A new report by the California Future Health Workforce Commission may serve as a road map for state leaders to begin work on avoiding workforce shortages in the healthcare field. 

We are off to a very busy legislative year in Sacramento, starting with the newly-elect governor’s first state budget proposal revealed on January 10 for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

A discussion that is quite likely to continue in both political and public policy arenas in 2019 will be whether California will seriously consider moving toward a healthcare-for-all model. The Golden State is already seeing new legislative attempts toward universal healthcare, or in other terms, “single-payer” healthcare.

While many states have begun to require that all controlled substances be prescribed electronically as a means of addressing the public health and safety crises associated with prescription drug abuse, that practice has not been established in California. Unless mandatory e-prescribing becomes the norm in California, other safety measures will attempt to safeguard the system.

Prior to departing in early October, the House managed to pass and send to the Senate HR 6378, a bill to reauthorize the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act, also known as PAHPA. The reauthorization of PAHPA became a central focus in the efforts to pass the Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act.