seniors

Opinion: Older Californians Need Support to Age at Home. Funding it Is Critical

California, through the Master Plan on Aging, has led the nation in recognizing the unique and increasingly urgent needs of older adults.

But Gov. Newsom’s recently released budget proposal for the 2025-26 fiscal year could cut aging and disability-focused programs. We’ve heard firsthand from older adults, people with disabilities and family caregivers about the challenges in accessing support and affordable housing. Many people feel left behind by the system.

Community Workers Fan Out to Persuade Immigrant Seniors to Get Covered

As of October, the most recent month for which data is available, more than 300,000 older immigrant adults who lack legal residency had enrolled in full Medi-Cal benefits, 30 percent more than the state’s original projection.

State health officials, who had based their estimate on the number of people enrolled in a limited form of Medi-Cal that covers only emergency medical services, don’t know how many additional older Californians are eligible.

California Elders Say They’re Misled When Enrolling in Medicare Plans. Here Are Some Solutions

Bonnie Burns was shocked into action the first time she learned that seniors were being coerced into Medicare Advantage plans that either didn’t suit their needs, misled them about costs, or lured them with benefits they wouldn’t actually receive.

A health care advocate for 40 years, Burns was outraged that a health insurance option intended to broaden coverage choices for California elders was instead being misused by unscrupulous marketers to seek profits.

California Has a Unique Problem With Hospice Fraud. Can Legislation Stop it?

Hospice care provides physical, mental and spiritual care and comfort for a person with a life expectancy of six months or less.

But fraudulent enrollment in hospice can be life-threatening. Because hospice is for people expected to die, beneficiaries lose access to curative treatment, including medicines, medical equipment and their regular doctors.

Analysis: Why California Should Expand Health Coverage to Undocumented Seniors

While President Barack Obama’s 2010 health reform bill, the Affordable Care Act, greatly expanded insurance access, it excluded undocumented immigrants across the country. This likely contributed to COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on undocumented Californians. Health equity and immigrant rights advocates have been urging California leaders to broaden health coverage for nearly a decade.

Mountains and a valley belonging to the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation

Few Native Americans Access Hospice Care. A New Effort in Yolo County Hopes to Change That

Native American seniors are much less likely than other racial and ethnic groups to receive hospice and palliative care, but a new partnership between a Capay Valley tribe in Yolo County and a local hospice provider seeks to change that.

Yolo Hospice is working with Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation to research the challenges that Native American communities face when trying to obtain and plan for end-of-life care.

Closeup of a young man holding the hand of an old woman with affection.

How California Can Fix Its Hospice System and Reduce Care Inequities

When done right, hospice care can provide immense comfort to terminally ill patients and their families. But fraud, malpractice, unchecked growth, and lack of effective oversight from the state and federal authorities threaten the wellbeing of California’s hospice patients.

Seniors from all walks of life fall victim to these fraudulent practices, but those with limited English proficiency are especially vulnerable.

Here are a few solutions.

X Close

Subscribe to Our Mailing Lists

* indicates required
Email Lists