Action needed:
Write or call your state Assembly member and ask them to oppose Assembly Bill (AB) 2080 (Wood, D-Santa Rosa) when it comes up for a vote on the Assembly floor. AB 2080 would prohibit providers and payers from entering into many preferred provider arrangements and impose expensive, unpredictable, and unfair bureaucratic hurdles on health care providers and payers who seek to partner.
CHA has developed a template letter for your use; please use this opportunity to tell your Assembly member how this bill would unnecessarily restrict your hospital’s ability to form partnerships and would hinder vital care to patients by imposing broad contract prohibitions on managed care arrangements. Find contact information for your Assembly member on the state Legislature’s site. Please send your letters to Emily Schroeder at eschroeder@calhospital.org.
Timing:
Resources:
Send your letters or call by May 27.
Background:
The ability for hospitals to integrate and coordinate undeniably benefits patients and communities in need, a fact that was only underscored by COVID-19. California’s integrated health systems — along with other hospitals and physician groups — saved countless lives during the pandemic with the ability to seamlessly shift resources like personal protective equipment, transfer patients, and deploy staff. Integrated health systems also ensure that struggling hospitals and physicians — particularly in rural or underserved areas — have access to the resources necessary to comply with costly regulations, pay for new technology that improves patient safety and the quality of care, and to support outreach programs that keep people healthy and active. AB 2080 would unnecessarily restrict hospitals’ flexibility and the resources needed to keep their doors open and provide vital care to patients. Ultimately, it is patients who will pay the cost: longer distances to travel for care, a worsening of the conditions that lead to health inequities, higher costs, and limited access to medical innovation. Finally, AB 2080 would prohibit physician groups, hospitals, payers, and others from making certain business decisions without the approval of the attorney general, but it would increase health care costs for all Californians.