THIS NOVEMBER, these trial attorneys will ask voters to weigh

in on “The Troy and Alana Pack Patient Safety Act,” which

would make it easier and more profitable for lawyers to sue

doctors and hospitals. This measure, according to California’s

independent Legislative Analyst, could increase state and local

government malpractice and health care costs by “hundreds

of millions of dollars annually,” ultimately

placing the burden of this additional cost on

all of us.

AS IT STANDS NOW, county and state

hospitals have to pay medical malpractice

awards out of the budgets they receive from

taxpayers. If medical malpractice awards

increase, government costs will increase too.

Somebody has to pay, and that will be taxpayers through higher

taxes and California citizens through higher health care costs.

ADDITIONALLY, this measure would vastly increase the number

of lawsuits filed in California. That’s why the independent

Legislative Analyst says that county and state hospitals will see

costs of tens of millions of dollars that taxpayers will have to

pay.

THE CALIFORNIA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (CMA) has joined a

broad coalition of doctors, community health clinics, hospitals,

local governments, public safety, business and labor to oppose

the proposed November ballot proposition. Visit www.cmanet.

org/micra for more information about what CMA is doing in this

fight and how to get involved.

NOT ONLY WOULD THIS MEASURE COST patients across

the state, it’s a misleading measure intended to fool voters.

Written by trial attorneys, the measure makes it easier and

more profitable for lawyers to sue doctors and hospitals —

even if that means higher health costs for the rest of us. Our

health laws should protect access to care and control costs for

everyone, not increase lawsuits and payouts for lawyers.

Here’s why a broad coalition of doctors, community health clinics, hospitals, local governments, public safety, business and labor opposes the proposed November ballot proposition that would

make it easier and more profitable for lawyers to sue doctors and hospitals:

Protect Access to Quality Health Care and Patient PrivacyOPPOSE THE MICRA MEASURE

YOU MAY BE AWARE OF A TRIAL ATTORNEY-SPONSORED BALLOT MEASURE THAT WOULD UNDERMINE THE PROTECTIONS

AFFORDED TO PATIENTS ACROSS CALIFORNIA AS PART OF THE MEDICAL INJURY COMPENSATION REFORM ACT (MICRA).

Community health care clinics, like Planned Parenthood, say this measure will raise insurance costs that will cause specialists, like OB/GYN’s to

reduce or eliminate services to their patients.

SJP_Spring_Sharing_2014.indd 28 3/31/14 11:02 AM

MICRA > Protect Access

YOU’LL HEAR A LOT OF RHETORIC

from the proponents of the measure

but really, this is another example of

special interest legislation trying to

fool the voters into thinking this about

something that it’s not. The authors

of this proposal purposely threw in

non- MICRA provisions, like drug

testing doctors, to disguise the real

intent, which is to increase the limits

on medical malpractice awards so that

trial lawyers make even more money.

The main proponent of the measure was

recently quoted in the LA Times, saying,

“The drug rules are in the initiative

because they poll well, and the backers

figure that’s the way to get the public to

support the measure. ‘It’s the ultimate

sweetener.’”

THIS MEASURE also requires a

government database with personal

information on patients’ prescription drug

history. Hackers have already managed

to access personal information from

millions of Target customers and even

the Pentagon, and another big database

will only make our information more

vulnerable.

PHYSICIANS TAKE AN OATH to protect

patients – and this dangerous initiative

would put patients at risk of losing

access to quality medical care.

COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE CLINICS,

like Planned Parenthood, say this

measure will raise insurance costs that

will cause specialists, like OB/GYN’s

to reduce or eliminate services to their

patients. Finding doctors to deliver

children in rural areas and community

clinics is already difficult and reducing

services will make a bad situation worse.

OVER 1,000 GROUPS have joined

together in support of MICRA and in

opposition to this dangerous, costly

measure. Be part of the effort to protect

patients by visiting

www.cmanet.org/micra today!

SJP_Spring_Sharing_2014.indd 29 3/31/14 11:02 AM