California Health Advocates provides information for journalists and consumers on Medicare, Medicare supplemental coverage and long-term-care insurance. While the program is designed to serve California residents, CHA experts also serve journalists from across the country. Bonnie Burns, a CHA training and policy specialist consultant, is a national expert on such issues and is often quoted in national publications and broadcast media outlets.
The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank focused on individual liberty, limited government and free markets. For journalists, the institute has published reports on health care workforce reform, the COVID-19 pandemic, health reform and other topics. Cato says it does not do lobbying, back political candidates, engage in political activities, associate with any political organization or party or accept government funding.
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest in Washington and state capitols and has a section devoted to health care. Since its founding in 1971, Public Citizen has advocated for patient safety and health care for all.
The Better Medicare Alliance: The mission of the BMA is to advocate for a strong Medicare Advantage program. It has opposed cuts in payment for MA plans.
The Council for Affordable Health Coverage is a group that represents organizations of patients, consumers, employers, physicians, and health insurers that says it urges policy makers to implement solutions to improve health care transparency.
California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative. The California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative has developed the Maternal Data Center as an online tool that can product performance metrics on maternity care services for hospitals to supports quality improvement activities and service-line management for clinicians and administrators. The collaborative also develops quality improvement initiatives and conducts research to improve health outcomes for mothers and infants.
Nondiscrimination rules require public notice: An article from the law firm Epstein Becker Green explains the steps health care provider organizations need to take to comply with the nondiscrimination rules under the Affordable Care Act’s Section 1557. The article says that in May 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a final rule, “Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities” implementing the nondiscrimination provisions in the ACA’s Section 1557. The rule was effective on July 18, 2016. By October 16, 2016, health care providers needed to notify the public of their compliance with these nondiscrimination provisions by posting nondiscrimination notices in multiple languages.
The Coalition to Protect Patient Choice is an advocacy organization that opposes insurance company mergers and that reportedly is funded by the hospital industry. CPPC was founded by David Balto, a former trial attorney in the Antitrust Division of the federal Department of Justice and former policy director of the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission. The CPPC website has a collection of articles, videos, and testimony on how health insurance mergers could affect consumers. Journalists should use this material with caution and note that Balto has said the source of CPPC’s funding is ‘not relevant.’