Posted by Executive Vice President Susan Hogeland, CAE on 01.11.10

The State budget and health care reform:  you may tire of hearing me talk about these two issues over the course of 2010.  Sorry.

As predicted, Governor Schwarzenegger's State of the State Address last Wednesday and subsequent release of his proposed budget on Friday indicate health care services are in for another major hit, especially Medi-Cal and In Home Health Services (IHHS) as we confront a $18.9 billion shortfall (with a $1 billion reserve).  The Governor promised to protect education and promote jobs, but made no such promises about protecting the health of Californians or protecting health care jobs.  As Legislative Advocate Tom Riley put it, how can you have a job, job, job, if you are sick, sick, sick and can't find a doctor, doctor, doctor? The administration has proposed $2.9 billion in cuts from health and human services!

Today, CAFP will issue its response to the budget, and will vow to fight on behalf of patients and the physicians who care for them.  We will encourage the Governor to rescind the corporate welfare tax breaks enacted in the last budget cycle so essential health care services can be preserved and access to care for those who need it most is protected.  It is appalling to think that our state would prioritize specific tax cuts that have shown no evidence of generating employment over health care for impoverished children.

Additionally, this week, we will continue to follow closely the efforts in Washington, D.C. to enact health care reform and to provide assistance to AAFP in advocating for patients and family physicians.  I was briefed last week by AAFP staff on how primary care is currently being supported by the Stimulus Act and would be supported by reform in many ways, especially financially.  From bonus payments to primary care physicians, to as much as a 5-8% increase in payment to primary care physicians, from efforts by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to reduce the gap between primary care and subspecialists to whopping increases in allocations for Title VII and VIII programs, it is clear that primary care is in ascendancy.  And, it's about darned time.

I learned last week, too, that family physicians and the Patient Centered Medical Home are being positioned by AAFP to play a key role when reform is enacted in controlling overall health care costs.  Family and other primary care physicians can keep bad stuff from happening to patients, and when and if it does happen, can prevent hospitalizations or work with other specialists to coordinate the provision and efficiency of care.  What a perfect role for FPs! Figures are just in noting that the ten year cumulative increase in family health care premiums amount to a 100% increase - $13,375 per year for the average family plan, $4,824 of which is paid by the employee!

I and several Academy members will be traveling to the frigid Midwest this week to attend AAFP's commission cluster meetings.  My 400+ page agenda for the Commission on Quality and Practice Enhancement kept me busy over the weekend, as I am sure similar agendas did our doctors. 

Some of you may know that Jessica Kuo, our Membership Manager, plans to leave CAFP this Friday to seek her MBA at Stanford.  Happily, Jessica will be staying on part-time to continue to implement our strategic plan efforts to recruit and retain members and develop chapters.  She has done an outstanding job over the past three years.   We have hired Sophia Henry, a UCLA graduate, to serve as Membership Coordinator, giving us a great membership department team that also includes Cody Mitcheltree, Membership Assistant.  Join me, please, in welcoming Sophia and wishing Jessica the very best.