ANA\C The Nursing Voice Summer 2019

anacalifornia.org  .  11 MICRA Continues to Protect Access to Care forMillions of Californians ANA\C is always advocating on your behalf, and oftentimes that work is done in partnership with other groups. That is why we are proud to have ANA\C as a board member of Californians Allied for Patient Protection (CAPP), the coalition to protect California’s Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA) legislation. CAPP’s coalition is made up of 19 board members, including ANA\C, and more than 1,000 supporting organizations representing nurses, community clinics, public safety organizations, doctors, dentists, hospitals, health facilities, women’s health advocates, emergency providers, local governments and labor unions. Its sole purpose is to protect access to health care through MICRA. ANA\C and CAPP work together on legislative, political and legal issues to ensure that MICRA remains intact. MICRA is a critical component of California’s health care infrastruc- ture because it provides fair compensation for injured patients while preserving access to health care by keeping nurses, doctors and health care providers in practice and hospitals and clinics open. Under MICRA, injured patients receive unlimited economic damages for past and future medical costs and all lost wages and lifetime earning potential. Punitive damages, which seek to punish the defendant, are also unlimited. Furthermore, MICRA places a limit on attorneys’ fees so patients, not lawyers, receive more from the awards. There is an additional $250,000 available for non-economic damages, which the trial lawyers have consistently attempted to increase. MICRA has been a vital tool in preserving access to specialty and high-risk services, including women’s health care, community clinics, and rural providers that can least afford skyrocketing costs. According to California’s former Legislative Analyst, increasing the MICRA cap would raise health care costs by more than $11 billion annually. The size and strength of our coalition serves as a reinforcement of just how important MICRA is to the state of health care in Califor- nia. Not only has this helped us foster strong relationships at the Capitol, it also helped us defeat a 2014 ballot initiative that would Thanks to ANA\C for continued coalition support! Lisa Maas Executive Director Californians Allied for Patient Protection (CAPP) have quadrupled MICRA’s non-economic damages cap. It is clear Californians understand that without MICRA’s protections, many of the state’s neediest populations could face reduced access to much-needed services. MICRA is a national model that has stabilized costs and allowed providers to stay in practice. We are pleased to be working alongside ANA\C to protect access to health care through MICRA and our orga- nization was proud to sponsor your legislative day in April. CAPP’s website at www.micra.org includes information regarding ac- cess to care and MICRA’s importance in protecting both patients and providers in the state. For questions or additional information about MICRA or CAPP, please contact Lisa Maas. Contact Lisa — lmaas@micra.org (916) 448-7992 Coalition Partners Corner