Facts about AB 3129
Facts about AB 3129
AB 3129 HARMS ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE IN CALIFORNIA
AB 3129 HARMS ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE IN CALIFORNIA
California’s health care system remains severely under-resourced, despite recent progress in some areas. Many communities are struggling to keep the hospitals, doctors and dental practices needed to meet their basic health care needs. AB 3129 gives one politician the unilateral power to reject private funding for hospitals and doctors, cutting off a critical funding lifeline needed to keep hospitals and medical and dental practices open.
AB 3129 Cuts Off Private Funding Lifeline for Health Care Providers
AB 3129 Cuts Off Private Funding Lifeline for Health Care Providers
Many community hospitals and health care providers in California are under-resourced and struggling – particularly in underserved communities, where residents already suffer from a lack of access to care. AB 3129 gives the Attorney General new power to unilaterally and arbitrarily reject private funding and investment that can serve as a lifeline for struggling health care providers and as the resources needed to expand access to care.
AB 3129 Risks More Closures of Community Hospitals and Other Health Providers
AB 3129 Risks More Closures of Community Hospitals and Other Health Providers
California has already witnessed what can happen when health care investments have to be approved by the Attorney General, in the case of Madera Community Hospital. Madera went bankrupt and was forced to shut its doors when the Attorney General imposed unmeetable conditions on its sale.
The consequences were disastrous: the hospital closed, forcing patients to travel miles to receive care at more distant hospitals, which were in turn swamped by the influx of additional patients. Not only did the community lose access to valuable health care services, it also lost a significant number of local jobs when the hospital closed.
AB 3129 Further Strains California’s Health System – Forcing Taxpayers to Save Struggling Institutions
AB 3129 Further Strains California’s Health System – Forcing Taxpayers to Save Struggling Institutions
Many patients already face delays in accessing the emergency, behavioral and other health care services they need – especially in underserved areas including rural California. We cannot address this crisis without significant investment in our health care system. If we block private investment, it will push health care institutions to the brink and may require public intervention using tax dollars.
California Is Already Spending Millions of Dollars on the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) to Assess Health Care Spending
California Is Already Spending Millions of Dollars on the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) to Assess Health Care Spending
California recently created and funded OHCA to collect data on our healthcare system, analyze cost-drivers and develop data-driven policies to improve affordability. Instead of waiting for OHCA’s data to help develop data-driven policies, AB 3129 jumps the gun by assuming what the nature of the problem is and how best to address it.
AB 3129 Threatens Successful Health Care Innovation and Partnerships
AB 3129 Threatens Successful Health Care Innovation and Partnerships
AB 3129 threatens the private investment and partnerships that are helping drive innovation and expand access to care. In California, private investment has:
- Helped dental practices expand access to care to more underserved children
- Helped thousands of physicians by providing administrative and back-office support
- Partnered with UC Davis and UC Irvine to help fund new rehabilitation hospitals in Sacramento and Irvine
- Funded outpatient clinics, urgent care, dental care, behavioral health, and other medical care that have strengthened our health system and improved patients’ lives.