Calif. Medical Assoc. opposes Senate bill

SACRAMENTO, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The California Medical Association, the second-largest doctors' group in the country, said it opposes the U.S. Senate healthcare bill.

The major sticking point is the legislation's cut in Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements, the group said in a release. If the bill becomes law, more doctors would refuse to treat patients with government coverage, leaving them with no recourse but hospital emergency rooms, the CMA said.

"There is no way healthcare reform can work if patients can't get access to a doctor," said Dr. Brennan Cassidy, CMA president. "The Senate bill fails to fix major problems in Medicare and Medicaid, which currently suffer from chronic underfunding that undermines access and continues to undermine the success of these government programs."

The group, second only to the Texas Medical Association in size, said it supports several provisions in the Senate bill, including mandatory insurance purchase and other insurance reforms.