
[Return to top]
Other Resources
Uninsured Children 2009-2011: Charting the Nation’s Progress finds that, nationally, children’s coverage continued to improve, but that half of all kids who are still uninsured live in the following six states: AR, CA, FL, GA, NY, and TX. It also includes data for the states with the highest and lowest rates of uninsured children. (October 2012) [Georgetown University Center for Children and Families]
Worry No More: Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions Are Protected by the Health Care Law provides estimates of how many people will be protected from discrimination based on their health status thanks to the health care law. For the first time, the state reports include county-level data, and they include state-level data that are broken down by age, income, and racial or ethnic group. (July-August 2012) [Families USA]
Being a Woman Just Got a Little Easier: How the Affordable Care Act Benefits Women outlines what women stand to gain under the Affordable Care Act. (July 2012) [Families USA]
Dying for Coverage: The Deadly Consequences of Being Uninsured estimates the number of Americans who are dying prematurely due to lack of health coverage. It includes state-level data that are broken down by week, month, and year that were generated using the methodology originally developed by the Institute of Medicine. (June 2012) [Families USA]
Decoding Your Health Insurance: The New Summary of Benefits and Coverage provides national and state-level data on the nearly 173.5 million people with private insurance who will be helped by these plain-language summaries that are required by the health care law. (May 2012) [Families USA]
Good Business Sense: The New Small Business Health Care Tax Credit in California provides state-specific estimates of the number of small businesses that will be eligible for this tax credit and of how much the credits will be worth. It also includes data on how many workers could benefit as a result, broken down according to racial and ethnic group. (May 2012) [Families USA and Small Business Majority]
Addressing Barriers to Health Insurance Coverage among Children: New Estimates for the Nation, California, New York, and Texas explains scenarios that can make it harder for children to get health coverage, such as when children are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP but their parents are not. It also provides national and state-level data for California, New York, and Texas on the number of children facing these scenarios, and it discusses how the Affordable Care Act will affect these children. (May 2012) [Urban Institute]
Achieving Equity by Building a Bridge from Eligible to Enrolled explains the importance of doing culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach and education to facilitate enrollment in health coverage. Without effective multilingual efforts in California, language barriers may mean that 110,000 fewer people with limited English proficiency enroll in coverage through the state’s exchange. (February 2012) [California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, and the UC Berkeley Labor Center]
Medicaid: Essential to America's Hospitals and Communities provides state-level data highlighting how important hospitals are to state residents at every stage of life, whether or not they are covered by Medicaid. It also explains that hospitals are vital economic engines and that federal Medicaid cuts could harm many communities. (February 2012) [Families USA]
The Bottom Line: How the Affordable Care Act Helps America's Families shows the net financial effects of the Affordable Care Act on family budgets. We found that lower- and middle-income families, both uninsured and insured, will be financial winners. | State Reports (October 2011) [Families USA]
States Making Progress on Rate Review highlights state efforts to protect consumers from unreasonable increases in insurance premiums. It also explains provisions of the Affordable Care Act that encourage improvements to states' rate review processes. (October 2011) [Families USA]
Medicaid's Impact in the States: Helping People with Serious Health Care Needs examines how vital Medicaid is for residents with cancer, diabetes, chronic lung disease, or heart disease or stroke. For these people, Medicaid can be the difference between life and death, and program cuts would put them at risk. Released in partnership with three other groups. (September 2011) [Families USA]
Proposed Models to Integrate Medicare and Medicaid Benefits for Dual Eligibles: A Look at the 15 State Design Contracts Funded by CMS summarizes states’ preliminary proposals to better coordinate care for people who are enrolled in both programs. The 15 states are as follows: CA, CO, CT, MA, MI, MN, NC, NY, OK, OR, SC, TN, VT, WA, WI. (August 2011) [Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured]
