California Supreme Court will hear CMA lawsuit against Aetna regarding the right of membership organizations to pursue unfair practices lawsuits
July 30, 2021
Area(s) of Interest: Advocacy
The California Supreme Court has granted the California Medical Association’s (CMA) petition for review in a lawsuit against Aetna surrounding the insurance company’s practice of denying patients’ rights to out-of-network benefits and threatening physicians who refer patients to out-of-network providers.
The decision is a major legal victory for CMA, and for patients throughout California. The California Supreme Court receives over 1,000 civil petitions for review annually but only grants around 2-3% of those requests.
Sion Roy launches campaign to represent AD50 in the State Assembly
May. 04, 2021 at 6:00 am
SMC Trustee and Harbor-UCLA physician Sion Roy is throwing his hat in the ring for AD50 Assembly Member, citing a need for more medical professionals at all levels of government.
Roy, who has lived in Santa Monica for eleven years, is running on a progressive Democratic platform with a keen interest in improving the healthcare system and increasing education funding.
Although the election is not until November 2022, his campaign is already well underway and has attracted endorsements from over 50 local leaders.
Current AD50 Assemblymember Richard Bloom announced in January that he is running for L.A. County Board of Supervisors in 2022, as he will hit his assembly term limit in 2024. This potentially opens up the AD50 seat for a political newcomer and Roy is eager to seize the opportunity to serve in Sacramento.
Year in Review Part 2: May
Dec. 28, 2020 at 6:00 am
Mobility advocates called on the city to join other cities, including Pasadena, San Diego, Oakland and San Francisco, in restricting car traffic on some neighborhood streets to provide more space for pedestrians and cyclists to practice physical distancing.
The Santa Monica Education Foundation’s annual Santa Monica Wine Auction went virtual to continue its tradition of raising funds for local public schools.
The city of Santa Monica extended its moratorium on residential and commercial evictions. The order also extended the time tenants had to pay rent they were unable to pay from six to twelve months.