About Us

Mission Statement

Healthcare Consumer Rights Foundation (HCRF) will provide free education to help healthcare consumers navigate the complex healthcare system and understand their legal rights and options. For healthcare consumers forced to deal with numerous healthcare services, multiple levels of regulators, and bureaucratic insurance companies, it is frequently difficult to find answers to problems and complaints. HRCF education and information will help with many different types of issues:

  • Mental health patients often do not get access to the medical services they deserve and need.
  • Patients sometimes receive surprise billings from health insurers for “out-of-network” services.
  • Rejection of urgently prescribed medical procedures or prescription drugs by insurers is commonplace.
  • Elder abuse in rehabilitation facilities and nursing homes happens far too often.
  • The high costs of covering deductibles and co-pays cause many to forgo needed treatments or prescriptions.

The Foundation will provide consumers up-to-date and useful news, data, and expert analysis of the most urgent and relevant healthcare issues—information they need to find answers to their problems and to fight for their legal rights.

Consumer Education

The Foundation plans to engage consultants to research and write a resource guide—under the supervision and direction of the Board of Directors—to educate California consumers about their healthcare rights and options. The Foundation will distribute the guide through its website and social media. We will encourage other organizations to distribute their guide at no cost to consumers as well. The project will be the primary focus of the Foundation’s program during its first year.

Also, the Foundation will use a variety of media channels to educate the public about consumer issues related to healthcare access. It will provide information on its website and may distribute podcasts or videos. There will be no cost to the public.

Healthcare Policy and Advocacy

In addition to educating the public about their current rights as healthcare consumers, the Foundation may research and inform the public about policy issues related to healthcare access, and advocate for improvements in the laws or regulations relating to healthcare access and insurance. As part of this effort, the Foundation may engage in an insubstantial amount of lobbying activity to advocate for improved laws and policies to promote access to healthcare.