THE PROBLEM

California has the worst doctor shortage crisis in the nation. And, not coincidentally, it’s one of only five states that still upholds the archaic “physician hiring ban” that keeps hospitals and clinics in low-income and rural communities from hiring doctors. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 800 - 1,000 doctors are needed today to provide adequate levels of care to California’s Medically Underserved Areas. The average age of doctors serving these communities is 60 and they are beginning to retire in record numbers.

Alarmingly few doctors are in the pipeline to replace them. Newly-trained doctors simply cannot afford to practice in low-income and rural communities where they receive only $24 per office visit from Medi-Cal when the cost of care is more than double that.  By letting hospitals and clinics in Medically Underserved Areas hire doctors - offering them a stable salary and standard benefits - the economic barrier that keeps doctors from treating the poor is lifted.

According to the California Medical Association, approximately 70% of California physicians do not treat Medi-Cal patients because reimbursement does not cover the cost of care. This results in limited access for even insured Californians because physicians cannot afford to practice in many communities.

» THE SOLUTION: SB 726