Nonprofit ยท Community Service Society of New York
Community Health Advocates (New York)
New York State's designated consumer assistance program: a free helpline and local advocates for New Yorkers with any kind of coverage, plus do-it-yourself appeal guides. Open to New York residents only.
Know before you go
Community Health Advocates is a program of Community Service Society of New York, which New York State designated as its health care consumer assistance program in 2010. The page lists help with disputing coverage denials, billing and debt issues, prior authorizations, and financial assistance programs. The helpline runs Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM, and the home page lists help in English, Spanish, Russian, Cantonese, Mandarin, Haitian Creole, Bengali and Korean. Some do-it-yourself appeal guides date from 2020, so check them against your current notice.
- Cost
- Free (the page says one-on-one, free, unbiased assistance)
- Where
- New York
- How to start
- Call (888) 614-5400, email cha@cssny.org, or enter your zip code on the site to find an advocate near you.
- Phone
- (888) 614-5400, as printed on the provider's page
- Have ready
- The denial letter or bill; Your plan name and member ID; The dates of service
Where this comes from
- Provider
- Community Service Society of New York
- Source we read
- https://communityhealthadvocates.org/who-we-are/what-we-do/
- Date we read it
- . This is not a fresh check.
- Date the provider printed
- Not displayed
- What we checked
- We read the provider's public page. We have not verified availability, eligibility or outcomes for any individual.
Other starting points
- Program or service
1-800-MEDICARE: talk to a person about Medicare
The Medicare phone line and live chat, open all day every day. Staff can point you to the right step for a complaint, and can pass an unresolved complaint to the Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman.
From Medicare (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
- Program or service
American Cancer Society 24-hour helpline
A phone and chat line staffed around the clock by cancer information specialists who answer questions and connect you to services. It is an information and referral line, not an appeals service.
From American Cancer Society
- Program or service
An Arm and a Leg: First Aid Kit
An archive of articles and starter packs from the podcast An Arm and a Leg, including a starter pack on what to do if you are in collections for medical debt. General reporting on health care costs, not appeal steps.
From An Arm and a Leg