California’s “Bridge to Reform” Medicaid Demonstration Waiver describes the three key initiatives of California’s waiver: expanding coverage under the Low-Income Health Program, improving the county-based safety net (delivery system reform), and enrolling seniors and people with disabilities in managed care plans. It also explains how the waiver will help the state prepare for full implementation of the health reform law. (June 2011) [Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured]
Jobs at Risk: Federal Medicaid Cuts Would Harm State Economies provides state-level data that show the devastating impact the House Republican budget proposal would have. The proposal's substantial Medicaid cuts would harm program enrollees and their families and lead to a loss of business activity and jobs in all states. | Calculator (June 2011) [Families USA]
Cutting Medicaid in the States: Harming Seniors and People with Disabilities Who Need Long-Term Care provides state-specific numbers on how many people would be affected by cuts to Medicaid long-term care spending, as well as how Medicaid helps families, state workers, and businesses. (May 2011) [Families USA]
House Republicans Propose to Slash Funding for Medicaid, Medicare, and Other Health Coverage Programs takes a closer look at how the recent budget proposal would harm seniors, children, and state economies, including state-specific numbers. (April 2011) [Families USA]
States Are Benefitting from Provisions of the Affordable Care Act lists the number of people in each state who are already benefiting from each of five provisions. The provisions include measures that are helping small businesses provide coverage to their workers, helping seniors get free preventive care, and protecting children with pre-existing conditions. | Table (March 2011) [Families USA]
Protecting Seniors and People with Disabilities: Why It Is Important to Preserve the Maintenance of Effort Requirement in the Affordable Care Act discusses how stripping the maintenance of effort requirement from the ACA will have negative consequences for the many people who depend on Medicaid by allowing states to change eligibility requirements. (February 2011) [Families USA]
Worry Less Spend Less: Out-of-Pocket Spending Caps Protect America's Families examines how the Affordable Care Act will protect insured people from high medical costs through new caps on out-of-pocket spending. It provides state-level estimates of how many residents will have spending that exceeds these caps and by how much, and it looks at how many of those residents work for small businesses. (February 2011) [Families USA]
Swimming Upstream: Improving Access to Indigent Health Care in the Midst of Major Economic Challenges discusses San Mateo County’s initiative to improve access to high-quality care for uninsured and underinsured adults, and it offers lessons to local and national policymakers on how to make progress despite financial obstacles. (December 2010) [The Urban Institute]
How States Are Making Sure Coverage Is Available to Children notes that, under health reform, insurers are required to accept children regardless of any pre-existing conditions in all group plans and in newly sold individual plans, and it examines what several states are doing to make sure that child-only policies are still available. (October 2010) [Families USA]
How Health Reform Helps Communities of Color is a series of state-based fact sheets that discuss how provisions in the Affordable Care Act--both those for the general public and those specifically designed to eliminate health disparities--help communities of color in each state. (September-October 2010) [Families USA]
Lower Taxes, Lower Premiums: The New Health Insurance Tax Credit examines how this tax credit will help both insured and uninsured Americans. It provides data on the number of people eligible, the total dollars available, and on how it will help working families in particular. (September 2010) [Families USA]
A Helping Hand for California's Small Businesses: Health Insurance Tax Credits discusses how the health reform law's small business tax credit works, how many state businesses will be helped by it, and other health reform measures that will help small businesses and their workers. (July 2010) [Families USA]
Beyond Affordability: The Impact of Nonfinancial Barriers on Access for Uninsured Adults in Three Diverse Communities looks at the types of nonfinancial barriers to health care faced by low-income, uninsured adults and how nonfinancial and financial barriers interact. The survey of low-income, uninsured adults in California, Maine, and Texas suggests that, while financial barriers are the most common, many uninsured adults also face nonfinancial barriers to health care. (June 2010) [Journal of Community Health] Subscription Required
Health Reform: New Opportunities for States to Invest in Home- and Community-Based Services is a series of state-specific fact sheets that explore the new options for states to expand home- and community-based services through the health reform law and the reasons why expanding this type of services is a good idea. (Summer 2010) [Families USA]
