No, you are not wrong. It has been incredibly challenging to keep up with the latest in health policy.
New proposals drop with little notice. Major changes to Medicaid, prior authorization, and even scope of practice are buried in pages of legislative language. And the pace – fast. It would be easy to fall behind and feel overwhelmed.
But this is why SSVMS is here.
Our role is to help cut through the chaos so you can focus on caring for patients. We know you didn’t go into medicine to refresh legislative websites or decode policy memos. But the truth is, more and more of what happens in the Capitol – whether in Sacramento or D.C. – directly impacts your ability to practice and your patients’ ability to access care.
Recently, this has played out most notably with major threats to Medicaid funding. A House bill proposed devastating cuts (to the tune of $880 BILLION) and the Senate version layered on billions more – especially targeting the provider taxes that help fund Medi-Cal here in California. That could have serious consequences for our patients and our practices.
In moments like these, it helps to have a team dedicated to watching closely. Because no physician should have to take this on alone.
SSVMS works in partnership with the California Medical Association and other stakeholders to monitor policy developments, analyze what they mean, and communicate with you clearly – without adding to the noise. We also show up. Our leadership team meets frequently with members of the Boards of Supervisors, City Councils, the State Legislature, and Congress. This spring, our members joined physicians from across the state at CMA’s Legislative Advocacy Day to speak directly with lawmakers. In May, we joined the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s Cap-to-Cap delegation to Washington, D.C., making sure the voice of medicine was at the table on issues like Medicaid, workforce shortages, and administrative burdens.
In moments like these, it helps to have a team dedicated to watching closely. Because no physician should have to take this on alone.
The system is complex, noisy, and fast. But when we act together – when we raise a collective voice – we become harder to ignore. Organized medicine amplifies what individual physicians can’t always say on their own, and it helps ensure that decisions about healthcare are made with real input from the people delivering it.
We know how much you’re already carrying. The hours are long, the challenges are real, and the weight of this profession can be heavy.
As your local medical society, we help shoulder some of that burden by making sense of the policy landscape. We’ll keep tracking the issues, breaking things down, and showing up when it counts. And when the next urgent development comes, you can rest assured that SSVMS is already paying attention.
We can’t predict what will come next – but we do know this: if we stay connected, stay informed, and stay engaged, we’ll be in a better position to protect our patients and this profession that we all care so much about.
Interested in joining one of our meetings with elected officials? Send me a note at awetzel@ssvms.org.
