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HCA Publications

Click the type of publication at the left to jump down the page to the list of materials.

 
Brochures for Consumers
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  · Get free health services for your child from the Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) Gateway program
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  · Getting Prescription Medicine from Medi-Cal
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  Getting the Best Out of Managed Care
 
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How can this information help me?
¿Cómo puede ayudarme esta información?
 
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Understanding Quality Measures
Comprenda las Medidas de Evaluación de la Calidad
 
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Figuring Out Which Health Care Plan Meets Your Needs
Determine qué Plan de Atención de Salud Responde a sus Necesidades
 
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Report Cards
Boletas de Calificaciones
 
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Consumer Surveys
Encuestas de Consumidores
 
Immigrants and Health Care
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What Can I Do If I Get a Medical Bill?
 
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Issue Briefs for Advocates and Consumers
 

Children's Health

 
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County Medical Services Program
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Healthy Families
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HIV & AIDS
 
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Immigrants and Health Care
 
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Fresno
English
Spanish
 
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Los Angeles
English
Spanish
 
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Orange
English
Spanish
 
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Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer and Yolo
English
Spanish
 
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San Diego
English
Spanish
 
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San Francisco and Alameda
English
Spanish
 
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San Mateo
English
Spanish
 
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Other California counties
English
Spanish

 
Informed Consent
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Language Access
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Major Risk Medical Insurance Program
 
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Managed Care
 
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Medi-Cal
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Medical Billing
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New Limitations on Hospital Billing & Collections with sample letters to hospitals, collection agencies, and to DHS to help consumers get financial assistance.
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Medical Records
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Manuals
 
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Overview of the Medi-Cal Program. July 2008.
(Please print the Table of Contents to see the subjects covered and organization of each chapter.)

Please call the NHeLP Los Angeles office at 310-204-6010 to order a printed version of the manual for $30.
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  Reports
    June 15, 2009
The Governor's Proposed Medi-Cal Cuts: An Unhealthy Response to California's Budget Problems
The proposed budget cuts would eliminate essential services for cancer treatment, adult day health care, and mental health services that Californians with stories like the ones reported here, need to continue working and living.
[Full report]
   

October 30, 2008
"Stregthening Health Access Through Collaboration" - The Health Consumer Alliance releases its Annual Report covering 2006 and 2007.
[Full report]

    April 4, 2007
Medi-Cal Lost: How Overly Complex Rules End Health Coverage for Low-Income Consumers
The Health Consumer Alliance's new report finds low-income Californians losing Medi-Cal coverage unnecessarily.
[Full report][Press Release]
    March 8, 2007
Priced Out: Share of Cost Makes Medi-Cal Unaffordable
The Health Consumer Alliance shares common consumer problems accessing health care when they have Medi-Cal with a Share of Cost and recommends an increase in the Maintenance Need Level and other reforms.
[Full report]
    January 30, 2007
The Governor's Health Care Proposal: A Low-Income Perspective
Health Consumer Alliance addresses specifics of the Governor’s proposal as it applies to low-income Californians and HCA standards for universal coverage.
[Full report]
    January 30, 2007
Universal Coverage: Standards to Ensure Low-Income Californians Access to Affordable Quality Care
Health Consumer Alliance outlines its standards for eligibility, affordability, scope of benefits, financing, procedural protections, access, quality of care, and choice and portability.
[Full report]
    December 2006
Barriers to Care: Hmong Experiences with the Sacramento Health Care System
The Health Rights Hotline (HCA's Sacramento area partner) reports on its advocacy services to help ensure access to health care services for newly arriving Hmong refugees and their sponsoring families, and their experiences with the health care system.
[Full report]
    December 2006
Medicare Part D Findings: Continued Hardships for Low-income Californians
Health Consumer Alliance findings of Medicare Part D problems reported to HCA between April 15, 2006 and September 30, 2006.
[Full report]
    November 9, 2006
A Tear in the Safety Net: Hospitals Fail to Ensure Financial Assistance for Low-Income Californians
This report reveals that, despite hospital industry efforts to regulate itself, many hospitals still do not have financial assistance polices to aid low-income uninsured or underinsured patients. Those that do have policies often do not make them uniformly available.
[Full report][Press release]
   

August 2006
"Defending Access to Health Care" - The Health Consumer Alliance releases its Annual Report covering 2005.
[Full report]

    April 2006
Medicare Part D Findings
Health Consumer Alliance findings of Medicare Part D problems reported to HCA between March 1, 2006 and April 14, 2006.
[Full report]
    April 2006
Prior Authorization: Impedes Access to Health Care
Low-income Medi-Cal beneficiaries often face a variety of barriers in obtaining medically necessary care. Among those barriers is prior authorization which requires that the consumer navigate through complex obstacles to receive medically necessary and often life saving medications. While prior authorization can play a positive role in containing costs, for many consumers prior authorization leads to denials of care and, even for those who are able to navigate the process, to potentially dangerous delays in treatment.
[Full report]
    March 15, 2006
Medicare Prescription Co-payments: An Unaffordable Option
In this publication the Health Consumer Alliance provides thought provoking first hand accounts and realistic scenorios detailing how Medicare Part D co-pay requirements are adversely affecting dual eligible Californians.
[Full report]
   

August 2005
"Opening Doors to Health Care" - The Health Consumer Alliance releases its Annual Report covering 2004.
[Full report]

