Resources for Health Care Quality
- FREE Prescription Drug Card program Print out as many cards as you need, and receive savings of up to 75% at more than 50,000 national and regional pharmacies. (http://www.californiarxcard.com)
- ASSISTANCE: Health Consumer Alliance is a partnership of consumer assistance programs operated by community-based legal services organizations. “Our common mission is to help low-income people obtain essential health care.” (http://healthconsumer.org/)
- ASSISTANCE: For community clinics in Greater Los Angeles, visit the Community Clinic Association of LA County website at www.ccalac.org
- ASSISTANCE: The Performing Artists’ Clinic is collaboration between The Actors Fund, MusiCares and Venice Family Clinic. Contact The Actors Fund at 323.933.9244 ext. 55 for information. (http://www.ahirc.org)
- PUBLIC POLICY: Every other industrialized nation has achieved universal health insurance. How do other countries do it? “National Health Insurance: Lessons From Abroad.” Century Foundation Press, 2/7/2008 (http://www.tcf.org/list.asp?type=PB&pubid=636)
- PUBLIC POLICY: OneCareNow is a grass roots campaign devoted to educating Californians and building support for state legislation (http://onecarenow.org/)
- PUBLIC POLICY: California Healthcare Foundation. http://www.chcf.org/topics/healthinsurance/
- PUBLIC POLICY: State Health Facts. Statehealthfacts.org is a project of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and is designed to provide free, up-to-date, and easy-to-use health data on all 50 states. http://www.statehealthfacts.org/
- PUBLIC POLICY: The Health Policy Institute is a multi-disciplinary group of faculty and staff dedicated to conducting research on key issues in health policy and health services research. (http://ihcrp.georgetown.edu)
- RATINGS: HMO and PPO plans. California Office of the Patient Advocate. Ratings for medical care and services. (http://www.opa.ca.gov/report_card)
- RATINGS: Doctors, hospitals, and nursing homes. (http://www.healthgrades.com/)
- RATINGS: Find and compare hospitals near you. (http://www.calhospitalcompare.org/)
- GUIDE: Consumer Guide for Getting and Keeping Health Insurance in California. Published by Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute. http://healthinsuranceinfo.net/getinsured/california/
- GUIDE: The California Patient’s Guide: Your Health Care Rights and Remedies (http://www.calpatientguide.org/index.html). By Consumer Watchdog.
- HEALTHCARE REFORM: Myths (http://www.healthcarereformmyths.org)
- HEALTHCARE REFORM: Health Care for America Now http://healthcareforamericanow.org/
- QUOTES: Handy place to get quotes for health insurance (Be aware that not all plans are quoted!) http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/
- SURVIVAL: How to Survive a Stay in the Hospital. Article at medicinenet.com (http://tinyurl.com/2apwg2)
