Know Your Rights: Consumer Health Coverage Info

The HCA is a network of ten consumer assistance programs operated by community-based legal services organizations across the state of California. The HCA offers free assistance online, over-the-phone or in-person at independent, community-based offices throughout the state, helping people who are struggling to get or maintain health coverage and resolve problems with their health plans. We also provide statewide policy advocacy to resolve systemic health care issues impacting Californians.

What does “Share of Cost” mean? How much will my Share of Cost be? Does every Medi-Cal member have a Share of Cost? Get the answers to these questions and important information about how Share of Cost works with this useful fact sheet.

After disasters in California, survivors may need extra assistance to access health care. Fortunately, several consumer-friendly protections help survivors access the services, supplies, and care that they need. Read on for special rights and remedies available to survivors seeking prescription drugs, medical supplies and equipment, physician and specialist care, eligibility and coverage, health plan enrollment changes, and more.

Our Health Care Practice Tip this month details these changes and more. One common unlawful provision found in many hospitals’ fair pricing policies is a specific time period to apply, often set at 150 days. These deadlines violate the Hospital Fair Pricing Act, which allows patients to apply for charity care or discounted payments at any time, without time limit.  Meanwhile, hospitals may still commence collection activity after the statutory time period has passed. The Health Care Practice Tip explains this issue.

Justice in Aging’s new Advocate’s Guide on CalAIM provides updated information and highlights its impact on low-income older adults and people with disabilities. 

After disasters in California, survivors may need extra assistance to access health care. Fortunately, several consumer-friendly protections help survivors access the services, supplies, and care that they need. Read on for special rights and remedies available to survivors seeking prescription drugs, medical supplies and equipment, physician and specialist care, eligibility and coverage, health plan enrollment changes, and more.

Medicaid helps people live healthier and more economically secure lives. It increases the diagnosis and early treatment of chronic conditions, enhances educational achievement and future earnings for covered children, reduces health care inequities, and provides comprehensive, high-quality, and cost-effective care. In an updated series of fact sheets, NHeLP outlines the importance of Medicaid related to various populations groups and services Medicaid covers. In particular, the fact sheets focus on how funding caps in particular would impact Medicaid. The data from the “Medicaid Fast Facts” document and information from the 14 fact sheets emphasize the vital nature Medicaid plays in ensuring the health of those enrolled as well as their communities and states. A companion blog to this series can be found here.

Medi-Cal covers four housing-related Community Supports for eligible individuals who are enrolled in a managed care plan. All plans currently offer all of these services. Read more about these services in this fact sheet from National Health Law Program.

Download the HCA FPL Chart 2026

Western Center on Law & Poverty has developed this comprehensive health care practice tip on the Medi-Cal eligibility challenges for immigrants beginning January 1, 2026. Several changes harm people differently depending on their age and immigration status. Until California’s elected officials reverse these harmful cuts, this Practice Tip provides information and strategy ideas to help immigrants access the health care that they need.    

Justice in Aging has produced these important fact sheets, on Open Enrollment for 2026 Coverage through Medicare & the Marketplace—Basics for Advocates and Coverage through Medicare & Covered California . These guides provide valuable information and resources every advocate should have to better understand the open enrollment process and various marketplace policies and rules.

Asset limits for Medi-Cal are changing in 2026. This fact sheet provides valuable information to help you understand how the asset limits are changing and if it will affect you. (Translations: Spanish)

HCA has developed this valuable resource to guide you through the upcoming changes to Medi-Cal that may affect your eligibility as an adult immigrant in California. (Updated July 12, 2026) Translations: Arabic, Armenian, Cambodian, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Farsi, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Ukrainian, Vietnamese Note: Additional translations will be provided as they become available.

Know Your Rights regarding your privacy information and what you need to provide as an immigrant when applying for healthcare coverage. This fact sheet is also available in the following translations: Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese

Justice in Aging’s new resource, Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) State Medicaid Agency Contract Toolkit, provides advocates and State Medicaid Agency policymakers with principles and corresponding template language to develop SMACs that are responsive to the needs of the dually eligible populations that they serve. Stakeholders are encouraged to use this tool to advance their priorities, utilizing and tailoring the components that are most appropriate for their state’s integrated environments.

Justice In Aging has produced a new fact sheet about the perils of cuts to Medicaid by the current administration. Download the fact sheet here.

Starting January 1, 2025, two new policies will be implemented to improve enrollment in California’s Medicare Savings Programs, making Medicare more affordable by providing assistance with out-of-pocket costs such as premiums, co-pays, co-insurance, and deductibles for low-income individuals.

For more information, follow this link to Justice in Aging's Fact Sheet online or you can download it here.

Individuals of any age group can contract HIV, including older individuals. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2021, over 53% of the people diagnosed with HIV in the United States were aged 50 and older. The Health Consumer Alliance is committed to expanding awareness around aging adults living with HIV/AIDS. Please consult this quick fact sheet for more information.  

The Health Consumer Alliance Quality of Care Chart provides valuable information on healthcare providers and facilities, helping consumers make informed decisions about their care. Find out how to use this resource effectively. Download it here.