California Medical Association

In 2023, a monumental victory for physicians and patients alike, the California Medical Association achieved a historic milestone with the passage of budget legislation that provide the largest Medi-Cal rate increase in the state's history. This transformative step, which will make meaningful strides toward fulfilling Medi-Cal's promise of access to health care for millions of Californians, will be implemented in stages. The first stage of Medi-Cal rate increases will be in 2024, with greater increases in 2025.

CMA advocacy was responsible for defeating or keeping several pieces of legislation that would have been harmful to patients from moving this year. Assembly Bill (AB) 616 would have required audited financial reports and statements from medical groups to be released to the public; Senate Bill (SB) 524 would have allowed retail chain pharmacists to furnish medications treating conditions identified through CLIA-waived tests performed by a pharmacist; AB 1570 would have allowed optometrists to perform delicate eye surgeries; and AB 1751 would have forced physicians to inform patients about nonpharmacological treatments for pain.

The California Medical Association and the Coalition to Protect Access to Care, a broad and diverse group of health care organizations, filed a statewide ballot initiative with the California Attorney General's office to make permanent the transformative Medi-Cal rate increases established in the state budget. The Protect Access to Healthcare Act is critical to ensuring the accessibility and affordability of health care services for all Californians.