Legislative, Advocacy and Committee Updates

Bills to cut red tape, regulate AI in medicine and curb private equity interference unveiled by CMA

Legislative and Advocacy Updates

The California Medical Association has unveiled a package of priority bills for the 2025 legislative session aimed at cutting red tape, regulating artificial intelligence in medicine, curbing private equity interference, and expanding the physician workforce.

Key bills include SB 351, which allows the Attorney General to hold private equity firms accountable for disrupting the patient-physician relationship, and AB 489, which bans the marketing of AI chatbots as licensed professionals. The “Prioritizing Patients, Empowering Physicians” subset of the package addresses the harmful effects of prior authorization delays, proposing reforms such as peer-reviewed appeals (AB 510), longer approval validity (AB 539), faster response times (AB 512), and the removal of prior authorization for frequently approved services (SB 306). CMA is partnering with lawmakers to restore integrity and access across California’s health care system.

Many of these bills were prioritized at CMA’s 51st Annual Legislative Advocacy Day on April 9.

Recent SSVMS Committee Activity

Editorial Committee

The Editorial Committee is responsible for planning, soliciting articles, editing, and publishing SSV Medicine. The committee met in April and May to discuss upcoming articles and how to incorporate more Museum of Medical History material.

Historical Committee

SSVMS’s Historical Committee focuses on preserving and collecting historical medical artifacts. Members research local medical history and serve as docents for school tours of the Museum of Medical History. The committee met in April to discuss future installments of the Medical History Lecture Series.

Joy of Medicine Advisory Committee

The Joy of Medicine Advisory Committee includes the Sacramento region’s leaders in physician wellness and advises SSVMS’s Joy of Medicine Program. The committee met in April to discuss the Joy of Medicine Summit in September and how to better promote Joy of Medicine offerings.

Public and Environmental Health Committee

The Public and Environmental Health Committee studies and makes recommendations regarding public and environmental health issues affecting the health and well-being of our community. The committee met in April to discuss protocols for public comment at Board of Supervisors meetings.

SPIRIT Management Committee

Comprised of representatives from Dignity Health, Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente, UC Davis Health and Sacramento County Health Services, the SPIRIT Management Committee provides support for donated medical care to the Sacramento Region’s uninsured and medically indigent. The committee met in March to discuss the effects of federal policy and budget changes.