OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
STRONGER TOGETHER
YOU ARE OUR MOST POWERFUL ADVOCATE
M A R /A P R 2 0 1 9
Eleventh Annual Course on Office and Urgent Care Orthopaedics: The Essentials of Musculoskeletal Care
S AT U RDAY, MAY 4 , 2 0 1 9 | 7 : 3 0 A . M . - 4 : 3 0 P. M.
A course for primary care, urgent care and emergency room physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical and occupational therapists and all healthcare professionals who diagnose and treat orthopaedic injuries.
ALL NEW TOPICS AND EXPANDED HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS! COURSE DESCRIPTION
We will review the essentials of acute and chronic musculoskeletal care with focused lectures, case discussions and intensive hands-on workshops. The workshops will focus on the examination, differential, treatment options, injection techniques and red flags for each diagnosis. Seating for each workshop is limited COURSE DIRECTOR
Glenn Pfeffer, MD Director, Foot and Ankle Center Department of Orthopaedics Cedars-Sinai
FOR THE LATEST COURSE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER, VISIT:
https://cedars.cloud-cme.com/officeorthocme
CONFERENCE LOCATION
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center® Harvey Morse Auditorium 8701 Gracie Allen Drive Los Angeles, CA 90048
EDITOR Sheri Carr | editor@physiciansnewsnetwork.com ADVERTISING SALES Dari Pebdani 858.231.1231 | dpebdani@gmail.com
VOLUME 150 ISSUE 2 | MAR/APR 2019
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD David H. Aizuss, MD Troy Elander, MD Thomas Horowitz, DO Robert J. Rogers, MD HEADQUARTERS LOS ANGELES COUNTY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION 1055 West 7th Street, Suite 2290 | Los Angeles, CA 90017 Tel 213.683.9900 | Fax 213.226.0350 www.losangelesmedicine.org LACMA OFFICERS PRESIDENT | C. Freeman, MD, MBA, FAPA PRESIDENT-ELECT | Sion Roy, MD TREASURER | Diana Shiba, MD SECRETARY | Jeffery Lee, MD IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT | William K. Averill, MD
2 4 5
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
C. Freeman, MD, MBA, FAPA
A MESSAGE FROM LACMA CEO
LACMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS COUNCILORS-AT-LARGE TRUSTEES & CHAIR DELEGATION Jerry Abraham, MD (1) Jack Chou, MD, CMA Trustee Samuel Fink, MD (6) Jerry P. Abraham, MD, MPH, Chair of the LACMA Delegation Kambiz Kosari, MD (6) Peter Richman, MD, CMA Trustee Maria Lymberis, MD (5) Nhat Tran, MD (9) COUNCILORS Robert Bitonte, MD, JD (D1) Stephanie Booth, MD (D3) Troy Elander, MD (D5) Marc Mendes, MD (D6) David Hopp, MD (D7) Omer Deen, MD (D9) Christine Phan, MD (D10) William Hale, MD (D14) Roxana Yoonessi, MD, JD (SCPMG) Heather Silverman, MD (SSGPF) Po-Yin Samuel Huang, MD (1, YP Councilor) Hector Flores, MD (1, EPC Chair) Laura Halpin, MD (Resident Councilor) Sameer Berry, MD (Alt. Resident Councilor) Ali Tafreshi (Student Councilor, USC)
6
LACMA’s Board of Directors consists of a group of 30 dedicated physicians who are working hard to uphold your rights and the rights of your patients. They always welcome hearing your comments and concerns. You can contact them by emailing or calling Lisa Le, Director of Governance, at lisa@lacmanet.org or 213-226-0304. SUBSCRIPTIONS Members of the Los Angeles County Medical Association: Los Angeles Medicine is a benefit of your membership. Additional copies and back issues: $3 each. Nonmember subscriptions: $39 per year. Single copies: $5. To order or renew a subscription, make your check payable to Los Angeles Medicine, 10755 Scripps Poway Parkway, Suite 615 | San Diego, CA 92131. To inform us of a delivery problem, email editors@physiciansnewsnetwork.com. Acceptance of advertising in Los Angeles Medicine in no way constitutes approval or endorsement by LACMA Services Inc. The Los Angeles County Medical Association reserves the right to reject any advertising. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and not necessarily those of Los Angeles Medicine, LACMA Services Inc. or the Los Angeles County Medical Association. Los Angeles Medicine reserves the right to edit all contributions for clarity and length, as well as to reject any material submitted. Los Angeles Medicine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.
