News & Announcements
Making Sure Healthy is for Everyone
For over 35 years we have remained committed to making sure healthy is for everyone. Providing access to healthcare services and supports for our members is our top priority— regardless of their immigration status.
These are challenging times. The benefits and personal information of all HPSM members are protected. If you have questions about your benefits or need help, we are here for you.
To learn more about your rights related to health information, review HPSM’s Privacy Practices.
We want to make sure our members are informed and supported. Our call centers are available to answer questions about benefits and coverage, help choose providers, and more.
CareAdvantage members
Call 1-866-880-0606 or 650-616-2174 Monday–Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
TTY: 1-800-735-2929 or dial 7-1-1
Email: [email protected]
Medi-Cal and HealthWorx members and ACE Program participants
Call 1-800-750-4776 or 650-616-2133 Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
TTY: 1-800-735-2929 or dial 7-1-1
Email: [email protected]
Making access to health care easier with virtual care
Virtual care is getting healthcare services on your phone or by video. HPSM covers virtual care. To find out if your primary care provider (PCP) offers virtual care, give them a call. If you don’t know who your PCP is, log in to the member portal or call us. Find HPSM providers that offer virtual care.
Call HPSM’s Nurse Advice Line
If you are worried about your health, HPSM has a Nurse Advice Line open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 1-833-846-8773 if your healthcare provider is not available.
Registered nurses are ready to answer questions about your symptoms. They can tell you:
- How soon to see a healthcare provider
- What to do if your symptoms get worse
- What you can do at home to start feeling better
Virtual dental care
Virtual dental care lets HPSM Medi-Cal and CareAdvantage members talk with a dentist or Oral Health Coach by phone or video. You can also send photos and text about an oral health concern for a dental expert to review. Learn more and get started.
Mental health support
- If you are currently getting mental healthcare services, ask your therapist if they offer visits by phone or video.
- If you’re not in mental healthcare but want support, call your primary care provider (PCP) or the Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) ACCESS Call Center at 1-800-686-0101 and ask for a referral to a therapist who offers virtual visits.
More Support & Resources
San Mateo County has groups that offer free or low-cost support for immigrants and their families. These services can provide legal information, answer questions, and connect you with other community resources.
The Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County Is an organization that provides free legal help to low-income residents
Immigration services offers information, legal guidance and resources to help you understand your rights
Immigrant Legal Resource Center offers a Know Your Rights Toolkit to prepare people for possible encounters with immigration authorities. It includes:
- Printable Red Cards that explain your constitutional rights and include a Rapid Response Hotline phone number
- A Family Preparedness Plan to help families prepare for potential immigration emergencies
- A Directory of Non-Profit Legal Services listing groups that offer no-cost or low-cost immigration services
State groups
The California Department of Social Services funds qualified community-based organizations that provide no-cost legal services and community education to immigrants living in California. See their referral lists for general immigration legal assistance, removal defense and youth legal services.
Medi-Cal eligibility
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) offers information about Medi-Cal eligible for the State’s immigrant population.
Important notice for HPSM Medi-Cal Members with Kaiser providers
Effective January 1, 2024 enrollment requests to Kaiser Permanente is managed by Health Care Options. To learn more, call Health Care Options Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at 1-800-430-4263 (TTY: 1- 800-430-7077) if you are an active Kaiser Member and need assistance, contact Kaiser Member Services.
HPSM in the news
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HPSM’s Chief Health Officer Interviewed for Report on CalAIM Assisted Living Transition/Diversion
Mar 3, 2025, 2:26 PM by Mat ThomasHPSM Chief Health Officer Amy Scribner was interviewed about our approach to assisted living support and relationship with the Institute on Aging for a recently released report called “Strengthening CalAIM’s Assisted Living Transitions: The Role of Community Care Hubs” by the California Health Care Foundation. -
CBS News Video: San Mateo County Dental Clinic Provides Dental Care for the Unhoused
Feb 11, 2025, 4:11 PM by Mat ThomasThe Navigation Center of San Mateo County in Redwood City (which HPSM helps fund) offers essential services for up to 240 people who are unhoused. Supports they provide include temporary housing with onsite social services, help with social security and personal documents – and now dental care. Their dental clinic provides cleanings, fillings, root canals, oral surgery and other oral health services to people enrolled in the Medi-Cal program – which includes many HPSM members. -
HPSM is One of Only Two California Health Plans that Earned 4.5 Out of 5 Stars from NCQA in 2024
Sep 20, 2024, 9:56 AM by Mat ThomasBecker's Healthcare, a leading healthcare industry media platform, released a list of the top-rated Medicaid plans in each state according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. HPSM was one of only two health plans in the state of California to earn 4.5 out of 5 stars from NCQA in 2024. -
