Physicians urged to call Gov. Brown and ask him to sign the Maddy EMS Fund bill August 8, 2013 General EMS/MADDY Funds, Access to Care, Advocacy, Emergency Rooms 0 The California Medical Association (CMA) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) are cosponsoring a bill that will extend funding for the Maddy Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Fund. Without this bill (SB 191/Padilla), providers of emergency medical care throughout the state will lose $50 million per year that is currently used to offset the costs incurred for care provided to uninsured patients in hospital emergency rooms (ER). Without this bill, the law that authorizes the Maddy Fund is set to expire on January 1, 2014. Although the bill is expected to pass through the Legislature and head to the Governor’s desk soon, there is some concern that Gov. Brown could veto the bill. The Maddy Fund was established over 20 years ago as a means of providing critical resources for the delivery of emergency medical care to the uninsured. The funds are managed at the county level, with funding generated through the assessment of an additional penalty of $2 for every $10 collected in fines, penalties and forfeitures for criminal offenses. Emergency room physicians who treat uninsured patients who are unable to pay for their care can submit a claim to their county Maddy Fund for partial reimbursement. While the bill enjoys overwhelming support in the Legislature, the governor has already made clear his dislike for penalty fee assessments to pay for programs he feels should be paid by the taxpayers in general. The bill is expected to arrive on the Governor’s desk around August 16, 2013. Tell the Governor to sign this critical bill by calling, emailing and tweeting the Governor. He has until August 28 to sign it into law. To contact the Governor: Phone: (916) 445-2841 Email: http://govnews.ca.gov/gov39mail/mail.php Twitter: @JerryBrownGov (Tweets should include #SaveTheMaddyFund, #SignSB191, or #SB191 so that we can track if the hashtags are trending.) For more information, including sample letter and talking points, see CMA's grassroots action center. Comments are closed.
