Success Stories

I assisted Jose with enrolling into Medi-Cal for the first time (falls under the 50+ undocumented population). Jose came into the Santa Ana UCI Office with hopes of getting health insurance coverage due to a recent accident he was in. Jose was worried because he had received a bill from his emergency room visit. However, I was able to walk him through the Medi-Cal process and explain to him that based on his current situation, he was more than likely to get approved due to not having any income at the moment. He was happy because this was the first time in his life where he can go to the doctor and get primary care without having to pay out of pocket. I was able to follow up with Jose and he confirmed his Medi-Cal benefits and he was grateful for assisting him with the process and I could hear the joy in his voice!

Our client, a 33-year-old Santa Ana resident came into CHIOC (Community Health Initiative of Orange County) after being referred by his mother. In the months prior, he was experiencing several medical issues and while not having had health insurance, found himself navigating the healthcare system alone while paying out of pocket for medical needs and checkups. At this time, the clinic’s Doctor serving our client advised him he required a colonoscopy procedure with an estimated out-of-pocket cost of $1,500. Concerned about his ability to pay, our client turned to his mother for advice. She recommended he call the Community Health Initiative of Orange County (CHIOC). When speaking to Crystal, CHIOC Health Access Specialist, it was determined his income did not qualify him for Medi-Cal, however, Crystal was able to assist him with reviewing his options under Covered California. After some discussion, ultimately our client selected the Kaiser Platinum plan offered through Covered California. Since enrolling, Crystal has been able to confirm he now not only has health insurance but is utilizing his benefits. Knowing he no longer has to pay large sums out of pocket up-front, he is eager to continue his care and renew his health insurance through CHIOC when the time comes. Now understanding the importance of health insurance and routine preventative care, our wonderful client is beyond grateful for the support and resources in education CHIOC was able to provide.

Miriam is 88 years old, blind and living in Anaheim, and considered an “independent.” This means they don’t offer her any hands-on assistance besides laundry, light room-keeping, and 3 meals in the cafeteria. She was referred over by the Dayle McIntosh Center since she was having trouble accessing Medi-Cal as her secondary coverage so she could possibly obtain the Assisted Living Waiver. After learning about Miriam’s needs, I called her and educated her about Medi-Cal benefits. She proceeded to tell me that she had a pending case of Medi-Cal and needs to submit supporting documents. I told her I would help her contact social services by conducting a 3-way call because she was having trouble connecting with a case worker regarding her pending case with Medi-Cal. After scheduling a phone appointment with her, I successfully connected her with social services, and she could speak with a case worker. The caseworker let her know that she would have her direct caseworker contact her to help her with the process. Miriam was happy with the assistance CHIOC provides and was thankful that we could connect her with social services because she was getting frustrated and overwhelmed trying to connect with social services.