Health Reform: Help for Californians with Pre-Existing Conditions discusses how, under health reform, no one will be denied coverage, charged a higher premium, or sold a policy that excludes coverage of essential benefits because of pre-existing conditions. The report presents the number of state residents with diagnosed pre-existing conditions who, absent reform, would be at risk of being denied coverage in the individual insurance market. It breaks down this number by age, income, and race. | National Report (May 2010) [Families USA]
How Health Reform Helps the People of California looks at the many benefits that health reform will bring to the state, including cracking down on insurance company abuses, ending runaway premiums, and providing financial security. (May 2010) [Families USA]
Health Coverage in California: How Will Health Reform Help? discusses the major gaps in California's health coverage system and how health reform will address these gaps and help Californians, including the insured, the uninsured, people in Medicare, and small businesses. (March 2010) [Families USA]
Lives on the Line: The Deadly Consequences of Delaying Health Reform examines what would happen if Congress fails to pass health reform. Specifically, it provides national and state-level estimates of the number of deaths that would occur due to lack of health coverage if reform doesn't pass. It also quantifies how many Americans died due to lack of health coverage since the last effort to pass reform in 1994. (March 2010) [Families USA]
Guide to Finding Health Coverage: California Millions of Americans have no health insurance, and finding health insurance can be difficult. If you are looking for coverage, this guide can help point the way. Whether you have recently lost your job, are an early retiree, or have a serious medical condition, this guide includes numerous resources that may help you find the coverage you need. (Updated 2009) [Families USA]
Healthcare Reform Will Help California's Small Businesses examines how the state's small businesses struggle with high health insurance premiums and how health reform will address this problem, making health insurance more affordable for businesses and individuals. (September 2009) [Small Business Majority]
Measuring Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care: Efforts to Improve Data Collection examines recent federal and state activities aimed at strengthening the collection of health-related data on race, ethnicity, and primary language. It highlights three states, California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, that have implemented laws or regulations regarding data collection activities by hospitals, health plans, and government agencies. (May 2009) [Mathematica]
The Uninsured: A Closer Look–Californians without Health Insurance examines how many state residents were uninsured during 2007-2008. The report also takes a closer look at the number of uninsured, who they are, and how long they were uninsured. It mirrors the data in our national report, Americans at Risk: One in Three Uninsured. (April 2009) [Families USA]
California State Expansions visit here for archival information on expansions within the state. (Last updated 2009) [Families USA]
Premiums versus Paychecks: A Growing Burden for California's Workers. The impact of changes in employer-based health insurance premiums and earnings in California. (September 2008) [Families USA]
Bad Medicine: The President's Medicaid Regulations Will Weaken California's Economy States are facing a recession and reduced revenues. In 2007, the Bush Administration issued seven new regulations that together will strip an estimated $50 billion in federal funds from states over the next five years. These state-specific reports quantify the harm that these regulations will cause to state economies in terms of lost federal dollars, business activity, jobs, and wages. (April 2008) [Families USA]
Dying for Coverage in California For the more than 47 million Americans who are uninsured, lack of health insurance can have dire consequences: medical debt, missed care, and even premature death. This first-ever state-specific report examines the number of deaths due to lack of health insurance. (April 2008) [Families USA]
Improving Coverage and Access for Immigrant Latino Children: The Los Angeles Healthy Kids Program examines this successful program, which covers uninsured children in families with incomes below 300 percent of the federal poverty level who are ineligible for Medi-Cal (California Medicaid) and Healthy Families (the state’s CHIP program). A four-year evaluation of Healthy Kids found that the program has improved access for more than 40,000 children, most of whom are immigrant Latino children who have almost no access to employer-based coverage. However, sustaining this effective program has proven to be challenging. (April 2008) [Health Affairs]
