The State Assembly Monday passed AB 1X1, which would overhaul the health care system in California. This bill now goes to the Senate, where it will be considered at the earliest in mid-January.
CMA has been involved in intense health reform negotiations with Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger over the past few weeks. These negotiations were successful on a number of issues. The bill did not expand scope of practice for PAs and NPs, as the governor had previously proposed. It also includes a $500 million Medi-Cal rate increase and, most importantly, an annual increase in perpetuity.
However, some issues of critical importance to physicians remained unresolved, including pay-for-performance, medical loss ratios, e-prescribing, transparency and quality measures, and adequate networks. There was also no financing language available for review. Despite these outstanding issues, the Speaker chose to send the bill to the floor for a vote.
Senate President pro Tem Don Perata is taking a more cautious approach to the bill. “When major legislation passes with great fanfare, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment, play to the cameras, and quickly go along,” Perata said In a statement issued on Tuesday. “It happened when the state enacted energy deregulation – only to create a crisis from which we’ve yet to fully recover. That’s not something I intend to repeat, especially on an issue as crucial to our state as the health of its citizens. The Senate will debate and act on healthcare reform when we have the facts to be sure we’re getting it right.”
CMA is already working closely with Senator Perata to address the deficiencies of the current proposal and make needed improvements.
“The physicians of this state want to know that their issues have been addressed and that the underlying framework of this proposal is adequately financed to deliver on the promises it makes to patients,” says CMA VP of Government Relations Dustin Corcoran.
