New Web Site to Help Seniors Navigate Medicare in California; Calmedicare.org Provides One-stop Information Shop for California Seniors.News Editors & Medical/Health Writers OAKLAND, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 27, 2002 The California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). HealthCare Foundation (CHCF CHCF California HealthCare Foundation CHCF Committee for Hispanic Children and Families CHCF California High Cost Fund CHCF Capitol Hill Community Foundation CHCF Community Health & Care Forum CHCF Complementary Healthcare Consultative Forum ) today announced the launch of a new Web site, calmedicare.org, developed to help Californians understand their Medicare benefits and options for additional coverage. Calmedicare.org is a free, objective, non-commercial Web site for California seniors, their families, and caregivers. "Health care for seniors involves critical and often confusing con·fuse v. con·fused, con·fus·ing, con·fus·es v.tr. 1. a. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off. b. choices," said Mark D. Smith, M.D., M.B.A, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of the California HealthCare Foundation. "This Web site brings together in one place the range of information that will help people make informed decisions." Calmedicare.org uses a question-and-answer format to describe many of the health care options available in California through public programs or private providers. The site provides practical information on: -- Medi-Cal programs for low-income Californians; -- Medicare managed care; -- Medicare supplemental policies, also known as Medigap; -- Employer-based coverage; -- Medicare for people with disabilities; -- Dictionary of Medicare terms; and -- Links to many additional Medicare resources. "As part of the Foundation's mission to increase access to care, we saw a need to help people navigate (1) "Surfing the Web." To move from page to page on the Web. (2) To move through the menu structure in a software application. the often complex Medicare system," said Cecilia Echeverria, policy analyst at CHCF. "The site is a one-stop shop One-Stop Shop A company or a location that offers a multitude of services to a client or a customer. The idea is to provide convenient and efficient service and also to create the opportunity for the company to sell more products to clients and customers. for information on what Medicare does and does not cover. It also helps people understand the best options based on their particular circumstances CIRCUMSTANCES, evidence. The particulars which accompany a fact. 2. The facts proved are either possible or impossible, ordinary and probable, or extraordinary and improbable, recent or ancient; they may have happened near us, or afar off; they are public or and needs." The Internet site is sponsored by the California HealthCare Foundation and was created with the expert advice of the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) and California Health Advocates (CHA n. 1. Tea; - the Chinese (Mandarin) name, used generally in early works of travel, and now for a kind of rolled tea used in Central Asia. A pot with hot water . . . made with the powder of a certain herb called chaa, which is much esteemed. - Tr. J. ). HICAP provides one-on-one counseling to seniors about their Medicare options. CHA helps train HICAP counselors and organizes other Medicare consumer resources. Information on how to reach the organizations is available on the Web site. Calmedicare.org is designed to be useful not only to California seniors and disabled people qualifying for Medicare, but also to families of those who may be eligible for the program, senior organizations, health care providers, government offices, and the media. The California HealthCare Foundation, based in Oakland, is an independent philanthropy philanthropy, the spirit of active goodwill toward others as demonstrated in efforts to promote their welfare. The term is often used interchangeably with charity. committed to improving California's health care delivery and financing systems. CHCF's work focuses on informing health policy decisions, advancing efficient business practices, improving the quality and efficiency of care delivery, and promoting informed health care and coverage decisions. For more information on calmedicare.org, please visit www.calmedicare.org or email calmedicare@chcf.org. For more information about the California HealthCare Foundation, visit www.chcf.org. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion