CCHP, a health plan with Chinese linguistic and cultural service, expands to full Alameda County

OAKLAND — In 1986, a group of Chinese American community physicians founded the Chinese Community Health Plan (CCHP) in San Francisco Chinatown to specifically serve the Chinese American small businesses and employers who faced major challenges to get healthcare coverage from traditional insurance companies at that time. 38 years later today, CCHP has provided full services in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties and will begin to serve full Alameda County in 2025.

CCHP has started to accept Medicare Advantage enrollment for 2025 health plans in Alameda County since October 15. The new service is available to all residents in all cities in Alameda County, including Oakland, San Leandro, Hayward, Castro Valley, and Fremont, which are Asian populated cities in the East Bay.

CCHP has recently opened a new office at the Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland Chinatown to provide in person service for Alameda County residents from 10am to 3:30pm from Tuesday to Saturday. Oakland Chinatown community leader Carl Chan called the CCHP expansion to Alameda County as an important and significant service for the communities in the East Bay.

CCHP held an opening ceremony at the new office in Oakland Chinatown on November 16. Larry Loo, CEO of CCHP, thanked Chan for his support and helping out to confirm the venue of CCHP's new office at the Pacific Renaissance Plaza.

"For the past few years due to the anti-Asian hate, many businesses in Oakland Chinatown have suffered. The expansion of CCHP will also bring in more people to Oakland Chinatown, which is very important," Chan said at the opening event. "There are many seniors who need health care services in their own languages. CCHP will provide a very significant service for them," Chan added.

In 2025, CCHP is one of 12 health plans across the state selected by Covered California, which is a health insurance marketplace as mandated under the Affordable Care Act for enrollees in California. CCHP has been on the Covered CA marketplace from the beginning in 2013 up to the present being the only health plan focusing on the Chinese community with linguistic and cultural healthcare services.

CCHP has been in service for 38 years. It started in San Francisco and was later expanded to Northern cities in San Mateo County including Daly City and Millbrae. Prior to entering Alameda County, CCHP has finished its full expansion to the entire San Mateo County.

Loo said CCHP along with the Chinese Hospital Association Board of Trustees has been studying the expansion into Alameda County to serve the extended community for some time.

"We already had members in our plan who were getting coverage through their employers and live in Alameda County. More recently in the last 3-5 years, it was decided that we would act. We have filed with the regulatory bodies (CMS for Medicare and DMHC for non-Medicare) and we received approval for Medicare first," Loo stated. "Next will be our non-Medicare plans that include employer groups and individual plans based in Alameda County."

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved CCHP to expand service to Medicare members in Alameda County starting 2025. Residents in Alameda County can sign-up during this annual open enrollment period for new alternatives if they are with Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans.

“We are excited to finally move across the Bay so that communities in Alameda can take advantage of the unique Medicare coverage we offer. We are keeping our mission to make quality health care affordable by bringing effective competition to the County,” said Loo.

With respect to health plan rates, Loo said rates would vary by counties and plan types. CCHP health plans for all three counties offer a $0 Value Program for monthly premiums that are popular among their members.

On healthcare providers, CCHP has been in partnership with three doctor groups, Access Medical, Jade Medical, and Hill Physicians, for both San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. Doctor groups for Alameda County members will include Hill Physicians exclusively as Access and Jade groups have no presence in Alameda County.

With Hill Physicians Group, Loo said CCHP provider network numbers over 7,000 primary care physicians, specialists, clinics, and facilities to serve everyone across Alameda county.

In the first year of expanding services to Alameda County in 2025, nearly 80 Chinese speaking providers with most being Cantonese can be selected by CCHP members in Alameda County.

In recent years due to the rising home prices, more Chinese and Asian families have moved from San Francisco to Alameda county and suburban cities in the East Bay which are still within commuting distances to San Francisco where they work.

The 2020 U.S. census data showed that the number of Asian residents in Alameda County was far higher than San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. In 2020, a total of 545,261 Asians, which represented 32.41% of total population, were residents of Alameda County. While 312,803 residents (57.37%) among Asians spoke Asian languages at home in Alameda County.

More Asians in Alameda County have resided in cities close to Bay Bridge and San Mateo Bridge including Oakland, San Leandro, and Fremont.

The 2020 census data also indicated that top four counties in the Bay Area with most Asian residents were San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda and Santa Clara Counties. San Francisco and Santa Clara each had over 64% of their Asian residents speaking Asian languages at home. It revealed a demand among members of the Asian community to have language services in many aspects including healthcare services.