Haves and Have-Nots: A Look at Children’s Use of Dental Care in California found that uninsured children were least likely to have had a recent dental visit and most likely to have never visited a dentist. Denti-Cal (a part of California’s Medicaid program) beneficiaries were least likely to have ever seen a dentist compared to those with other types of insurance. The report suggests a number of public health initiatives to help these children get the dental care they need, such as increasing oral health outreach and education. (February 2008) [The California Health Care Foundation]
Three Independent Evaluations of Healthy Kids Programs Find Dramatic Gains in Well-Being of Children and Families presents highlights from independent evaluations of the Healthy Kids programs in three California counties: Los Angeles, San Mateo, and Santa Clara. (November 2007) [The Urban Institute, UCSF, and Mathematica]
San Mateo County offers children a comprehensive mental health benefits package. Are Children Accessing and Using Needed Mental Health Care Services? The Case of the San Mateo County Healthy Kids Program discusses how many children are obtaining mental health services through the program, how they obtain those services, and possible reasons for why children who need these services are not using them. (October 2007) [The Urban Institute]
SCHIP Reauthorization: What's at Stake for California? New state-specific reports show how much money California could gain from SCHIP Reauthorization and what that money would mean California's economy. (May 2007)
The Santa Clara County Children’s Health Initiative is an innovative effort to expand health coverage to low-income children in this California county. Stable Coverage Benefits Healthy Kids Children found that, when children remained covered, their use of preventive care grew, as did their parents' confidence about meeting their child's health care needs. Children also had fewer unmet needs for health care. (June 2007) [Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.]
When an Apple A Day Isn't Enough: Students in California Speak Out about Health Care contains the winning essays from the "When an Apple a Day Isn't Enough" national essay contest as well as basic information about why health insurance matters for children. [Families USA]
Guide to Finding Health Insurance Coverage: Millions of Americans have no health insurance, and finding health insurance can be difficult. If you are looking for coverage, this guide can help point the way. Whether you have recently lost your job, are an early retiree, or have a serious medical condition, this guide includes numerous resources that may help you find the coverage you need. (Updated March 2007) [Families USA]
No Shelter from the Storm: California's Uninsured Children. This fact sheet takes a closer look at uninsured children in California—who they are and what kinds of services they miss out on as a result of being uninsured. Written by Families USA for the Campaign for Children's Health Care. (September 2006) [Families USA]
Experiences with Medicare Part D: Stories from Low-Income, Ethnically Diverse and Medically Needy Californians examines early experiences with Medicare Part D through in-depth interviews with 35 "vulnerable" Medicare beneficiaries. This is the first of several sets of interviews that will track beneficiary experiences through the first year of Part D operations. The report focuses on choosing and enrolling in Part D plans, as well as using the new prescription drug coverage. (June 2006) [Lake Research Partners and the California Endowment]
The Enzi Bill: Bad Medicine for California: This fact sheet describes how passage of S. 1955, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization Act (HIMMA), would affect consumer protections that apply to the health insurance market in California. (March 2006) [Families USA]
California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform provides pre-placement counseling, as well as information on choosing a nursing home, Medi-Cal, residents' rights, services, and quality information on all 1,400+ nursing homes in California. The organization also provides assistance with complaints and community education on long-term care issues.
The California Consumer Health Care Council is volunteer-run organization that has been at the forefront of the battle to protect health care consumers from dangerous, deceptive, and unfair practices. CCHCC also provides immediate assistance to consumers who are being improperly treated by their HMO or other health insurer.
California Consumer Health Scope provides report cards to help consumers evaluate the quality of care provided by health plans, hospitals and other providers. The site is produced by a nonprofit California-based organization and funded, in part, by the Kaiser Foundation.
The California Endowment is a private grant-making foundation that was established in 1996. Its mission is to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of the people of California. The Endowment's Web site offers free publications and information on grants.
