Big Wins in 2024 at the Ballot Box, Capitol

By CMA Staff

The California Medical Association works tirelessly to ensure the physicians of California have the support they need to deliver the highest quality of care to the people of California. Here's a look back at what we've accomplished this past year.

CMA wins at the ballot box resulted in rate increase for physicians, improved access to care for patients, and more.

• Prop 35: 57 of 58 counties voted yes to approve Proposition 35, a historic investment in Medi-Cal that provides the first across the board rate increase for physicians and dedicates funding to improve access to care for the millions of seniors, children, low-income families and people with disabilities in our state.
• Prop 1: Expanded funding for mental health and addiction treatment, including investments in the health care workforce.

CMA codified physician priorities into law by supporting physician mental health, ensuring protections against AI, and more.

• Governor Newsom signed all of CMA’s priority bills that made it to his desk: a bill to ensure artificial intelligence does not take the place of physicians, legislation giving health care workers new tools to support victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, a legislative change to the medical board’s licensure application that will reduce mental health stigma for physicians, and a new law that will provide parity in the penalty for violence committed against health care workers in emergency departments.
• A banner legislative year, with 115 CMA supported bills signed into law, 24 opposed bills stopped and 23 problematic bills successfully amended.
• Successfully advocated for significant prior authorization reforms for Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans to speed up treatment and save physician practices billions of dollars.

CMA fought for physicians to reduce administrative burdens and to help keep practices open.

• Supported physician practices during a devastating cyberattack that resulted in nationwide outages that threatened the viability of physician practices. CMA successfully advocated for advance payments and interest-free financial resources to keep practice doors open.
• Stepped in to stop a Blue Shield modifier 25 policy that would have significantly reduced reimbursement for E/M services and created a disincentive for physicians to provide efficient care for unscheduled services.
• Worked with Aetna to get California physicians excluded from its emergency services review policy, which would have increased costs for physicians and created delays for patients in crisis.
• Filed a lawsuit against the Department of Managed Health Care for failing to enforce California’s prompt payment regulations in implementing SB 510, which resulted in significant delays and reductions in reimbursements.

CMA protected practice viability by helping physicians get paid so they can focus on providing quality care.

• Recouped more than $2.1 million from payors on behalf of physician members, protecting the viability of independent physician practices.
• Returned $53 million in Medicare shared savings back to physician practices through CMA’s Physician Services Organization’s partnership with Aledade.
• Stopped federal legislation that would have cut Medicare physician payments by $100 million a year.

CMA supported the physician workforce by funding GME and investing in the physician pipeline.

• Awarded $25,170,000 through Physicians for a Healthy California to 142 GME programs to train 184 residents in underserved communities, increasing the physician pipeline.
• Awarded $72,500,000 in CalHealthCares educational loan repayments to 297 physicians and dentists who provide care to Medi-Cal patients.
• Graduated 190 CalHealthCares cohort 1 awardees, after completing five years of service to underserved communities in California, with 90% saying they intend to continue serving Medi-Cal patients.
• Delivered dynamic, quality medical education to nearly 15,000 physicians and health care providers via CMA’s monthly Virtual Grand Rounds.

Together We Are Stronger

With your help, CMA Increased the power of physician voices.

• CMA saw record membership growth in 2024, boasting a 25% increase and making CMA the largest state medical association in the country.
• Successfully supported dozens of candidates for state and federal office who share CMA’s philosophy and vision of the future of health care and medical practice.
• Five California physicians elected to state and federal office.
• 28 of 32 CALPAC-supported candidates in targeted races won their bids for state and federal office.

Thank you, CMA members! Our success this year and every year wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication and commitment of the physicians of California. Thank you to all of our CMA members for your unwavering support of the medical profession and your dedication to the health and wellbeing of our communities.