CMA changes stance on physician aid in dying, takes neutral position on End of Life Option Act The California Medical Association (CMA) has changed its long-standing position on the issue of physician aid in dying, and has taken a neutral position on Senate Bill 128 (Monning/Wolk), the End of Life Option Act. The organization’s physician leadership decided to change CMA’s decades-old policy after several committee hearings and an extensive amount of discussion by members. A final vote was taken by the CMA Board of Trustees in April, making CMA the first state medical association in the nation to change its stance on physician aid in dying. “The decision ... June 5, 2015 General Physician Aid in Dying, State Legislation, End of Life Issues 0 0 Comment Read More »
California Medical Association removes opposition to physician aid in dying bill Sacramento – Today, the California Medical Association (CMA) announced that it has become the first state medical association in the nation to change its position on the long-debated issue of physician aid in dying. By removing decades-old organizational policy, CMA has eliminated its historic opposition and is now officially neutral on Senate Bill 128 (Monning/Wolk), the End of Life Option Act. “As physicians, we want to provide the best care possible for our patients. However, despite the remarkable medical breakthroughs we’ve made and the world-class hospice or palliative care ... May 21, 2015 General State Legislation, Physician Aid in Dying 0 0 Comment Read More »
California Medical Association responds to vote on Senate Bill 622 After today’s vote in the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee, California Medical Association President Luther F. Cobb, M.D., responded with the following statement regarding Senate Bill 622: "The amount of training to perform eye surgery stipulated by SB 622, even with the amendments adopted today, is still inadequate to ensure patient safety. Medical doctors perform hundreds more procedures and have tens of thousands more hours of training than what would be required of optometrists under this bill. All Californians deserve to have well-trained physicians to provide high-quality care, ... April 29, 2015 General Scope of Practice, State Legislation, State Legislative Advocacy, Optometrists 0 0 Comment Read More »
Second bill to increase Medi-Cal rates advances through first committee California’s policymakers are continuing to show support for legislation that would fully fund the state’s Medicaid (Medi-Cal) program. Two bills would restore a 10 percent reimbursement rate cut and raise those rates to Medicare levels, allowing better access to health care for patients. Assembly Bill 366 (Bonta, D-Oakland) and Senate Bill 243 (Hernandez, D-West Covina) are currently moving through the legislature. AB 366 took its first step through the legislative process when it advanced to the Assembly Appropriations Committee with unanimous approval on April 14. Last week, it was SB ... April 29, 2015 Medi-Cal Medi-Cal Cuts, State Legislation, State Legislative Advocacy, Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
Polio survivors gather with Senator Dr. Richard Pan to reinforce the need for SB 277 before bill passed through Education Committee Standing one room away from an antique iron lung, a historic medical device once used to help polio patients breathe, survivors of the once widespread disease urged parents on Tuesday to get their children vaccinated in order to avoid suffering from completely preventable diseases. The polio survivors surrounded Senator Richard Pan, M.D., who authored Senate Bill 277, which would require most children enrolled in school to be immunized from highly infectious diseases. They joined together at the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society’s Museum of Medical History to speak on the ... April 23, 2015 General Public Health, State Legislation, State Legislative Advocacy, Vaccination, Immunization 0 0 Comment Read More »
Senate Bill 277 clears Senate Education Committee Sacramento – Senate Bill 277 (Pan/Allen) cleared the Senate Education Committee today with a 7-2 vote. The bill will now move on to the Senate Judiciary Committee. “This is a huge step forward for public health and the safety of our schools and communities,” said Luther Cobb, M.D., California Medical Association president. “Vaccinations are a proven method to prevent many illnesses and SB 277 will ensure more kids are protected against these diseases.” SB 277 will remove the Personal Belief Exemption (PBE) option from the school and child care enrollment requirements. ... April 23, 2015 General Immunization, Public Health, State Legislation, State Legislative Advocacy, Vaccination, I Heart Immunity 0 0 Comment Read More »
Bill that would increase Medi-Cal rates wins unanimous committee vote A California Assembly bill that would raise California’s Medicaid (Medi-Cal) reimbursement rates for providers took its first step through the state legislature on April 14, receiving unanimous approval from the Assembly Health Committee. Under AB 366, authored by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), dramatic improvements would be made in the Medi-Cal system by restoring cuts made to Medi-Cal reimbursement rates, then raising them to Medicare levels. California is currently 47th in the country’s Medicaid reimbursement rates. Luther F. Cobb, M.D., president of the California Medical Association, testified in support of the bill, ... April 23, 2015 Medi-Cal State Legislation, State Legislative Advocacy, Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
Bill to eliminate the use of tobacco products at California baseball venues introduced in Assembly A bill (AB 768) that would eliminate the use of all tobacco products – including smokeless tobacco – at all baseball venues in California in an effort to protect the health of players and to set an effective example for children was introduced Tuesday by Assemblymember Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond). A similar local measure was also introduced in San Francisco by Supervisor Mark Farrell. Public health advocates, including the California Medical Association (CMA) and youth baseball players, joined Assemblymember Thurmond and Supervisor Farrell at the respective announcements in Sacramento and San ... March 9, 2015 General State LEgislation, Tobacco, California Legislature 0 0 Comment Read More »
Boxer and Pan introduce vaccination legislation plans in effort to raise immunization rates U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and California State Senator Richard Pan, M.D., toured an Emeryville Head Start program last week to illustrate the reasons they have introduced vaccination bills at the national and state levels. Senator Boxer introduced the Head Start on Vaccinations Act with Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto. That bill would protect children in Head Start programs from preventable diseases by requiring that all children in Head Start programs nationwide be fully vaccinated unless they have been exempted for medical reasons. Boxer chose the Emeryville Head Start program to ... February 26, 2015 General Immunization, Public Health, State Legislation, Vaccination, Federal Legislation 0 0 Comment Read More »
Legislation announced to ban personal belief exemptions for school vaccinations With the number of California measles cases now at 103 and growing, Sacramento pediatrician and State Senator Richard Pan, M.D., has announced his intention to introduce legislation to repeal personal belief exemptions for school vaccinations. Cosponsoring the repeal with Dr. Pan is Sen. Ben Allen, D-Redondo Beach. Joining Senators Pan and Allen at the press conference announcing their bill were Senators Hannah Beth Jackson and Lois Wolk and Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez. The same day, Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer urged California to revisit the law allowing personal belief exemptions. In ... February 18, 2015 General Measles, Public Health, State Legislation, Vaccination, Immunization 0 0 Comment Read More »
