Health Access Foundation

Programs: Policy - through our policy work, health access plays a leadership role in securing and expanding coverage, fighting for public investments in health care, winning consumer protections for patients, and advancing health reforms, specific and comprehensive, toward a vision of quality, affordable health care for all californians. We conduct in-depth analysis of health reform implementation, budget, and other policy proposals, develop alternatives or new ideas to benefit health care consumers, and evaluate the impact of budget cuts and past policy changes. 1) securing and expanding coverage for all: our policy advocacy seeks to defend medicare, medicaid and the affordable care act; implement and improve upon these health reform, and continue to expand access and affordability help to all californians, to the goal of #health. 2) fighting for a fair budget for the future and protect public investments to preserve access to care: health access has been a leader in the state budget battles, working to protect our health care infrastructure of public health coverage programs like medicaid (medi-cal), medicare, and our safety-net institutions of public hospitals and community clinics. Health access works to improve and strengthen these programs and services, save them from cuts, support the revenues and funding that they need to survive and thrive, and reform of the budget process to achieve those ends. 3) protecting consumers and enhancing value through accountability: health access seeks to ensure care and coverage through oversight of insurers and health plan, and control costs and improve quality with oversight of providers and the delivery system, ultimately seeking to prevent racial, ethnic and other disparities and advance equity. In this consumer representation and protection role, health access serves as a lead voice of health care consumers to develop and advocate for various proposals so consumers have confidence in their care and coverage. In the media, in the legislature, at regulatory agencies, and elsewhere, health access is often the consumer counterpoint to insurers, providers, and other elements of the health care industry. Focusing on cost, qualjty, and access, we develop and advocate for poljcies so consumers are able to get the care they need when they need it, and that is meaningful in covering care and providing economic security. This includes stopping insurers and providers from denying care, or overcharging for it. 4) encourage a healthier california, by promoting prevention, investing in public health and the safety net through fighting for a fair budget, and seeking a stronger social contract beyond health care. Health access recognizes that the major task of defending our gains and successfully implementing and improving the federal health law is a first step toward truly advancing the goal of healthier individuals and communities. We seek to win specific reforms in the delivery of care to reduce cost, improve quality, ensure safety, promote equity, and encourage prevention. We identify and support specific policy and social changes to encourage prevention and wellness outside the health care system, with the new reforms to promote health, economic security, and equity.

community organizing, outreach, & education - through our community organizing, outreach, and education project, health access undertakes coalition organizing, public education, applied research, policy analysis and advocacy to advance reforms to benefit california's health care consumers, both insured and uninsured. We seek to make our allies and member organizations as effective as possible in health advocacy by disseminating timely alerts, updates and information, providing analyses on legislation and other policy proposals, developing policy ideas, and organizing coalitions and campaigns that groups can join and help lead. Health access advances policy change because we organize the power of individuals, organizations, and communities together - whether that power comes from unique policy expertise, personal experiences, popular sentiment or public mobilization. Health access provides a bridge between the grassroots and senior policy levels to effectively advocate for substantive reforms, between different levels and agencies of government, from legislative to administrative, and between different types of organizations and communities to work for a common purpose. While advocating for policies that primarily benefit the undeserved, health access seeks majority support for across-the-board reforms through a broad coalition of member organizations representing communities of color, lgbt people, immigrants, people with disabilities, children, seniors, people of faith, labor, low-income communities, and working families.

ca lgbt hhs network - health access hosts the california lgbt health and human services network. The california lgbt hhs network is a statewide coalition of lgbt-serving nonprofit direct service providers, community centers, researchers, and policy experts working collectively to advocate for state level polices and resources that will advance lgbt health. The network provides leadership about lgbt health policy in a proactive, responsive manner that promotes health and wellness for lgbt people, families, and communities. The ca lgbt hhs network has worked to implement the aca inclusive of lgbt communities, enroll lgbt californians in medical and covered california, ensure lgbt populations are counted and considered in all aspects of health policy.