October 18, 2022
The 151st Annual Session of the California Medical Association (CMA) House of Delegates (HOD) will convene this weekend, October 22-23 in Los Angeles.
CMA physician delegates meet annually to establish broad policy on current major issues that have been determined to be the most important issues affecting members, the association and the practice of medicine. This year, the delegates will discuss three major issues:
Physician Workforce
Our state is facing a physician shortage that has reached crisis proportions, and the COVID pandemic has placed additional pressure on an already strained system. Expanding the physician workforce so that every patient has timely access to affordable, quality care is one of CMA’s top priorities. And as California continues to grapple with longstanding workforce challenges, the Dobbs decision is creating new workforce challenges, particularly for medical students and residents in states that restrict or ban abortion services. Read the full report here (members only).
Health Care Reform
In 2019, the Healthy California for All Commission was formed and charged with developing a plan to move our state towards a unified financing system for health care delivery. In January 2020, the CMA Board of Trustees established a Health Care Reform technical advisory committee to review and refine the association’s health care reform policies. The TAC worked tirelessly over the next two years to develop a set of principles to ensure that any health care reforms will deliver high quality, affordable and evidence-based care to all. CMA’s commitment to universal access remains steadfast, but CMA strongly believes that the health care system must be funded in a way that is sustainable, so that health care coverage is not simply an empty promise and that all patients have equal access to quality care. Read the full report here (members only).
Mental Health
Over the last five years, the California has committed to investing billions of new dollars into improving mental health services for all Californians across all delivery systems. The scope of these investments is sweeping, and implementation of many of the initiatives, along with growing the state’s mental health workforce, will take years to accomplish. Diana Ramos, M.D., the newly appointed California Surgeon General and longtime CMA member and delegate will address the delegates with an update on California’s efforts to improve and expand mental health care. Read the full report here (members only).
More HOD Coverage
CMA will also be announcing the recipients of its major awards and electing new officers this weekend. Stay tuned to cmadocs.org/news for real time updates, and follow our live tweets at twitter.com/cmadocs using #cmahod.