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	HCA Publications Click the type of publication at the left to jump down the page to the list of materials. We value your feedback - please let us know how we're doing.
	Brochures for Consumers
	·	Changes in Dental Care for Adults on Medi-Cal
	·	Health care for people with health conditions and no health insurance: Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan
	·	Meeting Your Share of Cost for Medi-Cal
	·	What if Medi-Cal Says "No"?
	·	What to Do if You Have a Problem with Your Health Plan
	·	What to Do if You Have a Problem with Your Medi-Cal Health Plan

	Appeals and Independent Medical Review in Managed Care
	·	What to Do if You Have a Problem with Your Health Plan
	·	What to Do if You Have a Problem with Your Medi-Cal Health Plan

	Immigrants and Health Care
	·	Will it hurt my sponsor if I get health care?
	·	Should I worry about public charge?

	The New Health Law Helps You!
	·	#1 Everyone must have health insurance (mandate)
	·	#2 Free Health Coverage for Many Californians (Medi-Cal expansion)
	·	#3 The Exchange helps Californians find affordable health insurance (Exchange)
	·	#4 Health plans will cover more people and offer more benefits (benefits)
	·	#5 Private health plans must offer more benefits & new rights (private insurance reform)
	·	#6 What if you and your health plan disagree? (appeals)
	·	Help with Health Insurance (printable wallet card)

	What Can I Do If I Get a Medical Bill?
	·	What are my rights if I have Medi-Cal?
	·	Sample letter to a Medi-Cal provider.
	·	If you have no health insurance, ask these questions.
	·	What can I do if I get a hospital bill?
	·	Tips for fighting a bill.
	·	Tips for avoiding bills.

	Issue Briefs for Advocates and Consumers As health reform implementation moves forward, some of the information provided in these issue briefs may have changed. For up-to-date information on this topic, please visit: www.healthcare.gov or contact us at hca@healthlaw.org.
	The New Health Law: California Issue Briefs
	·	Explaining the Mandate
	·	Medi-Cal Expansion
	·	Establishing the Exchange: A Backgrounder on What's to Come
	·	Subsidies under the Health Insurance Exchanges
	·	Reduced Cost-Sharing under the Health Insurance Exchanges
	·	Eligibility and Enrollment Changes and Simplification
	·	Essential Health Benefits Package and the ACA
	·	Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity and the ACA
	·	Appeals Processes under the ACA

	Managed Care
	·	Knox-Keene Protections Quick Reference: Health & Safety Code
	·	Laws Governing Health Plans Desk Reference

	Medi-Cal
	·	250% Working Disabled Medi-Cal Program
	·	ABD-Medically Needy Medi-Cal for Persons who are Aged, Blind, or have Disabilities with ABD-MN Worksheet
	·	AFDC-MN Medi-Cal for Children, Parents and Caregiver Relatives
	·	Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program
	·	Medicaid Transportation Services
	·	Medi-Cal Program for Aged and Disabled Persons
	·	Section 1931(b) Medi-Cal For Children, Parents & Caretaker Relatives
	·	Sneede/Gamma and Section (§) 1931(b)
	·	Sneede/Gamma Prorated Income Limits
	·	Transportation Under Medi-Cal and EPSDT

	Medical Billing
	·	New Limitations on Hospital Billing & Collections with sample letters to hospitals, collection agencies, and to DHS to help consumers get financial assistance.

	SSI Advocacy
	·	Documenting Disability for Social Security training
	·	Documenting Disability: Simple Strategies for Medical Providers manual
	·	Investing in People to Save Counties Money: Best Practices for Moving People with Disabilities from General Assistance to SSI report

	Podcasts
	January 12, 2011 NHeLP Podcast #6: LSC Rules on Reproductive Health Advocacy
	December 22, 2010 NHeLP Podcast #5: California Language Access Requirements
	December 14, 2010 NHeLP Podcast #4: Federal Language Access Requirements
	November 1, 2010 NHeLP Podcast #3: Provisions in the Affordable Care Act Benefiting Children
	September 17, 2010 NHeLP Podcast #2: Streamlining Children's Eligibility and Enrollment under PPACA: Lessons Learned from Healthy Families and Medi-Cal
	June 23, 2010 NHeLP Podcast #1: Health Reform High Risk Pools