The California Health Care Foundation's mission is to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of the people of California. The Foundation's Coverage Expansion Resource Center offers a framework for state and national policy makers to objectively compare attributes and trade-offs of expansion proposals and the status quo.
The California Nurses Association Web site offers up-to-date information on all aspects of health care in the state.
California Nursing Home Search is a new web site designed to give Californians more information when choosing a quality nursing home. The web site provides detailed information on all of the primary quality factors experts say should be considered when selecting a nursing home, including staffing levels, complaint and deficiency ratings, and percent of total expenditures spent on care. The site also provides information on nursing home alternatives and resident rights. (October 2002)
Community Health Partnership of Santa Clara County is a community-based system of primary health care for medically underserved populations. Their Web site offers clinic locations and other information.
Press Releases on managed care health reform. [Consumers for Quality Care]
Family Caregivers Alliance was the first community-based nonprofit organization in the country to address the needs of families and friends providing long-term care at home. Their Web site offers valuable information on state services, events, legislative alerts, and more.
Health Care Quality in California provides an overview of health care quality for a lay audience, including explanations of important themes, scientific and political issues, key constituencies, possible courses of action toward improving quality of care, and reference lists of participating organizations.
Health Rights Hotline provides free assistance and information about health care rights. The Hotline serves residents of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo counties.
The Healthy Families Program helps parents get affordable and comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance coverage for their children who do not have insurance and are not eligible for Medi-Cal.
Healthykidsproject.org is a project of Consumers Union. Consumers Union has a long history of working to improve consumers' access to quality health care and health insurance. The project seeks to enroll California children in low- or no-cost health insurance programs through the schools
Indexmedico is a comprehensive, bilingual Web directory of medical information for doctors, health care professionals, and the public.
The Latino Coalition for a Healthy California is a project of Public Advocates, Inc., a public interest law firm with a history of advocating for the interests of California's minority, low-income population. The coalition has played a leadership role in bringing Latinos to the table in the health policy debate in California and has published groundbreaking policy papers on critical issues such as Medicaid cuts and block grants, California's conversion of Medi-Cal to managed care, and the health needs of immigrant Latinas. Most of their papers are available for a small fee. Ordering information is posted on their Web site.
Latino Issues Forum is a nonprofit public policy and advocacy institute dedicated to advancing new and innovative public policy solutions for a better, more equitable, and prosperous society.
The Medi-Cal Policy Institute brings clear, concise data and analysis to the people who develop Medi-Cal policy, who provide health care services, and who care about the program. As an independent, nonpartisan source of information on the Medi-Cal program, the Institute seeks to facilitate the development of effective policy solutions with the interests of Medi-Cal recipients guiding this work. The Institute conducts and commissions research, distributes information about the program and its beneficiaries, and identifies the challenges ahead.
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California (PPAC) is a state public affairs office affiliated with Planned Parenthood Federation of America. At this site you will find information on California legislation, major reproductive health issues, Planned Parenthood services and locations, and information on how you can have your voice heard on these important issues at the Capitol.
Project Inform is a national, nonprofit, community-based organization working to end the AIDS epidemic. Its Web site offers information on treatment, a hotline, and other valuable resources for AIDS/HIV patients and advocates.
Seniors in Action: The Congress of California Seniors takes stands on issues of importance to midlife and older persons and their families. CCS is affiliated with the National Council of Senior Citizens (NCSC), which advocates at the national level on issues affecting mid-life and older persons. NCSC was instrumental in passing the original Medicare legislation.
The Western Law Center for Disability Rights works to promote the rights of people with disabilities in the Southern California area, and to promote public interest in and awareness of those rights by providing legal and related services.
