With just two weeks left to go in the legislative session, health care reform continues to be a priority and CMA remains at the center of the continuing discussion on how to fix California’s broken health care system. CMA has been in constant negotiations with all of the major players, making sure that the interests of physicians and their patients are well represented. Negotiations will continue until the final days of the legislative session and will likely reach a frantic pace next week.

Though CMA’s main focus has been on the overall structure of the reform proposals, we have also been advocating, among other things, for major insurance market reform, for the removal of the pay-for-performance provisions found in all of the major plans, and for adequate provider network requirements.

Recent news stories have highlighted the growing divide between the Governor and Democratic and Republican leadership in the Legislature on the best way to increase access to care for the state’s uninsured. Earlier this week, the Governor declared that he would veto the main democratic reform proposal (AB 8) authored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez and Senate Pro-Tem Don Perata.

One of the most contentious issues has been the issue of how to pay for health system reform. Given the Republicans’ strong opposition to any tax increase and the legislative requirement for a two thirds vote to approve any tax, legislative funding mechanisms are limited. Recently, the California Restaurant Association called for a ballot initiative imposing a one cent increase in the sales tax to support health system reform. Several groups, including the California Small Business Association, have come out in support of the proposal as a way to truly share the costs and benefits of expanded access to care.

CMA remains committed to moving health reform forward this year and to the belief that universal access and stable long-term funding are critical to achieving comprehensive reform.

Click here for more information on the health care reform debate.

Contact: Lisa Folberg, 916/444-5532 or lfolberg@cmanet.org.