	Manuals
	·	The California Pregnant and Parenting Youth Guide. March 2012. The California Pregnant and Parenting Youth Guide is an innovative resource for teens, their parents, legal services agencies, health care providers, or social service professionals who work with pregnant and parenting minors. The Guide itself is interactive and answers key questions that pregnant and parenting youth may have about their rights to health care, confidential services, parenting, education, and many more. The website includes a section with critical legal information for professionals who work with youth. Website Flyer (pdf)
	·	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. Overview of the Medi-Cal Program Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction to the Medi-Cal Program Chapter 2: Eligibility Chapter 3: Income under the Medi-Cal Program Chapter 4: Resources Chapter 5: Setting up Medi-Cal Family Budget Units, Spending Down and Share of Cost Chapter 6: Applying for Medi-Cal Benefits and Retroactive Benefits Chapter 7: About the Different Medi-Cal Programs Chapter 8: Waivers and Home- and Community-Based Care Chapter 9: Medi-Cal, Social Security Title II Benefits & Medicare Chapter 10: Medi-Cal and Other Health Coverage Chapter 11: Medi-Cal Services Chapter 12: Medi-Cal Services for Children Chapter 13: Women's Health Services Chapter 14: Medi-Cal Services for Immigrants, Including Non-Citizen and Undocumented Immigrants Chapter 15: Linguistically Appropriate and Culturally Competent Services Chapter 16: Denti-Cal for Children and Adults Chapter 17: Other Related (non Medi-Cal) Programs Chapter 18: Beneficiary Financial Liability and Protections from Medical Debt Chapter 19: Notice, Appeals and Fair Hearings Chapter 20: Medi-Cal Managed Care Chapter 21: Medi-Cal and Long Term Care Appendix A: Medi-Cal Glossary of Terms Appendix B: A Basic Medi-Cal Library
	·	SB87 Guide: Changes in the Medi-Cal Eligibility Determination Process. January 2002.
	·	Strategies to Address Health Care Debt of those With Low . November 1999.

	Reports
		December 4, 2011 Keeping Health Alive: GR/SSI Advocacy and Immigrant Health Access in the Wake of the 2008 Economic Downturn This evaluation demonstrates that even as economic and political climates get tougher, collaboratives like HCA can play an important role in raising awareness, offering alternatives, and creating an environment of hope for its clients. [Full report]
		September 21, 2010 Investing in People to Save Counties Money: Best Practices for Moving People with Disabilities from General Assistance to SSI This report concludes that strategically investing in SSI (Supplemental Security Income) advocacy programs with modest rent subsidies can generate millions in savings for county governments while stabilizing housing for poor residents with disabilities and dramatically improving their quality of life. [Full report]
		February 3, 2010 From Individual Health Consumer Problems to Systemic Policy Change Through the knowledge and experience gained from helping individuals, HCA strives to improve the broader health care system locally, statewide, and nationwide. Read how HCA accomplished systemic and policy changes by tackling individual health access barriers in 2008 and 2009 in its new Annual Report. [Full report]
		December 16, 2009 The Human Face of Medi-Cal Benefit Cuts Read the real stories of the immeasurable pain resulting from devastating cuts to California’s vital health and human service programs. [Full report]
		July 15, 2009 Hospital Bill Headaches: Medi-Cal Consumers Face Confusiong Billing Problems After Hospital Care HCA's report highlights stories of consumers eligible for Medi-Cal who never should have been billed, much less sent to collections or sued. [Full report]
		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. [Contact us for the 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. [Contact us for the 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. [Contact us for the full report]
		August 2004 "An Innovative Partnership" - The Health Consumer Alliance releases its Annual Report covering 2002 - 2003. [Contact us for the 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. [Contact us for the 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. [Contact us for the 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 [Contact us for the 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 [Contact us for the full report]
		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 [Contact us for full report] [Press Release]

	Medi-Cal Eligibility Training Videos
	July 20, 2009 Medi-Cal Eligibility Training Videos Learn the details of Medi-Cal eligibility with four videos from the National Health Law Program.

	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]
	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. [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. [Press Release]
	October 15, 1998 San Francisco Mayor Brown Endorses Health Consumer Program. Program Begins for Managed Care Patients, Uninsured Consumers. [Press Release]

HCA Publications