Healthcare Archives

Proposition 46 Seeks To Raise Medical Malpractice Cap

October 21, 2014 · Mark Reback

Voters could make California the first state to require many doctors to submit to random drug and alcohol tests, a safeguard that has long been in place for pilots, police officers and others who must stay clear-eyed on the job. While supporters are promoting that aspect of Proposition 46, it is not the initiative’s most contentious provision. If approved by voters, it also would lift the ceiling on damages for pain and suffering caused by medical negligence, something that has been sought for decades by trial lawyers.

Beyond The Airwaves, Prop. 46 Backers and Opponents Use Grassroots Tactics

October 21, 2014 · Mark Reback

The battle over Proposition 46, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-proposition46-20141021-story.html">the medical malpractice and drug testing initiative</a>, has led to a deluge of TV and radio ads, mostly from the opposition. But although the fight on the airwaves may be the most visible element of the campaign, both sides are also using grassroots tactics to get their message out.

California Ballot Measure Pits Doctors Against Lawyers

October 14, 2014 · Mark Reback

<a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/10/14/356050478/california-ballot-measure-pits-doctors-against-lawyers">Click here to listen to this radio broadcast</a>. Troy and Alana Pack had spent the day at their neighborhood Halloween party in Danville, a suburb of San Francisco. Ten-year-old Troy went as a baseball player, and 7-year-old Alana was a good witch. In the afternoon, they changed out of their costumes and set out for a walk with their mother. Destination: Baskin-Robbins.

Prop 46: Voters Will Decide Who Actually Gets Rich

October 13, 2014 · Mark Reback

Of all the issues in Proposition 46, an omnibus measure on next month’s ballot aiming to improve patients’ rights in several health care areas, money is the one that counts most. The central question boils down to this: Should victims of medical malpractice and their lawyers get rich, or should malpractice insurance companies stay rich?

Why Are CA Doctors Breaking Their Hippocratic Oath on Prop 45?

October 8, 2014 · Mark Reback

An Open Letter to my fellow medical professionals about California's Proposition 45 and the primary obligation we have to protect the well being of our patients. Like generations of doctors before us, when each of us graduated from medical school, we were asked to raise our hand and recite the Hippocratic Oath. This was a defining moment in many of our lives. Reciting the words carried great weight and purpose: "I will apply all measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice."

Primer of November Propositions

October 7, 2014 · Mark Reback

Most of us will shortly receive an absentee ballot in the mail for the upcoming Nov. 4 election. Other than the continuous and deceptive ranting by health care lobbies about threats of higher medical costs if we pass Propositions45 and 46, this election seems under the radar. I always read the actual language of any bill or proposition. Usually I uncover hidden purposes that are misrepresented or misstated in election ads.

Editorial: State Propositions Warrant Much Skepticism

October 6, 2014 · Mark Reback

California voters have every right to view all state propositions with a healthy dose of skepticism. Propositions rarely do exactly what the authors say they will do. They are drawn up with loopholes big enough to drive a bullet train through, or with little favors built in to curry votes with certain groups, or with last-minute add-ons that should make voters uneasy.

Op-Ed: Prop. 45 Is Good For Your Health

October 5, 2014 · Mark Reback

Sherri Stoddard is a registered nurse who works in San Luis Obispo County, and serves on the board of directors of the 86,000-member California Nurses Association, which supports Proposition 45.

Initiative Seeks To Raise Medical Malpractice Cap

October 4, 2014 · Mark Reback

LOS ANGELES -- Voters could make California the first state to require many doctors to submit to random drug and alcohol tests, a safeguard that has long been in place for pilots, police officers and others who must stay clear-eyed on the job. While supporters are promoting that aspect of Proposition 46, it is not the initiative's most contentious provision.

East Bay Family’s Tragedy Sparks Clash of Special-Interest Titans

September 29, 2014 · Mark Reback

What started as a Danville couple's crusade for justice for their dead children has become a war between some of California's most powerful special interests and the year's costliest ballot measure battle. Proposition 46 would raise the state's 39-year-old cap on medical malpractice damage awards, require doctors to take random drug tests and mandate use of a database designed to reduce prescription drug abuse.

Attorneys and Doctors Square Off Over Prop. 46

September 29, 2014 · Mark Reback

Two powerful professional groups — doctors and lawyers — are squaring off and spending more than $65 million on Proposition 46, one of six statewide measures on the Nov. 4 ballot. Even the measure’s official title — “Drug and Alcohol Testing of Doctors. Medical Negligence Lawsuits. Initiative Statute” — is controversial, with critics asserting that Attorney General Kamala Harris, who assigns names to ballot measures, intentionally downplayed the initiative’s main goal.

Cigna, Blue Shield of Calif. Sued for ‘Bait and Switch’ Scheme

September 26, 2014 · Mark Reback

The pushback against <a href="http://www.fiercehealthpayer.com/tags/narrow-networks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">narrow networks</a> that's sweeping the nation continues in the form of legal action as a consumer group filed lawsuits against Cigna and Blue Shield of California on Thursday.

Fairness for Injured Patients

Medical Board of California Announces Maternal Mortality Task Force

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