SMCMA Physician

Physicians See Success in Sacramento

CMA works to improve health care delivery, patient access, and protect against legislation that would threaten physician’s practices 

It has been said that “diligence makes the difference between all-time greats and one-hit wonders.” For over 160 years, the physician leadership of the California Medical Association (CMA) has practiced unmatched devotion to its members and the entirety of the physician community. CMA’s physician leaders care for their individual patients at all hours of the day or night and are stewards of the profession in their limited time off. This investment of sacrificed family and personal time has powered the state’s largest medical association forward. Innovations in the association’s governance structure have increased CMA’s ability to maintain its vaulted position within the Golden State’s political “Game of Thrones.”

Success in the legislative process is sometimes difficult to measure. Insiders often refer to published lists of powerful special interest groups or individuals, articles listing interest groups that have spent the most money on lobbying and/or campaign activities, or the number of mentions an association receives in news articles. If those are the measurements of success, CMA is at the top of the class: staff are consistently included in the Capitol Weekly Top 100; CMA is routinely recognized by news outlets as one of the most effective lobbying organizations in the state; and rarely does an article regarding health care legislation not include a quote from the CMA president.

Prominence is significant; it aids in the creation of political capital. But distinction itself is not the goal. Physician leaders want to ensure CMA improves the health care delivery system by obtaining state budgetary appropriations to increase patient access and protect against ill-conceived legislation that would directly threaten their ability to financially maintain a practice and provide the best care.

 

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

In 2016, CMA, the California Dental Association, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and their coalition partners beat the odds. Together, we convinced voters to increase the state’s tobacco tax by $2 in order to invest a majority of the revenue into increasing access to care. CMA contributed $1 million to the statewide Proposition 56 campaign. Now that the tax is being collected and distributed, the physician community sees the impact.

The 2018-2019 State Budget included:

• Over $1 billion in new funding to support supplemental payments for physicians participating in the Medi-Cal program
• An expansion of the number of CPT codes that are eligible for those supplemental payments
• $190 million for medical student loan repayment
• $40 million in new funds for graduate medical education, which will be administered by Physicians for a Healthy California (formerly known as the CMA Foundation)

 

In the 2017-2018 legislative session, two detrimental proposals were introduced that would have upended the state’s health care delivery system. SB 562 (Lara, Los Angeles) would have required California to implement an extremely flawed single-payer proposal. AB 3087 (Kalra, San Jose) would have empowered a politically-appointed committee to price fix physician services. In both instances, the health care community looked to CMA for leadership and expertise.

On a weekly basis, opposition coalitions met at CMA headquarters to execute a substantial grassroots program, earned media strategy, Capitol lobbying strategy and a digital media campaign. The defeat of SB 562 and AB 3087 once again showcased CMA as an unapologetic leader in health care policy. As a result of defeating both bills, the Legislature now looks to our House of Delegates for a solution to improve access and increase the affordability of health care in California.

During the first quarter of the year, the CMA Board of Trustees adopted CMA’s sponsored bill package. The bills focused on:

• Improving state oversight and regulation of predatory behavior by health plans (AB 2674 by Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry and AB 2427 by Assemblymember Wood)
• Improving access to medication-assisted treatments for individuals fighting opioid addiction (AB 2384 by Assemblymember Arambula)
• Improving the medical board disciplinary process (AB 505 by Assemblymember Caballero)
• Increasing transparency and oversight in the pharmaceutical supply chain (AB 315 by Assemblymember Wood)
• Protecting medical independence for physicians working in county sheriff’s departments (SB 1303 by Senator Pan)

 

I am pleased to report that all sponsored legislation made it through both houses of the Legislature and were sent to the Governor for consideration. While the fate of each bill will vary, it is important to note this year the Legislature agreed with each of the policy principles of our sponsored legislation. 

The call for leadership is once again before us. Guided by our grand history, we must continue to exercise our diligence, provide solutions and construct the development of the next iteration of California’s health care delivery.

Let’s do it again!

Janus L. Norman is CMA Senior Vice President, Centers for Government Relations and Political Operations