SOURCE: California Dental Association

An initiative that would substantially raise health care costs for all Californians, reduce access to health care and harm patients most in need has qualified for the 2022 ballot. The measure would significantly alter MICRA, California’s Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act law, by eliminating medical lawsuit limits, creating a new, broadly defined and dangerous category of malpractice lawsuits and enabling new substantial financial windfalls for California’s trial lawyers. Along with a coalition of other health care providers, insurers and hospitals, CDA and TDIC are deeply committed to defeating this initiative.

Californians to Protect Patients and Contain Health Care Costs, a coalition of physicians, dentists and health care providers, issued the following statement: “It’s unfortunate that while California’s health providers are courageously working on the front lines of this pandemic, a few opportunistic trial lawyers have remained focused on a ballot measure that would substantially increase the burden on California’s doctors and clinics while inflating health care costs for everyone. Whether it’s 2020 or 2022, any ballot measure that reduces access to health care and increases costs for all Californians is bad medicine.”

In anticipation of the initiative’s qualification, CDA’s Board of Trustees approved an initial $1 million contribution to the opposition effort. This initial funding, along with contributions from other health care entities, will ensure a robust campaign team will continue to work to defeat this measure. Efforts will include media relations, message development, polling and economic assessments.