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 cultivate and collaborate with strategic partners concerned with Medicare-related issues.

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, and our widely-used fact sheets concerning the Medicare’s most pressing issues, all available on 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.

Our Partners

We, along with the California Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) project, collaborate with multiple advocacy organizations throughout the state and across the nation on issues regarding Medicare, access to care and services, and Medicare fraud. See our list of partners for more information.

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:

"California Health Advocates provided tremendous assistance to me as I assisted my 93 year old father to change his medicare coverage. It was a cumbersome process for me and CHA made prompt insurance contacts for me so that I could complete the application process within the deadline. They also overcame obstacles to my father getting the coverage he was entitled to. In addition, the training and technical assistance CHA provides to HICAP is invaluable."

– Alana M.

“For the record, the rave reviews of your presentation which started immediately after you left, continued through the lunch hour. . . and again at this week's meeting.... On behalf of "The View" (and myself), thank you again for your thought-provoking and informative presentation.”

— Corinne S.Programming Volunteer for “The View”

Voice message testimonial

— George StarkyResident Service Coordinator

“The value of the CHA Fact sheets to our HICAP program is huge. Counselors can get current information and data figures, the fact sheets are easy to read, finding the answers needed is easy with the wonderful index. The fact sheets also help our Medicare clients by giving them information they can rely on to be correct and current and written in an manner they can understand. Our clients like to have something in hand to remind them of all the information they just heard and the fact sheets fit that bill perfectly.”

— Debbie ShallyHICAP Program Manager, Sonora

"In January, my doctor sent a claim to Medicare for a walking boot which I needed for a medical condition. Medicare denied the claim even though the boot was a covered item. Since the doctor was not paid, he insisted that I pay $284.85 out of pocket, which I paid, however I was sure this was not a fair practice.

I brought my case to the California Senior Medicare Patrol and Sandy Morales, Complex Case Manager, worked on the issue for several months. She was an intermediary between Medicare and my doctor and after several conversations, she was able to convince the doctor to re-submit the claim for the boot, along with the appropriate documentation indicating medical necessity.

Bottom line: in September, Medicare paid the doctor for the valid claim and the doctor reimbursed me for the full $284.85.

Thank you Sandy and Senior Medicare Patrol for being such a strong advocate for a grateful Medicare beneficiary."

— Marcy B

"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