Health Plan of San Mateo’s Medi-Cal Plan Earns a 4.5 out of 5 Star NCQA Rating
Sep 17, 2024, 4:55 PM by Mat ThomasIn their annual Medicaid Health Plan Ratings report, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) awarded HPSM’s Medicaid (Medi-Cal) line of business 4.5 out of 5 stars. This represents an improvement of half a star for HPSM since 2023, when NCQA named HPSM one of California's top-rated Medicaid Plans. -
HPSM's Pioneering Work on Nursing Facility Transitions Featured in New CHCF Factsheet
Jul 18, 2024, 11:38 AM by Mat ThomasA new California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) factsheet, "CalAIM Community Supports Early Adopters: Spotlight on Nursing Home Transitions and Diversion," credits an HPSM pilot as the reason that the Medi-Cal managed care plan offers these specialized services. -
Respected Health Policy Podcast "Tradeoffs" Profiles HPSM Provider and Authority on Complex Disabilities
Mar 26, 2024, 2:44 PM by Mat ThomasThe new episode of the highly respected health care policy podcast "Tradeoffs" profiles Dr. Clarissa Kripke, who senior reporter Leslie Walker calls "one of the country’s leading innovators and experts on how to deliver high-quality primary care to people...with complex disabilities" like Down Syndrome and cerebral palsy. -
NPR Highlights HPSM Provider's "Independent" Approach to Helping People with Disabilities
Mar 26, 2024, 2:29 PM by Mat ThomasA National Public Radio (NPR) article focused on the work of longtime HPSM provider Dr. Clarissa Kripke, who "has developed a unique way to deliver care, particularly for those with complex medical needs." -
HPSM Earns Two Prestigious Awards from DHCS
Oct 25, 2023, 2:49 PM by Mat ThomasAt the 2023 California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Quality and Health Equity Conference on October 18, HPSM received two prestigious awards. -
NCQA Names HPSM One of California's Top-rated Medicaid Plans
Oct 16, 2023, 9:46 AM by Mat ThomasOn September 15, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) published its 2023 health plan ratings, naming HPSM one of the top-rated Medicaid plans based on quality of care, member satisfaction and plans' efforts to improve. -
HPSM Medi-Cal Earns NCQA Accreditation
Jul 5, 2023, 12:16 PM by Mat ThomasOn June 9, 2023, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) awarded Health Plan Accreditation to HPSM for the organization’s Medicaid (Medi-Cal) line of business. -
How a Managed Care Plan Helped a Young Man Move Out of a Nursing Home
Dec 15, 2022, 10:38 AM by Mat ThomasThis is the story of how HPSM used our services under CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) to help a Medi-Cal member with a traumatic brain injury who cannot walk or talk transition out of a nursing facility and into the community. -
HPSM Provides Major Funding for County-wide K-12 “Vision To Learn” Program
Jun 9, 2022, 12:09 PM by Mat ThomasRepresentatives from the County of San Mateo, the Health Plan of San Mateo, the Sobrato Family and Vision To Learn celebrated the launch of a County of San Mateo-wide program to provide school-based vision services to kids in underserved communities. Over the coming two school years, 3,000 kids will be helped by Vision To Learn, a nonprofit organization which provides the glasses children need to succeed in school and in life. -
HPSM Selects Upward Health To Provide Home-Based Care
Mar 31, 2022, 12:44 PM by Mat ThomasUpward Health’s HomeAdvantage contract to provide home-based, whole-person health services to CareAdvantage enrollees of the Health Plan of San Mateo (HPSM) in California began in January 2022. The CareAdvantage program serves residents of San Mateo County with complex medical, behavioral, and social challenges who are eligible for both Medicare and Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program). -
San Mateo Daily Journal Reports on HPSM's New CEO
Feb 17, 2022, 9:36 AM by Mat ThomasOn February 17, 2022, the San Mateo Daily Journal published an article about Patrick Curran being appointed HPSM's new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). -
Health Plan of San Mateo Rated 4 out of 5 in NCQA’s 2021 Medicaid Health Plan Ratings
Oct 13, 2021, 12:25 PM by Mat ThomasIn September 2021, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) released its 2021 Health Plan Ratings. Health Plan of San Mateo (HPSM) received 4 out of 5 in NCQA’s Medicaid Health Plan Ratings for 2021. -
HPSM's Community Care Settings Program Featured on KALW Public Radio
Sep 2, 2021, 8:57 AM by Mat ThomasKALW radio’s award-winning news program, Crosscurrents, aired a special segment on HPSM’s Community Care Settings Program (CCSP) on Thursday, September 2nd. The segment featured excerpts from an interview with Kojo, an HPSM member that CCSP has helped. Click below to listen to the program online. -
RIC Profiles CCSP in "Social Determinants of Health" Brief
Sep 2, 2021, 8:40 AM by Mat ThomasIn March 2021, Resources for Integrated Care (RIC) published a brief that includes a profile of HPSM's Community Care Settings Program. -
San Mateo Daily Journal reports on HPSM / SMC Health COVID-19 vaccination clinic
Feb 5, 2021, 12:33 PM by Mat ThomasDrive-thru clinic for in-home service workers and HPSM members 65+ aims to vaccinate 2,000 people a day through February 5th, 2021 -
Community Care Settings Program featured in The Hill
Sep 21, 2018, 12:37 PM by Rich BrennerInfluential political newspaper The Hill recently published an article about HPSM’s Community Care Settings Program (CCSP). -
Good Press for Community Care Settings Program
Jan 27, 2018, 9:55 AM by Rich BrennerCCSP has helped more than 190 people move from skilled nursing facilities into their own homes, empowering them to be active, engaged community members.