Coalition to defeat MICRA ballot lawsuit grows

On April 28th, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California joined the fight.

By Maria Jennings

The fight to defeat the trail lawyer-backed lawsuit initiative just got a little bigger. On April 28th, the Service Employees Intentional Union (SEIU) California came out in strong opposition to MICRA ("Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act) lawsuit initiative, which will appear on the California ballot this November.

"Members of SEIU have always been a key part in leading the fight in California to expand access to affordable healthcare. We cannot support any initiative that will compromise those efforts," said Laphonza Butler, who serves as president of SEIU California and SEIU United Long Term Care Works (ULTCW). "At a time when we ought to focused on successfully implementing the biggest expansion in healthcare in generations, this initiative would reduce access to healthcare and damage California's healthcare safety net, especially for the working poor and under-served communities."

The proposed ballot initiative would raise the limit on medical malpractice insurance to around 1.1 million. This has the potential to further drive up the cost of healthcare in California, as it would force doctors to spend more on medical malpractice insurance. According to California's nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Office, the proposed ballot iniative could increase state and local government health costs by "hundreds of millions of dollars annually."

Dr. Richard Thorp, president of the California Medical Association, added that this was a "flawed and dangerous measure", and that  "California doesn't want it because California can't afford it." 

SEIU joins an increasingly large and diverse coalition of doctors, healthcare providers, businesses and non-profit organizations who oppose the ballot initiative. The coalition recently added the California Chamber of Commerce and the American Civil Liberties Union to its numbers.

For more information, you can read the SEIU press release here, and read the full list of organizations opposing the ballot initiative. Read the California Medical Association's full coverage of the fight to protect MICRA, and stay updated on the latest news by following the Santa Cruz County Medical Society on Twitter.