Activism

Medi-Medi Plans: A Promising New Option for Californians Who Qualify for Medi-Cal and Medicare

Medi-Cal transformation focuses on improving health care coordination, integration, quality, equity, and accessibility. A key component of this broader vision to enhance healthcare access and improve health outcomes for Californians is Medi-Medi Plans, a type of Medicare Advantage plan. Medi-Medi Plans are designed to coordinate care for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medi-Cal by combining their Medicare and Medi-Cal benefits into one plan.

Published

1 year ago

September 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Shutterstock.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr., California Black Media

For decades, Medi-Cal has played a vital role in California’s healthcare infrastructure. Today, it provides health coverage to more than 15 million people, representing about 40 percent of the state’s population.

This includes 1.6 million people dually eligible for Medicare and Medi-Cal.

Medi-Cal, California’s version of the federal program Medicaid, has piloted a program in several counties, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Fresno, Kings, Madera, Sacramento, and Tulare, that presents an option for Californians who qualify for both Medi-Cal and Medicare. By 2026, the Department of Health Services aims to make the program available to eligible individuals in all counties.

Transforming Medi-Cal: A Vision for Better Health Care

Medi-Cal transformation focuses on improving health care coordination, integration, quality, equity, and accessibility.

A key component of this broader vision to enhance healthcare access and improve health outcomes for Californians is Medi-Medi Plans, a type of Medicare Advantage plan. Medi-Medi Plans are designed to coordinate care for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medi-Cal by combining their Medicare and Medi-Cal benefits into one plan.

Medicare and Medi-Cal operate separately, with different benefits and plans. Medi-Medi Plans are helping integrate care for members dually eligible for Medicare and Medi-Cal.

Key Features of Medi-Medi Plans

In a Medi-Medi Plan, a member’s Medicare plan takes the lead, with Medi-Cal providing wrap-around support.

This integrated approach simplifies access to health care services, allowing qualifying individuals to receive primary care, specialty care, prescription medications, transportation assistance, and other benefits in one coordinated plan.

Features include:

Dedicated Care Team: Medi-Medi Plans have a dedicated team to assist members in understanding their benefits, scheduling appointments, managing chronic conditions, and accessing preventive care.

Network of Providers: Primary care, specialist services, hospitals, clinics, labs, pharmacies, and medical equipment suppliers are all included in a Medi-Medi Plan’s network, ensuring members can find quality care for various medical needs.

Mental Health Services: Medi-Medi Plans offer access to therapy and counseling. This ensures access to resources essential for stress management, anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns.

Transportation Assistance: Medi-Medi Plans provide transportation support to ensure members can make it to scheduled medical appointments.

Supplemental Benefits: Medi-Medi Plans may offer extra benefits like dental, hearing, vision, and over-the-counter benefits in addition to what Medi-Cal covers.

Choosing the Right Plan

For example, Los Angeles County residents have several Medi-Medi Plans to choose from. Available plans include:

Anthem Full Dual Advantage Aligned – call 833-236-2366
Blue Shield Total Dual Plan – call 800-452-4413
L.A. Care Medicare Plus – call 866-522-2736
Molina Medicare Complete Care Plus – call 800-665-0868
Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage Medicare Medi-Cal South P1 – call 800-443-0815
Wellcare Dual Align – call 800-431-9007

To be eligible to join a Medi-Medi Plan, you must have both Medicare Part A and B and Medi-Cal and must be 21 years of age or older.

Take Charge of Your Health

To help you find the right plan, Los Angeles County offers free support through the Center for Health Care Rights, Los Angeles County’s Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP).

To learn more about available plans and additional resources, contact the Center for Health Care Rights at (800) 434-0222. You can also call your Medi-Cal plan or 1-800-Medicare.

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Activism

Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

1 week ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.