California has more than 800,000 uninsured children. The Path to Accessing Health Coverage: Outreach, Enrollment, Retention and Utilization outlines the expansion of public coverage programs, program and system improvements, and the expanding role of the public and private sectors. The report also identifies future challenges and opportunities and puts forth principles to strengthen outreach, enrollment, retention, and utilization in California. (January 2006) [The California Endowment]
In California, many counties and their private partners and funders are refining and expanding their existing outreach and enrollment efforts to more effectively reach a broader range of families. Reaching Out and Reaching In: Understanding Efforts to Identify and Enroll Uninsured Children into Health Insurance Programs provides a review of what is known about the effectiveness of local outreach and enrollment strategies and a framework for ways to evaluate future such efforts. (January 2006) [The California Endowment]
Evaluation of the Local Initiative Rewarding Results Collaborative Demonstrations: Interim Report assesses the first known collaboration created to establish financial incentives for multiple health plans in Medicaid to improve the quality of care for low-income children in California. Although $2.6 million in incentives was paid out to providers by December 2004, the report suggested that not all providers are aware of the incentives program. (August 2005) [Mathematica Policy Research]
NACHRI, in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), has released 2005 updates of their state-specific Medicaid fact sheets. These fact sheets detail the importance of the Medicaid program to the health care of children in every state, as well as the critical role children's hospitals and pediatricians play in serving all children. Click here for a map that will take you to information specific to your state. (July 2005) [National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI)]
Paying a Premium: The Added Cost of Care for the Uninsured in California: A fact sheet with state-level data showing the dollar impact on private health insurance premiums of care provided to the uninsured. (June 2005) [Families USA]
Falling Apart: Declining Job-Based Health Coverage for Working Families in California and the United States: This study analyzes health insurance trends for non-elderly adults (19-65 years of age) in the United States and California from 2000 to 2004 and estimates the impact of premium prices increases on health insurance coverage over this period and simulates future coverage rates for California between 2005 and 2010. (June 2005) [Working Partnerships USA and the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education]
Streamlining Children's Eligibility for Medi-Cal Processing: This issue brief identifies a series of issues that the California Department of Health Services, the legislature, and county officials should consider when thinking about ways to improve the eligibility determination process for families. (June 2005) [The California HealthCare Foundation]
Medicaid Cuts Are Bad Medicine: This fact sheet describes how Medicaid helps your state's economy, supports the state's health care infrastructure, provides essential health care to the most vulnerable residents, and reduces the number of uninsured. (January 2005) [Families USA]
The Uninsured: A Closer Look: A fact sheet with state-level data from One in Three: Non-Elderly Americans without Health Insurance, 2002-2003. en español (June 2004) [Families USA]
Good Medicine for State Economies, 2004 Update: Medicaid provides essential health care services for an estimated 51 million people of all ages and economic classes. Medicaid also plays a unique role in stimulating state economies. This report provides national and state-level data on the effects of Medicaid spending on state business activity, employment, and employee earnings. These updated numbers can be used to predict the economic impact of potential state Medicaid spending increases or cuts in fiscal year 2005.| Medicaid Calculator with updated figures (May 2004) [Families USA]
Who's Uninsured in California and Why? is a four-page fact sheet providing information on the uninsured population in the state -- their numbers and characteristics and some of the reasons they are uninsured. (November 2003) [Families USA]
Families USA has prepared state fact sheets that spell out the different amounts of help the House and Senate Medicare prescription drug bills would provide to low-income beneficiaries. Click here for this state's fact sheet. (July 2003) [Families USA]
What the Immigrant Provisions of the Senate Prescription Drug Bill Mean to California (July 25, 2003) [Families USA]
The Future of Medi-Cal: Challenges at the Federal, State, and County Level, is an Issue Brief that explores how California is attempting to preserve a meaningful set of Medicaid benefits during its current state budget crisis. It looks at the issue from both a national and a state perspective and examines how Governor Davis and the California state legislature are dealing with this urgent situation. (May 2003) [The Kaiser Family Foundation]
