California Medical Association issues statement on Governor Browns Health Care Task Force
CMAcommends the Brown Administration for taking the initiative to create the Lets Get Healthy California Task Force. ( More info )

AB 2064 passes out of Health Committee - bill would improve access to immunization
AB 2064 (V. Manuel Perez) will require health plans and insurers to fully reimburse physicians for the costs to acquire and administer recommended vaccines that are already required to be covered. ( More info )

SB 1318 moves out of Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee
SB 1318 (Wolk), which would require all health care workers in health care facilities, including physicians, to either receive the influenza vaccination or wear a mask in patient care areas during flu season, moved out of the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee this afternoon. The bill is co-sponsored by the California Medical Association (CMA). ( More info )

In Case You Missed It: Nurses union puts politics ahead of health
State Sen. Lois Wolk wants to encourage not require that health care workers get annual flu vaccinations if they come into contact with patients in hospitals. ( More info )

Governor Edmund G. Brown and Attorney General Kamala D. Harris address California Medical Association Legislative Leadership Conference
Physicians from across the state met today at the California Medical Associations (CMA) 38th annual Legislative Leadership Conference. For the second year in a row, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., addressed the crowd of more than 500 physicians, speaking about issues that will make California healthier. ( More info )

Court rules that state violated Public Records Act
In what was a clear violation of law, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) repeatedly denied requests by the California Medical Association (CMA) for information regarding Californias state plan amendment that was submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in June of last year. ( More info )

CMA issues statement on tax measure compromise
On the heels of the Governor Browns announcement that he and representatives from the Millionaires Tax initiative had come to an agreement to combine efforts, California Medical Association CEO Dustin Corcoran issued the following statement ( More info )

CMA focuses on immunization policy
CMA is working to address a number of issues around immunization policy in California with three sponsored bills. ( More info )

California Medical Association endorses Proposition 29
Today, CMA, an organization representing 35,000 California doctors, endorsed Proposition 29, a ballot initiative that will tax cigarettes by $1 a pack ( More info )

U.S. Supreme Court sends Medicaid case back to Court of Appeals
Today, in a majority decision, the United States Supreme Court refused to reverse the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Douglas v. Independent Living Center of Southern California ("Independent Living Center"). That court has previously sided with physicians and other providers, agreeing that interested parties should have the ability to sue in order to block cuts to Californias Medicaid program, Medi-Cal. ( More info )

California Medical Association sponsors bill to ban sugary drinks in schools
On Friday, Assemblymember Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) introduced AB 1746, which would ban the sale of sugary sports drinks on middle and high school campuses throughout California. ( More info )

Obama Administration rejects state's request to impose mandatory co-pays
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rejected the states request to impose mandatory co-payments for Medi-Cal patients. ( More info )

UPDATE: Judge issues final ruling - blocks state's attempt to slash Medi-Cal reimbursement rates
After her tentative ruling on Monday, Judge Christina Snyder issued a final ruling in California Medical Association (CMA) et al. v. Douglas, granting the plaintiffs request for a preliminary injunction ( More info )

The California Medical Association endorses Governor Brown's proposed ballot measure
Today, the CMA officially endorsed Governor Browns proposed ballot measure. Year in and year out, California continues to grapple with a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall, which inevitably has ill effects on health care throughout the state ( More info )

Judge issues tentative ruling in favor of blocking the state's attempt to slash Medi-Cal reimbursement rates
CMA applauds the federal court and Judge Christina Snyder for the tentative decision to block California state officials from moving forward with a 10 percent Medi-Cal reimbursement rate cut, which was approved by the federal government. ( More info )