California Policy Advocacy

The California Policy Advocacy team at the National Health Law Program works to protect and expand access to quality, equitable health care for all people in California. Originally founded in Los Angeles, NHeLP has maintained a consistent and engaged presence in California since 1969. We use our legal and policy expertise to work with California advocates, and policymakers, as well as community members, in crafting some of the most equitable and innovative health policy initiatives in the country.

Medi-Cal, the nation’s largest state Medicaid program, provides free or low-cost health care coverage to approximately 15 million low-income adults, families with children, older adults, people with disabilities, pregnant people, and children and youth involved in child welfare, regardless of immigration status. Coupled with employer-based insurance and Covered California, the state’s health care marketplace, California is the first state to develop a template for near-universal coverage. NHeLP is proud to support California in creating and implementing bold, sustainable measures to advance health equity.  

To ensure that these policies positively impact the lives of Californians in concrete ways, we engage in advocacy with policymakers as well as state and local agencies that administer and oversee public and private health care programs. We work in collaboration with advocates and stakeholders to ensure health care laws, policies, and practices in California meet the needs of low-income and underserved people. We provide educational materials for advocates and the general public. We are also a support center for health and legal advocates across the state, including the statewide Health Consumer Alliance (HCA), a collaborative that provides individual health consumer assistance and policy advocacy, including legal representation, for low-income and underserved populations, as well as technical assistance and training to local legal aid programs and other advocates. Our long-term partnerships with local California advocacy groups ensure that we’re focused and informed on priorities from the people most impacted by Medi-Cal and other state health programs.

Intersection of Federal Policy and California Policy

Medi-Cal is the largest Medicaid program in the nation, and the millions of Californians who rely on it are also directly impacted by federal health care laws and policies. Similarly, Covered California represents an effective model for other state health insurance exchanges across the country to ensure access to affordable and comprehensive care for people in private plans. NHeLP’s deep connections to California, coupled with our extensive federal policy expertise, makes us a unique and critical partner in effective health care advocacy in California.