CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. February 2, 2015 — Setting the Stage It’s time to mark turf in Sacramento. Less than one month after Gov. Jerry Brown laid out his vision for California’s budget, Senate Leader Kevin de León spoke to the press club in Sacramento to offer a slightly competing vision. De León pushed Brown to do more to help the poor in California, laying out a legislative plan that the Senate leader said is focused ... February 2, 2015 CMA, Legislation CMA Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
Column by CMA President Dr. Luther Cobb Dear Colleagues: Although 2014 will long be remembered as the year that all modes of practice and specialties of the House of Medicine came together in a group effort to defeat Proposition 46, it is imperative that we maintain the momentum we have gained as we confront the issues of the coming year and beyond. Following such a historic year, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished and what we can look forward to over the next 12 months. I have, for over three decades, been a firm ... January 13, 2015 CMA Dr. Cobb 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Responds to Governor Brown’s Budget While cost of Medi-Cal projected to increase, funding to restore provider rates untouched Sacramento — Following Governor Brown’s budget unveiling this morning, California Medical Association (CMA) president Luther Cobb, MD, released the following statement: “In both his Inaugural address earlier this week and in today’s budget unveiling, Governor Brown has acknowledged the expansion of California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal. While the physicians of California applaud the extension of the program to offer healthcare coverage to more patients, it remains disappointing that an increase to California’s woefully inadequate Medi-Cal provider reimbursement rates was ... January 9, 2015 CMA State Budget 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. Hot Button Healthcare As lawmakers return to Sacramento this week, much is still to be decided about the future of healthcare reform. State legislators will deal with a number of hot-button issues in the first half of 2015, many of which will have dramatic impacts on California’s healthcare policy and potentially the future success of the Affordable Care Act. It all begins on Monday when Gov. Jerry Brown gives his inaugural ... January 5, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Names Luther Cobb, MD, Its 147th President CMA Names Luther Cobb, MD, Its 147th President: Dr. Cobb Takes Lead of Over 40,000 Physician Members — November 13, 2014 Sacramento — Humboldt County physician Luther Cobb, MD, has been installed as the 147th president of the California Medical Association (CMA), taking the reins from immediate past president Richard Thorp, MD. Dr. Cobb takes office on the heels of the momentous defeat of Proposition 46, a campaign in which doctors and healthcare providers across California rallied together to oppose the measure that ultimately failed 33-67%. “What a thrilling time to be assuming ... November 13, 2014 CMA, Governance CMA 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York CMA Capitol Insight Is a Biweekly Column by Veteran Journalist Anthony York, Reporting on the Inner Workings of the State Legislature The Calm Before the Storm July is the eye of the hurricane in the state capital. The town is eerily quiet. As temperatures skyrocket, politicians scatter for their districts — or places ever farther afield. More on that in a minute. In the meantime, there’s not a lot of visible activity under the dome. The Legislature is on its annual month-long summer recess, and the town has ground to a virtual ... July 21, 2014 CMA Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
December 11 SGR Update From CMA Bipartisan House-Senate Medicare Payment Reform Legislation Expected to Pass out of Committee This Week Congress Includes Three-month Patch to Stop the 25% SGR Cuts in Budget Deal The Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee this week unveiled revised legislative proposals to repeal the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) and establish a new payment system. Both committees have said that they expect to “mark up” (i.e., pass out of committee) the legislation on Thursday, December 12. The changes they have made since the initial October “discussion draft” are ... December 12, 2013 CMA, SGR SGR 0 0 Comment Read More »
UC Regents v. Platter On October 15, 2013, the California Court of Appeal in the Second Appellate District, consistent with CMA’s amicus letter brief, issued a published opinion in Regents of the University of California v. Superior County of Los Angeles County (Platter), a case interpreting the application of statutory nominal damages under the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA). This class-action lawsuit arose from the theft of a computer hard drive containing confidential information on approximately 16,000 patients. The plaintiffs alleged that the UC Regents negligently lost possession of the hard drive in ... October 16, 2013 CMA CMIA 0 0 Comment Read More »
Richard Thorp, MD, Installed as 146th President of CMA October 14. 2013 Richard Thorp, MD, FACP, was installed as the 146th president of the California Medical Association (CMA) at the close of the association’s 2013 House of Delegates, held in Anaheim last weekend. Dr. Thorp, an internist from Paradise, California, developed an interest in health policy and advocacy while serving as president of Butte Glenn Medical Society in 1994, the year of the Clinton health reform. Dr. Thorp continued a leadership role in organized medicine in 1995, serving on CMA’s Committee on Managed Care and subsequently on the Committee on Medical ... October 15, 2013 CMA CMA 0 0 Comment Read More »