Medicare and Medi-Cal recipients in Oakland await health care reform

When the reforms called for by the Affordable Care Act go into effect January 2014, in addition to enrolling thousands of people who were previously uninsured, a number of Baby Boomers will also enroll in Medi-Cal and Medicare. For Alameda County health care experts, the challenge will be to explain the differences in the two similar-sounding programs and to help recipients understand the complex rules of each.

Read More

Despite state compromise, some seniors no longer eligible for adult day healthcare

Some Adult Day Healthcare Centers in Alameda County that were initially relieved to hear that their state funding would not be entirely cut, thanks to a settlement reached between disability rights activists and the State Department of Health Care Services, are now worried. At LifeLong Medical Care in East Oakland, more patients have been found ineligible for the new Medi-Cal subsidized program set to replace adult day healthcare than LifeLong staffers expected.

Read More

Oakland nonprofit helps California women locate reproductive health services

intern

All over the country, and even in states like California where abortion laws are among the nation’s most lenient, many women, particularly low-income women, still have trouble accessing abortion clinics and other reproductive health services, such as finding birth control providers or prenatal care. At ACCESS, a nonprofit located in downtown Oakland, practical assistance is there for the asking.

Read More

For Oakland’s seniors, living on Medicare and Medi-Cal can be a challenge

In old age homes and residential care facilities across the country, low-income seniors are already part of a government-run healthcare system–through MediCal, the state benefits program for the poor; and Medicare, the federal program for those over 65. But for some seniors those benefits don’t necessarily provide easy access to medical care either. A special Oakland North radio podcast.

Read More