   

August 2004
"An Innovative Partnership" - The Health Consumer Alliance releases its Annual Report covering 2002 - 2003.
[Full report]

    September 20, 2004
Sick and In Debt: Improper Practices that Cause Medical Debt for Low-Income Californians
This report reveals many improper, and sometimes illegal, practices by state administrators and providers that cause medical debt to fall on low-income consumers. Consumers who have health coverage and uninsured consumers alike face barriers to health care caused by medical debt.
[Full report][Press release]
    February 19, 2003
Evaluation of the Health Consumer Alliance and Health Rights Hotline
USC Division of Community Health finds HCA centers have helped more than 46,000 California consumers with their problems with enrollment, retention and access to medical services, particularly through Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. The study also found that HCA centers have been effective advocates for local and statewide improvements to California's public health systems.
[Full report][Executive Summary][Press Release]
    January 16, 2003
Denti-Cal Denied: Consumers' Experiences Accessing Dental Services in California's Medi-Cal Program.
Even though these consumers have health coverage through Medi-Cal, they still face formidable barriers to dental care and have serious unmet dental needs.
[Full report][Press release]
   

November 16, 2001
"Navigate, Educate, Advocate" - The Health Consumer Alliance releases its Annual Report covering 2000-2001.
[Full report][Press release]

    June 8, 2000
HMO Marketing to Children: Important Questions, Risky Answers
Up to 4.4 Million California Children Potential Targets for HMO Marketing and Enrollment Under Proposed Budget and Other Bills [Full Report][Summary] [Sign-on letter to Gov. Davis]
    October 12 , 1999
In the Cellar and Dropping Fast: California's Health Insurance Crisis Californians Lost Health Insurance at the Rate of 1,200 a Day Over Last Three Years
   

April 26, 1999
Red Tape Epidemic: Health Coverage for Working Families at Risk
State Red Tape Threatens Health Coverage for Working Families
State Health Forms Much Worse Than Federal Income Tax Forms

   
 
Public Education Video
  "Sigue y Consigues con la Familia Valdez: El Cuidado de Salud es Seguro" ("Seek and Ye Shall Find: Health Care is Safe"), a Spanish-language video in the style of a telenovela - the popular Spanish-language, prime-time "soap opera" - bolsters efforts of community organizations to break down unfounded fear of immigration problems that discourage many from seeking desperately needed health care or other services.
   
 
Testimony
 
   
  News Releases
  April 4, 2007
Loss of Medi-Cal Coverage Linked to Overly Complex Rules. HCA releases Medi-Cal Lost: How Overly Complex Rules End Health Coverage for Low-Income Consumers report.[Press release] [Full Report]
  November 11, 2006
Hospitals Play Hide and Seek with Financial Assistance Programs. HCA releases A Tear in the Safety Net: Hospitals Fail to Ensure Financial Assistance for Low-Income Californians report.[Press release] [Full Report]
  October 29, 2004
HCA expands to provide low-income Imperial county residents with assistance in accessing health care. [Press release] [Health Consumer Center of Imperial Valley information]
  September 20, 2004
HCA releases Sick and In Debt: Improper Practices that Cause Medical Debt for Low-Income Californians, revealing many improper, and sometimes illegal, practices by state administrators and providers that cause medical debt to fall on low-income consumers. Consumers who have health coverage and uninsured consumers alike face barriers to health care caused by medical debt. [Full report][Press Release]
  May 25, 2004
HCA expands to provide low-income Kern county residents with assistance in accessing health care. [Press release] [Kern Health Consumer Center information]
  February 19, 2003
Health Consumer Alliance helps thousands of uninsured Californians access and retain health coverage. Program receives $7 million in funding following demonstrated success. [Full report][Executive Summary][Press Release]
  January 16, 2003
HCA releases Denti-Cal Denied: Consumers' Experiences Accessing Dental Services in California's Medi-Cal Program, revealing consumers' difficulty accessing dental services in California's Medi-Cal program. [Full Report] [Press Release].
  June 29, 2000
The California Endowment awards HCA and the Health Rights Hotline $8.5 Million to help California consumers obtain health care and get care from HMOs. [Press Release] [Photos of press conference]
 

January 9, 2003
New video, "Sigue y Consigues con la Familia Valdez: El Cuidado de Salud es Seguro" ("Seek and Ye Shall Find: Health Care is Safe"), seeks to allay Latino immigration fears discouraging access to health care, vital services. [English][Spanish]

  November 16, 2001
The Health Consumer Alliance releases its Annual Report covering 2000-2001. [Full Report]
  June 8, 2000
Up to 4.4 Million California Children Potential Targets for HMO Marketing and Enrollment Under Proposed Budget and Other Bills, Report Finds. [English] [Spanish] [Sign-on letter to Gov. Davis]
  October 12, 1999
Californians Lost Health Insurance at the Rate of 1,200 a Day Over Last Three Years, Report Finds. [Full Report][Press Release]
  April 26, 1999
State Red Tape Threatens Health Coverage for Working Families
State Health Forms Much Worse Than Federal Income Tax Forms, Report Finds. [Full Report] [Press Release]
  October 15, 1998
San Francisco Mayor Brown Endorses Health Consumer Program.
Program Begins for Managed Care Patients, Uninsured Consumers. [Press Release]
   


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