About Us

About California Health Advocates

Founded in 1997, California Health Advocates is the leading Medicare advocacy and education non-profit in California. We receive financial support from private and public organizations. See our grantors and sponsors, meet our staff, read articles mentioning CHA, or read about our first 10 years. Our work includes:

Advocacy & Policy

Advocacy: Advocating on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries and their families, we target federal and state level legislators and their staff through media and educational campaigns. We also build and lead coalitions of strategic partners concerned with Medicare-related issues, such as the California Medicare Coalition.

Policy: As the premiere watchdog organization for Medicare in California, we conduct public policy research to support improved rights and protections of Medicare beneficiaries and their families. We frequently partner with other statewide and national Medicare organizations to promote policies that positively impact Medicare.

See our Press Releases and Press Mentions.

Education

We provide accurate and up-to-date Medicare information for both Medicare beneficiaries and their families — and the, advocates and providers who serve them.

For California beneficiaries and their families: Our website provides Medicare information organized by topic, with English and Spanish podcasts available in several sections. We also support the state’s Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program (HICAP) who work directly one-on-one with California’s Medicare population through our trainings, technical assistance and educational materials.

For Medicare professionals: We provide current Medicare information and education through this website, our e-newsletter, blog articles, policy briefs and our widely-used fact sheets concerning the Medicare’s most pressing issues, all available in the For Professionals section of our website. Our expert staff trainers also provide educational workshops, training and consultation to professionals, including HICAP counselors and staff on comprehensive Medicare topics and policy issues.

Contact Us

Learn about the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) project and how SMP counselors can help you resolve fraud related questions and provide education on Medicare fraud prevention.

Send Us Your Comments

Do you have comments or concerns about your Medicare coverage? Issues regarding getting your needed prescriptions from your Part D plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan representative’s marketing practices? Let us know at comments@cahealthadvocates.org.

Hearing how Medicare is working for you is an important part of our advocacy efforts to make sure Medicare works well for all beneficiaries. Your comments help guide our recommendations with key state and national policy makers.

Contributing to Our Work

We seek tax-deductible contributions and sponsors to support our high quality educational events and publications. We are a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity, and donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

We’re listed with GuideStar. You may donate online or send a donation to:

California Health Advocates
5380 Elvas Avenue, Suite 221
Sacramento CA 95819

Read Our Testimonials:

"I just wanted to say thank you for all you do and for all that CHA helps us with. We function much better as an organization knowing we have you and all of the CHA team for support and especially resources."

— Maria Profeta, Stanislaus County HICAP Program Manager

“I just viewed your SMP web page and I must say it is very impressive. I really enjoyed the site and spent much time (3 hours this evening to be exact) learning. It is so good that I will have my English speaking volunteers use it as a training tool. You should receive recognition for such an ‘impressive’ web page!“

—Rachanna R.Texas Senior Medicare Patrol, SCOS, Inc.

“Wow! We love your presentation and personality! Thank you for coming to class and sharing your expertise on Medicare Fraud and HICAP! The students have shared with me that you have been their favorite speaker so far! They loved your stories and enthusiasm! It’s so good that the students and myself are seeing the big picture and the interrelatedness of programs. You gave us all something to think about. Thanks again for generously sharing your time with our students!”

— Gina HansenProfessor, Gerontology Dept., American River College

“Your passion and concern for this issue (Medicare Fraud and Abuse) is evident and very effective in communicating the need for vigilance among seniors.”

— Los Arcos Apartments, Poway

“Thank you for your 2011 TrOOP info! If only I had looked at your website first!… I now have a very clear explanation of what costs count toward TrOOP, thanks to your website info. Perhaps the industry will need to change the term ‘True Out of Pocket’ to avoid confusion. Thank you!”

— DonnaSan Francisco

“Thank you so much for the technical assistance provided by Bonnie Burns to our HICAP counselor during February and March of 2011. Our client had trouble with a long term care policy that was refusing to pay. With Mrs. Burns’ help, our counselor was able to have the client’s policy begin paying for her long term care at a benefit level of $100/day. With HICAP’s help, the client will be able to save an estimated $118,381 over 3 years! The client’s family is very happy and appreciative of our help”

— Tatiana FassieuxProgram Manager, Butte County HICAP – a program of PASSAGES