The 2003 Guide to California Medicare HMOs rates HMO plans in 33 California counties to determine which plans have the best value for their cost. It discusses the pros and cons of Medicare HMOs, provides guidelines for choosing a Medicare plan, and identifies Medicare HMO plans in different counties. (2003) [The California HealthCare Foundation and Consumers Union]
Medicaid: Good Medicine for California's Economy covers the same territory as the national report, but it also includes some additional information. The California report takes recent proposals by Gov. Davis to cut Medicaid spending and uses the economic multipliers to calculate the consequences of those cuts to California's economy. These calculations are done for the governor's December 2002 proposals (see Table 3 in the report) and for his January 10, 2003 proposals. (January 2003) Supplemental Table [Families USA]
California Seniors and Prescription Drugs presents survey findings from a study of 2,380 California seniors contained in a broader 2001 survey of seniors in eight states. According to the survey, 18 percent of California seniors were without drug coverage in 2001. Of those with coverage, 30 percent got that coverage through Medicare+Choice plans, while another 30 percent were covered by employer plans. The survey also found that 16 percent of seniors reported spending $100 or more per month out-of-pocket on prescription drugs. (November 2002) [The Tufts-New England Medical Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation]
The Office of the Patient Advocate has issued its second annual HMO Report Card, which provides information on quality of care and customer service and additional information about plan and doctor services in English and other languages. The report cards rate HMOs in three categories: HMO quality, HMO services in other languages, and medical group quality. (October 2002) [The Office of the Patient Advocate]
Medicare+Choice After Five Years: Lessons for Medicare's Future-Findings from Seven Major Cities examines the reasons why private health plans, health care providers, and beneficiaries are so widely dissatisfied with the M+C program. To do this, the authors reviewed the M+C program in seven cities that have varying payment rates and local health care structures, as follows: Cleveland, Houston, Long Island, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, and Tucson. The authors also attempt to understand how the program could be stabilized. (September 2002) [The Commonwealth Fund]
California enrollees in the Medicare+Choice (M+C) program account for about one quarter of the national enrollment, and the state has a much higher market penetration rate than the rest of the nation. Medicare+Choice in California: Lessons and Insights examines the state's experience from the end of 1997 through the beginning of 2002 to identify lessons that can be applied to the national M+C environment. (September 2002) [The Kaiser Family Foundation]
Beyond Medi-Cal: Health Insurance among Former Welfare Recipients is the first report to provide information on employer-sponsored and other sources of health coverage among those Californians who've left welfare. Among the report's findings are that one in four welfare leavers are without health coverage, as are one in five of their children. The study also found that, among former welfare recipients who had some form of employment at the time of the survey, only about half were offered employer-sponsored health coverage. (September 2002) [The Medi-Cal Policy Institute]
Voters Want Public Schools and Medi-Cal Spared from Budget Cuts reports on the results of a survey conducted by the California HealthCare Foundation and its Field Institute. The survey found that a large majority of registered California voters-76 percent-oppose making cuts to health care programs for low-income Californians. According to the poll, if it came down to a choice between increasing taxes and cutting medical care services to low-income Californians, voters favored several possible tax increase alternatives. (July 2002) [The California HealthCare Foundation]
Prescription Drug Options for Seniors: A Comparative Guide compares 11 prescription drug discount programs available for the state's seniors, including discount cards, online pharmacy options, and state-mandated programs. Seniors can use the guide to find information on program eligibility, benefits, and costs. (June 2002) [The California HealthCare Foundation]
The State of Health Insurance in California: Findings from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey is a rich source of data that can be used to better understand health coverage-or the lack of it-in California's diverse population, both statewide and at the local level. The report also includes new information on employment-based health coverage, uninsured people who are eligible for Medi-Cal or the Healthy Families Program, and the consequences of being uninsured. (June 2002) [The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research]