Gustavo Friederichsen
LACMA to Launch Members-Only Marketplace
STRONGER TOGETHER
YOU ARE OUR MOST POWERFUL ADVOCATE
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CMA Announces Statewide Effort to Promote Physician Wellness
Lawmakers Unveil Bills Targeting Coke and Pepsi in California
Los Angeles Medicine (ISSN 1533-9254) is published bimonthly (Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/Jun & Jul/Aug, Sep/Oct, Nov/ Dec) by LACMA Services Inc. (a subsidiary of the Los Angeles County Medical Association) at 1055 West 7th Street, Suite 2290 Los Angeles, CA 90017-2548. Periodicals Postage Paid at Los Angeles, California, and at additional mailing offices. Copyright ©2017 by LACMA Services Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Los Angeles Medicine, 1055 West 7th Street, Suite 2290, Los Angeles, CA 90017. Advertising rates and information sent upon request.
A PUBLICATION OF PHYSICIANS NEWS NETWORK 10755 Scripps Poway Parkway, Suite 615 | San Diego, CA 92131 | Tel 858.226.7647 | www.PhysiciansNewsNetwork.com
LACMA PRESIDENT
C . F R E E M A N , M D, M B A , FA PA
Pursuing Power Partnerships February 28, 2019, marked the end of Black History Month and the beginning of a partnership with Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital Medical Group. The historical signing of the agreement by Dr. John Fisher, CMO, is one of many partnerships in LACMA strategy to better leverage physician influence and power. Every partnership is designed to address the specific needs of the individual physician as well as the physician organization while collectively amplifying the physician voice on issues affecting healthcare. National surveys report more than half of physicians have considered leaving the profession and 83% of healthcare organizations view physician burnout as a problem. The regulations, time constraints, inadequate compensation, and, oh yes, the EHR systems are leaving us burned out. In the face of bureaucracy, it is easy to feel hopeless. Physicians are disillusioned with medicine, and the most compelling cause is the reduced quality of care for most patients. Yet, the reduced quality of care for most patients is the most compelling cause for physicians to stay in medicine. Physicians, with our clinical expertise and knowledge, are critical to the overall success of the healthcare system. Our duty is to our patients and to the profession. We must maintain its integrity and not allow external forces to dictate how, what, and to whom medical care is delivered. It is all about how we show up. We can either lead or become victims. Lack of time is a key barrier to involvement in leadership and policy-making activity. However, by joining LACMA and utilizing its resources, physicians can address their specific practice needs while having the power of partnerships when interacting with the community and those in public office. I encourage you to join LACMA to magnify the force of your voice and master the art of advocacy by participating in CMA Annual Legislative Advocacy Day in Sacramento on April 24, 2019. Show up and lead.
Every partnership is designed to address the specific needs of the individual physician as well as the physician organization while collectively amplifying the physician voice on issues affecting healthcare.
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NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES‌ SOME WEAR DOCTORS’ COATS Your priority is protecting your patients. Our priority is protecting you. For more than 40 years, the Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc. (CAP) has provided our physician members with superior medical malpractice coverage. Our mission is to help independent California physicians deliver the best care possible, while realizing personal and professional success.
Sarah E. Pacini, JD Chief Executive Officer
CAP members also receive proactive risk management services, in-house legal and claims support, practice management resources, and so much more. Find out what makes CAP different.
CAPphysicians.com 800-252-7706
Medical professional liability coverage is provided to CAP members by the Mutual Protection Trust (MPT), an unincorporated interindemnity arrangement organized under Section 1280.7 of the California Insurance Code.
