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SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Betsy Imholz is the new lead advocate on health issues at Consumers Union's West Coast Regional Office. Imholz, who has been with Consumers Union since 1994, replaces Jeanne Finberg, who is now a staff attorney with the San Francisco-based National Center for Youth Law.
As a senior attorney and policy analyst, Imholz will focus her attention on access to health care and managed care legislative reform. Imholz will monitor the implementation of the state's new Healthy Families program for uninsured children and Medi-Cal expansion to ensure that the maximum number of the state's 1.2 million eligible children are enrolled. Health care legislative priorities for Consumers Union include the establishment of strong consumer representation in any new agency that oversees the managed care industry; and the creation of an independent dispute resolution process for consumers experiencing problems with their HMO. Les Chun, a Fellow for Economic Justice at Consumers Union, works with Imholz on health care issues.
Since first joining Consumers Union's staff, Imholz has worked on a number of issues. She monitored last year's conflict over the state's regulation of vocational and trade schools, and also represented Consumers Union in the legislative battles leading up to the creation of the California Earthquake Authority.
"Betsy is a nationally-recognized consumer advocate, and we're pleased to have her skills applied to urgent health issues facing Californians," said Judith Bell, director of the West Coast Regional Office of Consumers Union.
Imholz was the 1996 recipient of the Vern Countryman Consumer Law Award from the National Consumer Law Center for outstanding efforts to strengthen the rights of low-income Americans through the practice of consumer law. Imholz is an expert on federal student financial aid and consumer fraud. Since 1991, she has been Director of the Higher Education and Training Access Project, a non-profit advocacy endeavor on student financial aid and vocational school issues. She was chosen by the United States Department of Education to represent low-income students' interests on negotiated rulemaking committees from 1992 through 1995, and on committees to improve the federal financial aid programs.
Previously, Imholz was the Consumer Law Coordinator of Legal Services for New York City and the Director of the Consumer and Employment Law Unit of South Brooklyn Legal Services. She is a graduate of Columbia University. She received her law degree in 1980 from Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey.
Finberg began her position with the National Center for Youth Law in November, but continued on staff with Consumers Union until the completion of her role on the governor's Managed Health Care Improvement Task Force.
"Jeannie is a superb advocate, and her success on the Task Force highlighted her skill," Bell said. "Facing a deck stacked with health industry representatives, Jeannie pressed the Task Force to make recommendations that, if implemented, will offer better protection to California consumers."
At NCYL, Finberg will be specializing in the legal problems facing children and adolescents in access to quality health care and housing. NCYL is a nonprofit legal office that uses the law to protect children from the harms caused by poverty and to improve the lives of children living in poverty.
Finberg can be contacted at NCYL, 114 Sansome St., Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94104; 415/543-3307.
