Proposed Regulations Weaken Language Access Law in California HMOs
Landmark legislation going into effect this spring will for the first time require ALL health plans in California to provide care in patients’ primary language. This legislation (SB 853) passed…
Medicare Needs to Play Key Role in Eliminating Health Disparities
Racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive lower-quality health care than whites, even when insurance status, income, age, and severity of conditions are comparable. These disparities, which have been thoroughly…
The Obesity Epidemic Grows Among Medicare Beneficiaries: Strategies for Action and Prevention
California is in the midst of an unparalleled obesity epidemic. Poor diet and physical inactivity are the second leading causes of death and disability, resulting in nearly 30,000 deaths each…
The Obesity Epidemic Grows Among Medicare Beneficiaries: Examining the Who and Why
The rate of obesity among Medicare beneficiaries more than doubled from 1987 to 2002, jumping from 11.7 percent in 1987 to 22.5 percent in 2002, according to a recent study…
Michael Moore’s New Documentary Exposes Healthcare Woes and Emphasizes Advocacy
Sometime in 2007 Michael Moore will release his next documentary film, “Sicko”, in an attempt to tackle the American health care system and tell the stories of the millions of…
Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC)
Did you know that people with disabilities: Are three times as likely to be unemployed and to live in poverty as people without disabilities? Are half as likely to graduate…
Are Your Services Available to Beneficiaries with Disabilities?
As of 2004 about 13 percent, or 550,000, of California’s Medicare beneficiaries were on Medicare with a disability. This number is increasing and has increased 18 percent between 1999 and…
Part D Struggles Stimulate Ideas to Overcome Language Barriers
One of the most urgent and pressing needs in regards to Medicare Part D is effective education and outreach to people who do not speak English. In California’s diverse state,…
How Are People with Medicare and Medi-Cal Fairing Under Medicare Part D?
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt’s recent progress report on Medicare Part D stated claims that prescription “drug costs are going down,” and that the “Medicare drug benefit is…
Speaking the Language: Are Your Services Available to Those Who Need Them?
Issues around language and communication significantly affect a growing proportion of California’s population in general, and the Medicare population in particular. According to data from the U.S. Census, a California…
