When Bob Whitlow, a long-time paraplegic, faced a recent health crisis, he hired a private health advocate to help. Given the increasingly complex health-care system, it’s a path more patients may start taking, says MarketWatch’s Kristen Gerencher

Under newly released Medicare rules, the choices (which will be announced at the end of September 2010) for 2011 will be significantly reduced.  Insurance companies have already been notified by Medicare that they will only be able to offer one basic plan (rather than several) and will have to show that other plans are significantly different from each other.  According to today’s Chicago Tribune, more than 3.7 million people may change plans because of plan eliminations.

The advantage of this reduction in the number of plans is that selection will be less confusing for people.  The disadvantage is that co-pays and premiums may be quite different in the new plans, so careful consideration should be given to each plan.

With all of the drug plans, it is important to remember that every year the plan should be reviewed.  Each year insurers may change what drugs they offer in a plan as well as the co-pays and deductibles.  Since consumers can change plan each year from Nov. 15-December 31, they should review their particular plan each fall to see if it is the best one for their needs.

If you need help selecting a drug plan, or know someone who does, you can contact your local HICAP (Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy) Program by searching on the internet for the HICAP office nearest you.  If you know someone who needs assistance with paying for medications, check with www.pparx.org.

Everyone–Healthcare Advocates,  Consumers (that’s all of us who receive health care!)  policy makers and legislators—are welcome to attend the three-day gathering of this professional association.  The schedule is just amazing:

*   Come learn how to set up an advocacy business and tips on developing a marketing strategy

*  Listen to expert Healthcare Advocates and Patient Navigators detail case studies and solutions

*  Be inspired by “serial healthcare entrepreneur”  Tim Godzich who grew a “consumer driven health plan”  company (and find out what that means!)

*  Delve into the healthcare insurance maze and learn how to master it

* Learn about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches to healthcare

*  Understand the complexities of participating in Clinical Trails

* Expand your “tool kit” for navigating the healthcare system for someone of any age

There is much more:  visit the National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants (I founded it just a year ago, and we now have over ninety members) at www.nahac.com.  Join the Association, come to the Conference and expand your knowledge:  See you in Washington DC in November!

Healthcare Liaison is expanding the 2010 locations for for its popular two-day workshop “Becoming a Healthcare Advocate:  11 Steps to a New Career in Healthcare”.  These workshops are open to consumers, professional healthcare advocates, those teaching in the field and policy and legislative interests.  We have new locations!

SEATTLE, WA–January 30 and 31st

BERKELEY, CA–February 27th and 28th

TUCSON, AZ–March 20th and 21st

BOSTON, MA–May 1st and 2nd

The links will take you to the brochure describing the workshop and you can complete payment on-line with a credit card or PayPal.  There are still spaces in the Seattle workshop and registrants are eligible for a referral bonus when they “bring a friend”.

In other major news, we have a professional organization!  I founded the organization, the National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants,  in July 2009 and am now the President of NAHAC for 209-2010.  You can read about the Association and join at NAHAC

In November 2009 the newly-formed National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants held its First Annual Conference!  NAHAC  currently has 62 members and membership is open to everyone:  professional advocates, consumers, academicians and policy and legislative participants. Members who were not able to attend the conference can listen to the podcast on the web site and hear workshops on case studies, HIPAA for advocates, insurance-made-understandable and more.  to join:  NAHAC.

We are holding our second annual Conference in Washington DC in November 2010.  Join NAHAC to get the details as soon as they’re released!

Ann Tardy, Founder, LifeMoxie; Keynote Presenter: “The New World of Healthcare Advocacy — Creating It Together!”

Jeff Belkora, PhD, Director of Decision Services and Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Institute for Health Policy Studies, U.C.S.F.: “Making Good Decisions in a Family Health Crisis”

Linda Garrett, Partner, Risk Management Services: “Confidentiality and Privacy Law for Healthcare Advocates”

Gail Gazelle, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School: “Inside the Doctor’s Mind: What Every Advocate Needs to Know”

Maggie Radany, RN, Founder, Radany & Associates: “How to Solve Health Insurance Problems and Be a Hero to Your Clients!”

Dianne Savastano, Founder & President, Healthassist: “Bringing Bob Home: A Case Study in Patient Advocacy”

Elisabeth Schuler Russell, Founder & President, Patient Navigator LLC: “Inside the World of Pediatric Healthcare Advocacy”

Judith Stark, Principal, Judith Stark Consulting: “Harnessing the Power of Technology Solutions for Healthcare Warriors”.

To register, go to www.nahac.com.  Early registration (at the reduced rate of $150 for NAHAC members and $200 for non-members) ends October 15th.  After Oct. 15th the rates will be $200 for NAHAC members and $250 for non-members.

To view the conference brochure and register for the Conference go here.
To receive the 25% Conference discount for members of NAHAC, please join the Association and complete your membership payment before registering and paying for the Conference event.

We look forward to seeing you in Berkeley!

Are you trying to navigate the Medicare maze for yourself or a
loved one? Become an empowered Medicare consumer by
attending an expert workshop led by one of the nation’s leading
professional advocates.

At the workshop you will:
Learn about eligibility, cost, and coverage options for Medicare
Parts A, B, C (Advantage), D (Prescription Drug) and
Supplemental (Medigap)
Discover how to find and use trustworthy resources in your
community and online
Master tips and tricks for making informed plan choices that are
right for you
When:  Saturday, September 12, 2009
8:30 am to 12:00 pm
Where: Portland State University
(Downtown Portland Campus)
Cost: ! $35
The workshop will be led by Joanna Smith, LCSW, MPH. Joanna is a
nationally recognized expert in Medicare and other patient advocacy
issues. She is the founder and CEO of Healthcare Liaison in California,
and has more than 30 years of experience helping patients and families
navigate the healthcare system.
The workshop is sponsored by Health Advocacy Solutions, a Portland-based nonprofit
dedicated to helping patients, families, and communities get the best care possible.

To register,  visit

http://www.hasolutions.org/upcoming or call 503-828-1078.
Space is limited, so please register soon!

Consumers continue to be overwhelmed by healthcare.  Decisions about treatments, choosing and understanding specialists, coordinating care, addressing billing and insurance issues–all of these areas can be overwhelming to someone in the middle of a complex medical situation.  While many people are alert to the difficulties that seniors encounter in navigating the healthcare system, people who have very ill babies and children, young adults with new diagnoses of diseases or people of all ages facing surgery or treatment decisions need people to help them navigate through.

But who is doing healthcare advocacy and what are their skills?  What are the “best practices” for the profession?  how can consumers find someone near where they live?  These are the questions a National Association can begin addressing.

Who can join?  Everyone with an interest in healthcare advocacy:  medical professionals, consumers, academicians, policy makers.  But the data base of members is open to the public, who can search without charge for an advocate in their geographic area and read about their particular qualifications to help them decide if the advocate is a good match for what they need.  There is only one credentialing program right now in the U.S, and that is run by Healthcare Liaison and is for medical professionals.  Will there be one for consumers?  What are the skills a heatlhcare advocate needs to have?  What about licensing?  Join the Association and join the dialogue!