CMA endorses ballot initiative to reduce gun violence The California Medical Association (CMA) last week announced an endorsement for Proposition 63, California’s “Safety for All” initiative to reduce gun violence in California. More than 300 Americans are shot each day, and firearms kill over 32,000 Americans each year. In 2013, over 6,000 Californians were hospitalized or treated in emergency rooms for nonfatal gunshot wounds, including 1,275 children and teens. “Far too often, physicians become firsthand witnesses to the horrific aftermath of gun-related tragedies,” said CMA President Steve Larson, M.D., MPH. “We see it in our hospitals, clinics and on ... August 16, 2016 CMA, General Election, Public Health, Ballot Measures, Guns, Political Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
California Medical Association endorses Proposition 58 The California Medical Association (CMA) today announced an endorsement of Proposition 58, California’s “Language Education Acquisition and Readiness Now” ballot initiative that gives local school districts and their academic staff the option of providing bilingual education. Forty-four percent (44%) of California residents over the age of five speak a language other than English at home, and numerous studies support the need for multilingual health care providers. A 2015 report from UCLA’s Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture found a shortage of health care professionals who have the ... August 12, 2016 CMA Ethnic Diversity, Political Advocacy, Ballott Measures 0 0 Comment Read More »
California Medical Association endorses Proposition 63 The California Medical Association (CMA) today announced an endorsement of Proposition 63, California’s “Safety for All” ballot initiative to reduce gun violence in California. More than 300 Americans are shot each day, and firearms kill over 32,000 Americans each year. In 2013, over 6,000 Californians were hospitalized or treated in emergency rooms for nonfatal gunshot wounds, including 1,275 children and teens. “Far too often, physicians become firsthand witnesses to the horrific aftermath of gun-related tragedies,” CMA President Steve Larson, M.D., MPH, said. “We see it in our hospitals, clinics and on ... August 12, 2016 CMA Guns, Political Advocacy, Ballot Measures 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight: Aug. 3, 2016 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ November Ballot Rundown California’s ballot has evolved into an impressive – and daunting – laundry list of policy proposals, running the gamut of fiscal and social policy. While the 17 measures on the ballot are not a statewide record, many of the state’s hot-button political issues – including health care, guns, criminal justice and environmental protection – will all be decided by voters this fall. Tax measures loom large this ... August 8, 2016 General CMA Capitol Insight, Election, Political Advocacy, Ballot Measures 0 0 Comment Read More »
Yes on 56/Save Lives California message training webinar now available on-demand A recording of the California Medical Association’s (CMA) recently held webinar – Yes on 56/Save Lives California: Message Training – is now available to download in CMA’s online resource library. The webinar is available free to members only. Nearly 17,000 California kids get hooked on smoking every year, and about one-third of them will eventually die from tobacco-related illnesses. CMA and the Save Lives California coalition is helping to reverse this trend through the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 (also known as Proposition 56), a ... August 5, 2016 CMA, General Prop. 56 (tobacco tax), Save Lives California, Tobacco Tax, Webinars, Political Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
Provider participation in Medi-Cal does not keep pace with growth of enrollment New 2015 data shows that the percentage of physicians participating in Medi-Cal has declined since 2013, while during the same period, Medi-Cal enrollment increased by 39 percent. The numbers show that provider participation in Medi-Cal has not kept pace with the growth in enrollment, and raise serious concerns about whether the numbers of physicians participating in Medi-Cal can meet the increased demand. A California Healthcare Foundation survey of California physicians shows that Medi-Cal participation declined from 69 percent in 2013 to 63 percent in 2015. The numbers of specialty care ... August 5, 2016 Medi-Cal Prop. 55, Prop. 56 (tobacco tax), Tobacco Tax, Medi-Cal, Political Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA President's Message: Thinking big to save lives On January 1, 2016, a California Medical Association (CMA) co-sponsored law went into effect that will help protect the health of California’s children and communities by eliminating the personal belief exemption from school immunization requirements. As a physician who has a vested interest in the advancement of California’s public health efforts, I can’t think of a better way to start 2016. With the new year underway, I’m thrilled to stand with you all, as your CMA president, during what will surely be an exciting time for the future of health care ... February 1, 2016 General Physician Leadership, Political Advocacy, Save Lives California, Election, President's Message 0 0 Comment Read More »
Campaign to increase state's tobacco tax launches signature-gathering drive in Sacramento The signature-gathering phase of a campaign to increase California’s tobacco tax by $2 per pack has now officially begun. On January 21, the Save Lives California coalition held a press conference at C.K. McClatchy High School in Sacramento to kick off the next big step in the initiative’s development—procuring more than half a million valid signatures to qualify the measure for the November 2016 ballot. Philanthropist and campaign co-chair Tom Steyer; California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson; Sacramento’s state Senator Richard Pan, M.D.; and representatives from several coalition members, ... January 25, 2016 General Political Advocacy, Public Health, Save Lives California, Smoking, Tobacco Tax, Election 0 0 Comment Read More »
Campaign to recall Dr. Pan fizzles A campaign to recall California Senator Richard Pan, M.D., the pediatrician who carried Senate Bill 277 in the California state legislature, has failed to gain any support. Proponents of the recall had until December 31, 2015, to collect 35,926 verified signatures from the 436,318 registered voters in his district. According to the Yolo County Clerk Recorder, opponents of the effort did not even file one signature. SB 277, co-sponsored by the California Medical Association (CMA), removed the personal belief exemption from vaccination requirements—allowing only for medical exemptions. The effort drew ... January 15, 2016 General Physician Leadership, Political Advocacy, vaccination, Immunization 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA supports ballot measure on hospital fee program to stabilize health care access for low-income residents The California Medical Association (CMA) has joined a broad coalition of health care providers and community groups in support of an initiative, the “Medi-Cal Funding and Accountability Act,” which will appear on the November 2016 ballot. The initiative would extend a critical hospital fee program in order to provide a stable source of health care funding to serve California’s most vulnerable citizens: children, seniors and low-income residents. The initiative builds on SB 239, an important and unanimous bipartisan agreement passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Jerry Brown in ... November 20, 2015 Medi-Cal Medi-Cal, Election, Political Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
