Rockridge HICAP Volunteers Help Neighbors with Medicare
by Paul McDonnell, RCPC Board Member
[From The Rockridge News, Vol. 41, No. 3, Issue No. 439, March 7, 2026]
Shortly after Don Smullin, 79, was diagnosed with a rare liver disease in November, he discovered—on his own, without warning—that his insurance carrier would no longer cover care from UCSF. He had been under UCSF's care for 15 years. He's a former State Department engineer, who has navigated many tricky situations—including communications in Eastern European countries amidst the fall of the Berlin Wall. Yet he needed extensive assistance to interpret information from Medicare.
Smullin was eventually referred to a substitute medical group in Pleasanton, but they would not pick up dozens of his calls. Frustrated with dead ends, he drove out to their address to see if he could manage things in person—only to find a completely empty office. He's not alone; these runarounds are an irritatingly common trend with Medicare-affiliated insurers.
As of early 2026, roughly 11,000 Americans are aging into Medicare eligibility every single day, joining a population of over 61.2 million senior beneficiaries who must navigate an increasingly complex web of private and public coverage. Most seniors are fortunate enough to have coverage via Medicare, but negotiating the maze of options and securing necessary care can be extremely challenging. Medicare has multiple options, but none of the plans are universally accepted by medical groups.
However, Oakland has assistance in the form of Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP), a publicly funded organization aided by several Rockridge volunteers who help their neighbors navigate the complexities of the health care industry. In the last year, they served 2,322 people in Alameda County, 1.5% of which reside in Rockridge—with a volunteer force that's 10% composed of Rockridgians.
"I think it's very unsettling to transition from private care to Medicare," said Caitlin Chan, the executive director of Legal Assistance for Seniors (LAS), the parent organization for HICAP. LAS is an Oakland-based non-profit that operates partially off of public funding and partially off of private foundation and individual donations. LAS offers a variety of programs to help seniors beyond health care.
"Most people receive their health care from their employer and if they have an issue, they can walk down the hall," Chan said. "But under Medicare, it's often unclear where to turn when trying to find the right provider—and it can be a literal life-or-death situation."
Fortunately for Smullin, one of his daughters is a medical professional, who helped him connect with HICAP, a free resource for education, counseling and advocacy for Medicare beneficiaries. HICAP helped Don keep his care with UCSF, which took "persistence and insistence," according to Don. The new arrangement also cut his monthly costs by over $100 a month.
Rockridge resident Diane Heinze—one of over 30 Alameda County HICAP volunteers—was on the team that helped Don get back into UCSF's care. Heinze and other volunteers help beneficiaries who are 65 years old and up to make informed decisions and offer advocacy when their health care benefits or rights are threatened or denied.
Most of Heinze's fellow volunteers are seniors, and all of them have received significant training to keep current with the ongoing changes to Medicare and its related coverages, such as Senior Advantage plans. Many are also certified by Medicare, which allows them to represent and support clients. Volunteers' average tenure with HICAP is eight years and they annually serve over 2,000 clients, logging 20 hours of service per month. The most common type of assistance provided is with the initial enrollment, followed by annual open enrollment decisions.
HICAP's primary means of outreach is through the 23 senior centers located throughout Alameda County. Fourteen centers offer in-person service while the rest offer telephone appointments. The closest senior center to Rockridge is the North Oakland Senior Center (5714 Martin Luther King Way) and it does offer in person counseling. Both Berkeley and Emeryville have Senior Centers nearby.
"HICAP Volunteers are the heart of the program," said Jacob Systma, the HICAP Program Manager who coordinates the activities of the volunteers. "They are knowledgeable and dedicated to helping their fellow seniors. Those both give confidence and comfort to our clients."
Other services provided by LAS include legal services in the following areas: Elder Abuse, Guardianship of Minor Children, Public Benefits, Health Law, Legal Services for Immigrants, Conservatorships and Housing.
Alison Hightower is another Rockridge resident who volunteers with HICAP, now in her fourth year with them.
"Our goal is to help them make an informed decision," Hightower said. "Medicare is complicated enough that many people do not understand the risks or rewards of the decisions they make without impartial guidance."
The most challenging situations Hightower sees are those where coverage has been denied.
"Recently we were able to secure reimbursement of over $10,000 in nursing home bills to a family for their 90-year-old mother," Hightower said. "That was only possible because of our knowledge of the appeals process."
One client Hightower assisted was her neighbor Kerry Gough. After two senior plans covering him successively withdrew from Alameda County, he was searching for a new plan. Hightower was able to guide him to a combination of plans including Medicare, use of his veteran's benefits and a supplemental prescription plan that gave him the coverage he needed—while at the same time reducing his monthly costs.
"She listened, asked the right questions and laid out the alternatives," Gough said. "I totally relied on her advice and have no doubt I made the right choice."
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More information about LAS can be found at lashicap.org. Its offices are located at 333 Hegenberger Rd., Suite 850, Oakland. The telephone number is 510-832-3040.
