CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: June 10, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. Long Legislative Days, Dry Summer Nights It was a frantic week in Sacramento, with hundreds of bills passed by the Senate and Assembly as the Capitol wrestled with deadline week. Last week, it was the house-of-origin deadline. All bills that started in the Assembly or Senate had to clear that house by Friday. The results were long legislative days, swarms of lobbyists huddled outside the Assembly and Senate chambers, and hundreds ... June 10, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: May 26, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. Only Time Will Tell As a bill to require children to receive vaccinations before entering public school moved off the Senate floor, the tactics of the California Chiropractic Association were brought into question through a number of independent journalism reports. The California Medical Association will continue to fight hard for what we believe is good public health policy. And while we understand that there can be honest and open disagreement about ... May 26, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
SDCMS-CMA Applauds California State Senate for Passing Landmark Legislation Senate Bill 277 Will Increase Community Health and Safety by Removing Personal Belief Exemptions for Vaccinations Senate Bill 277 (Pan / Allen) hit a major milestone in its journey through the state legislature today, passing through the Senate with overwhelming support. The bill moved forward with 25 votes. CMA is part of a large coalition of health advocates, education organizations, community groups, local governments, and elected leaders across the state that have shown support for the bill. SB 277 now advances to the Assembly for further consideration. “SB 277 would protect ... May 14, 2015 CMA, Public Health, Vaccinations Vaccinations 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: May 11, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. Ballot Measures and Budgets The fight for 2016 is officially underway, as initiative proponents begin to file their ballot proposals with the attorney general’s office. Among the major policy proposals beginning the process is a new tobacco tax backed by health care providers to help ensure network adequacy for California’s poor. The new Save Lives California Coalition, which includes the American Heart and Lung Associations, as well as the California Medical ... May 11, 2015 CMA, Legislation Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
MACRA Summary / Timeline From AMA HR 2, the “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015” or “MACRA,” was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on March 26 (by a vote of 392 to 37) and the Senate on April 14 (by a vote of 92 to 8), and signed into law on April 16, 2015. This bipartisan legislation permanently repeals the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and stabilizes Medicare payments for physician services with positive updates from July 1, 2015, through the end of 2019, and again in 2026 and beyond. It ... May 8, 2015 MACRA, Medicare, SGR MACRA, SGR 0 0 Comment Read More »
Long-overdue Legislation to Update Medicare Passed by U.S. Senate and Signed by President Obama California Medical Association Applauds President Obama's Signing HR 2 The California Medical Association (CMA) congratulates the U.S. Senate for passing monumental Medicare reform and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) extension, and thanks President Obama for signing the legislation. The 92–8 Senate vote demonstrates the extreme need for the overhaul. The legislation, HR 2, known as the “The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act,” will reform the broken Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) physician payment system and extend the expiring Children’s Health Insurance Program. Both of these important reforms will help ... April 15, 2015 Medicare SGR 0 0 Comment Read More »
I Heart Immunity Campaign I Heart Immunity Campaign Announces New Wave of Support for SB 277 Ahead of Senate Education Committee Hearing Broad, Bipartisan Base of Support Includes Family and Child Advocates, Healthcare Providers, Public Health Officials, Educators, Unions, Local Governments, and Many Others Sacramento — The I Heart Immunity Campaign, a group of public health advocates dedicated to increasing California immunization rates, today announced new support for Senate Bill 277 (Pan/Allen), which would eliminate the personal belief exemption option from required school vaccinations in California. The bill, which recently passed the Senate Health Committee ... April 14, 2015 Public Health, Vaccinations Vaccinations 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: April 14, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. The War Over Water A new front has opened up in the battle over California’s future. As Gov. Jerry Brown calls for mandatory cutbacks in water use, Californians are quickly taking sides in what is emerging as the War on Almonds. Almonds are now California’s largest food export, the sixth largest U.S. food export and the top specialty crop in America. The California crop is currently valued at over $6 billion, ... April 14, 2015 CMA Drought 0 0 Comment Read More »
Top Doctors 2015 Top Doctors 2015 Election: May 7 – June 19 SAN DIEGO COUNTY PHYSICIANS: The San Diego County Medical Society (SDCMS) invites you to participate in the selection process for “Physicians of Exceptional Excellence” — Top Doctors 2015. SDCMS leadership wishes the selection process to be fair, open, and honest for physician peers selecting the top 5% of the active, board-certified (as of January 1, 2015) San Diego County physicians in any specialty where there are more than 10 such physicians. STEPS FOR SECURE, INTERNET-BASED VOTING: SDCMS Member Physicians: Click Here to Vote: ... April 13, 2015 Top Doctors Top Doctors 0 0 Comment Read More »
April Is Donate Life Month. Be a Hero. Sign up to Save Lives. April is National Donate Life Month, a time when Donate Life Month organizations highlight the need for life-saving and life-enhancing organ, eye, and tissue transplants — and that anyone can be a hero and save lives simply by signing up to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor. That one decision could help the more than 123,000 people waiting for life-saving organ transplants in the United States. More than 22,000 of those people live right here in California. People like Caleigh Haber of San Francisco. She has cystic fibrosis, a genetic ... March 30, 2015 Public Health Organ Donation 0 0 Comment Read More »