California Medicare Coalition Meetings

Additional CMC events for 2008

August 6, Southern California
August 13, Northern California
October 8, Southern California
October 15, Northern California
December 3, Southern California
December 10, Northern California

Meetings

Two meetings are held every other month in Southern and Northern California locations, and the first and second Wednesday of the month. A special presentation addressing an important and timely topic in Medicare is offered at every meeting, with time to discuss issues with representative from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Social Security Administration. In addition, knowledgeable experts on Medicare, managed care and health insurance issues are also available to answer questions that come up during the meetings.

Recent topics and speakers during the past year included the following:

• Importance of Language Services

  Ellen Wu, Executive Director or Marty Martinez, Policy Director
  California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN)
  Download PowerPoint

• Medicare Part D: Who regulates What? Federal and State Responsibilities

  Speaker: California Department of Insurance
  Download PowerPoint

• Medicare Advantage, Private Fee for Service Plans: Addressing Marketing Abuses

  Speaker: Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association
  View agenda and access recording

• Social Security Administration: Withholdings and Reimbursements related to Medicare

  Speaker: Social Security Administration
  Download PowerPoint

• Requesting Information from Part D Plans

  Speaker: Center for Health Care Rights
  Download PowerPoint

Some of the agencies currently attending meetings include the following:

About the California Medicare Coalition

The California Medicare Coalition (CMC) sponsored by California Health Advocates, provides a meeting place for individuals and agencies serving and advocating on behalf of people with Medicare, and to help each other keep informed about the latest changes and updates in the Medicare program. Throughout the year, the CMC works strategically in a statewide, coordinated effort on community events and in educational meetings, targeting regional or statewide issues, to improve outreach and education especially to hard-to-reach Medicare beneficiary communities. We strive to provide for a better informed and educated Medicare information network in California. While the California Medicare Coalition is free and open to anyone interested in learning more about issues related to Medicare in California, professionals serving in health care, social and legal services organizations will find these meetings are an excellent vehicle for connecting with federal and state agencies administering Medicare and related services.

We organized the first meetings of the CMC in November 2003. In June 2004, we sponsored three large statewide educational forums attracting over 600 participants from a variety of agencies and organizations. The Coalition focuses on education, which includes addressing current policy and advocacy issues related to Medicare coverage. Several community-level events are sponsored throughout the year in order to engage the general public and to bring forward beneficiary providing opportunities for more effective advocacy.

back to For Professionals