Opinion Piece Warns Against ‘Harmful’ Rate Regulation Bill
State lawmakers are "trying to pass a harmful bill that could seriously reduce the access that patients have to physicians," George Ma -- president of the Los Angeles County Medical Association -- writes in a Capitol Weekly opinion piece. AB 52 would let regulators reject health insurers' proposed rate increases. Ma discusses the California Health Benefit Exchange and the federal health reform law's requirement that insurers spend "80 to 85 cents out of every $1 in premiums" on medical care. He argues, "We should give [the exchange and the insurance rule] time to work before agreeing to spend up to $30 million more per year ... to erect vast new bureaucracies to implement AB 52."
- "Misguided Insurance Rule Would Hinder Patients' Access to Care" (Ma, Capitol Weekly, 6/30).