Children's Eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP: A View from 2000 presents estimates of Medicaid and SCHIP eligibility for children up to age 17 using the eligibility rules in place as of July 2000. The results are based on data from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families. The Survey found that eligibility varied tremendously across states, and the brief includes state-specific data for 13 states: AL, CA, CO, FL, MA, MI, MN, MS, NJ, NY, TX, WA, WI. (March 2002) [The Urban Institute]
Recent Changes in Health Policy for Low-Income People in California Through interviews with state officials, consumers, and health care providers, as well as reviews of health care publications and Web sites, this report describes how California finances health care, specifically with regards to Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. (March 2002) [The Urban Institute]
How are Immigrants Faring After Welfare Reform? provides detailed information about the impact of welfare reform on low-income immigrants in two of the largest urban areas of the country, Los Angeles and New York City. The report analyzes trends in labor force participation, income, poverty, program use, access to health coverage, food insecurity, and food stamp usage. (March 2002) [The Urban Institute and the University of California at Los Angeles]
Local Efforts to Increase Health Insurance Coverage among Children in California examines outreach practices of local programs involved in Medi-Cal and Healthy Families to increase the number of children with health coverage. (February 2002) [The Medi-Cal Policy Institute]
Assessing The New Federalism State Reports is based on the 1999 National Survey of America's Families and provides basic state- and national-level data in easy-to-use tables. These tables break down the type of health insurance people have according to age, income, sex, race/ethnicity, family structure, family work status, firm size, and country of origin. Separate profiles for each of the 13 states studied (AL, CA, CO, FL, MA, MI, MN, MS, NJ, NY, TX, WA, and WI) also include characteristics of the uninsured, as well as a description of Medicaid and SCHIP enrollees. (January 2002) [The Urban Institute]
Health Care Access for Uninsured Adults: A Strong Safety Net Is Not the Same as Insurance examines the extent to which differences in the safety-net environment account for differences in access to and use of health care by the uninsured. The brief draws on representative samples of the population from 13 states (AL, CA, CO, FL, MA, MI, MN, MS, NJ, NY, TX, WA, WI) and focuses on low-income adults and on residents of metropolitan areas. (January 2002) [The Urban Institute]
State Profiles of Health Insurance, Access, and Use is based on the 1999 National Survey of America's Families and provides basic state- and national-level data in easy-to-use tables. These tables break down the type of health insurance people have according to age, income, sex, race/ethnicity, family structure, family work status, firm size, and country of origin. Separate profiles for each of the 13 states studied (AL, CA, CO, FL, MA, MI, MN, MS, NJ, NY, TX, WA, and WI) also include characteristics of the uninsured, as well as a description of Medicaid and SCHIP enrollees. (January 2002) [The Urban Institute]
Using Market Research to Improve Enrollment of Families Eligible for Medi-Cal and Healthy Families: California spends nearly $21 million annually to advertise its two children's health insurance programs, yet almost 2 million children who are eligible are not enrolled. Through an evaluation of various marketing strategies, this study provides policy makers with information that can be used to increase enrollment in the two programs. (Fall 2001) [The Medi-Cal Policy Institute]
State Profiles of Health Insurance, Access and Use: California is one of 13 states studied for this report. Easy-to-use tables describe the type of insurance coverage people have by age, income, gender, race/ethnicity, family structure, family work status, firm size (for workers), community type, and country of origin. The link to the information is posted under "What's New-August". (August 2000) [The Urban Institute]
Go Directly to Work, Do Not Collect Health Insurance: California is one of the states studied in this report, which provides documentation of the health coverage effects of welfare reform on low-income parents. (June 2000) [Families USA]
Golden Opportunity: Improving Children's Health Through California Schools: this report discusses efforts to improve enrollment in California's CHIP program. (March 2000) [Consumers Union]
Right-to-sue Measure on HMOs: Legislation to give Californians insured through private employers the right to sue their HMOs was relegated to the suspense file by the California Senate Appropriations Committee. (May 14, 1999) [The Congress of California Seniors]
Navigating A Managed Care Denial is a guide that outlines steps that patients should take when they feel they have been denied services inappropriately. (1997) [The Medical Board of California]
[Return to top]
