Legislative Update: CMA Secures Key Advocacy Wins in First Half of 2025

As California’s legislative session heads into its final stretch, the California Medical Association (CMA) has released its 2025 Mid-Year Legislative Update, outlining major advocacy wins and the critical battles still ahead to protect the future of physician-led care.

So far this year, CMA has successfully blocked or amended several bills that threatened patient safety, expanded unsupervised scope of practice, or imposed new regulatory and administrative burdens on physicians. In parallel, the organization has continued pushing proactive reforms to streamline prior authorization, limit corporate interference, and improve physician wellness.

Legislative Victories That Matter to Physicians

Among the most significant wins:

• AB 1450 (Hoover) was halted. The bill would have allowed nurse practitioners and other advanced practice providers to practice independently in the California Children’s Services program—putting vulnerable patients at risk.

• AB 1196 (Gallagher), which would have weakened surgical team requirements for cardiac procedures, was successfully amended to preserve professional standards.

• SB 351 (Cabaldon)—a CMA-sponsored bill empowering the Attorney General to investigate private equity interference in patient care—has cleared the Senate and is now on the Assembly Floor with bipartisan support.

CMA’s Legislative Package: Proactive Reform in Action

CMA’s “Prioritizing Patients, Empowering Physicians” legislative package is advancing three critical bills that tackle prior authorization:

• AB 512 (Harabedian) shortens prior auth timelines for faster patient care decisions.

• AB 539 (Schiavo) extends prior auth approvals to one year, cutting red tape.

• SB 306 (Becker) enables regulators to reduce or eliminate prior auth requirements for services that are routinely approved—saving time and resources.

These efforts are complemented by AB 408, which would establish a Physician Health and Wellness Program under the Medical Board of California to address burnout and ensure patient safety.

Defending Against Risky Mandates

CMA also stopped numerous problematic proposals, including:

• AB 1215, which would have mandated hospitals admit non-physician providers to medical staffs.

• AB 1453, which would have required adoption information be provided alongside contraception access on college campuses.

• SB 579, a mental health AI bill that failed to include physician input—stopped in its tracks before becoming law.

Legislative Outlook: What’s Ahead

CMA remains active on several pending bills that would affect timely access to care, licensure reforms, and protections from deceptive use of AI in healthcare marketing. These include:

• AB 967, streamlining out-of-state licensure.

• SB 32, establishing improved access standards for maternity care.

• AB 489, ensuring AI tools aren’t misrepresented as licensed providers.

Read the full 2025 Mid-Year Legislative Report to see how LACMA+CMA memberships supports and defends the future of medicine: cmadocs.org/advocacy