End Medical Debt
Community Health Advocates (CHA)
Since 2010, Community Health Advocates has been a leading voice for New York's health care consumers, providing free and confidential assistance to help people find and use health insurance and care.
Helping New Yorkers Get, Keep, and Use Health Coverage
Community Health Advocates (CHA) helps New Yorkers navigate the complex health care system through a live-answer helpline and in partnership with a network of community-based organizations serving consumers locally in 62 counties in over 35 languages.
CHA offers assistance to all health care consumers, whether they have health insurance or not—without regard to citizenship or immigration status.
CHA helps consumers find and navigate health coverage or access low-cost or free care, solve billing issues, resolve medical debt, appeal insurance denials, access care, and understand their health care rights. Since 2010, CHA has assisted more than 550,000 New Yorkers, saving them $252 million in health care costs.
New York's Source For Consumer Assistance
In 2010, New York State designated CHA as its Health Insurance Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) under Section 1002 of the Affordable Care Act. CHA uses a "hub-and-spokes" model: CSS acts as the hub with its live, toll-free helpline, while Advocates at 24 CBOs serve as the spokes.
CHA provides services in more than 35 languages and has access to more than 170 languages through a translation service. For more information about CHA, please visit www.communityhealthadvocates.org or call the helpline at 1-888-614-5400, option 3.
A Trusted Network
CHA partners with 24 organizations to provide the cultural and linguistic competency needed to address the wide range of health care issues of New York's diverse communities. See our most recent annual report here.