LACMA CEO
G U S TAV O F R I E D E R I C H S E N
Why Advocacy Matters I remember talking with a physician who said, “Thanks, CMA and LACMA, for fighting for us physicians!” I asked if he was a member, and he replied, “Not yet.” LACMA experienced a historic year in 2018 relative to attracting more physicians to join the organization. In fact, we experienced more than a 12% increase in membership. Yet, that milestone rings hollow when physicians still don’t understand the value of advocacy or think it happens in spite of their non-engagement. Nothing could be further from the truth. Aggressive, sustainable advocacy — the kind CMA delivers every day in Sacramento, while LACMA develops local relationships — is crucial. In the 2017-2018 legislative session, two detrimental proposals were introduced that would have upended the state’s healthcare delivery system. SB 562 (Lara, Los Angeles) would have required California to implement an extremely flawed single-payer proposal. AB 3087 (Kalra, San Jose) would have empowered a politically appointed committee to price-fix physician services. In both instances, the healthcare community looked to CMA for leadership and expertise. As you can see, both proposals “would have” but failed, thanks to massive opposition led by CMA. Coalitions convened to launch a grassroots program using media strategy, Capitol lobbying strategy and a digital media campaign. The defeat of SB 562 and AB 3087 once again demonstrated how advocacy, supported and articulated by physicians, defends and protects the practice of medicine. From the annual Legislative Day to the House of Delegates, the voice of today’s physician is incredibly powerful and resonates under the new governor’s healthcare agenda. The truth of the matter is grassroots efforts take resources, time and investment. These efforts, to oppose or support, build awareness for or address egregious regulatory challenges such as AB 1753, which requires doctors to use new prescription pads for controlled substances that have uniquely serialized identification numbers. The idea is to prevent counterfeiting and to get more prescriptions filed electronically. The serial numbers begin with three letters, followed by six numbers, followed by one letter, and end with five more numbers. There are 46 thousand trillion potentially different combinations of numbers and letters – making California’s prescription pads more complicated than the serial numbers on U.S. currency. Only publishers who are fingerprinted, pass a security check, and are approved by the Department of Justice (DOJ) are authorized to print these new pads. Shortly before Christmas, CMA expressed concern that doctors would not be able to get the new prescription pads before the new year. Up to a million old prescriptions for controlled substances became technically invalid in California at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, potentially leaving hundreds of thousands of patients with medication delays and denials, including some who need emergency room treatment. Earlier this year, CMA developed a legislative solution that will alleviate the problem with prescription forms. So, as you can see, we can’t afford to be on the sidelines and simply applaud victories. Today, more than ever, you have an onslaught of distractions and options when it comes to what you can support. Will it be your specialty society? Alumni association? Place of worship? Kids’ school? I want to personally thank you for investing in the fight, and rest assured, we will continue to work tirelessly on your behalf because, after all, we work for you.
...milestone[s] ring hollow when physicians still don’t understand the value of advocacy or think it happens in spite of their non-engagement. Nothing could be further from the truth.
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LACMA to Launch First-Ever
MEMBERS-ONLY
MARKETPLACE
In April, LACMA will unveil the first-ever online marketplace designed exclusively for physician members. The site features major pharmaceutical partners like Merck, Pfizer, Sonofi, Dyanvex and Henry Schein, as well as retail vendors like Staples, Verizon and AT&T. LACMA will add its existing portfolio of preferred partners as well to create a one-of-a-kind platform for physicians to search for technology solutions, practice transformation help, reimbursement, contract, legal and wealth management and shop for auto, resort, travel, fitness, events, theme parks and much more.
Members will be able to access the marketplace via the LACMA website, or directly at LACMAmarketplace.org to find virtually everything they need to thrive. SO HOW DOES IT WORK? Upon visiting the Marketplace, LACMA members will have opportunities to lower a variety of practice expenses through the cooperative power of a medical purchasing group. We have negotiated outstanding pricing with major product and service providers to reduce your expenses and increase your office efficiency. Our goal is to help you save time and money on things such as vaccine manufacturers, medical supply distributors, bank card processing companies, wireless service providers, recruitment organizations, medical waste management companies, electronic communications vendors, record storage and disposal companies, medical liability protection carriers and professional associations. Practices utilizing these resources report savings between 10% and 40% on their highest cost line items. M A R C H /A P R I L 2 0 1 9 | L O S A N G E L E S M E D I C I N E . O R G 5
STRONGER TOGETHER
YOU ARE OUR MOST POWERFUL ADVOCATE
By Katherine Boroski, Senior Director of Communications for the California Medical Association
Critical issues affecting today’s physicians are being decided in the legislative arena at a fast and furious pace. Healthcare reform, medical liability and scope of practice are just a few of the vital issues being debated and voted on by elected officials in Sacramento. The California Medical Association (CMA) has some of the best lobbyists, lawyers and other advocates in the Capitol, but the most powerful weapon in advancing the cause of physicians and their patients is you. Hearing from a physician with experience on the front lines of medicine can make all the difference for a legislator facing a complicated healthcare issue. That is why grassroots advocacy is so important. WHAT IS GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY? Grassroots advocacy is a “bottom up” approach to social change that utilizes real physicians from the community to shape public policy. Grassroots advocacy harnesses the power of effective one-on-one relationships multiplied over and over until a critical mass of support effectuates the desired change. Effective advocacy is about communication and relationships. Advocacy must be an ongoing commitment and priority. Relationship building is essential and starts with persistence and repetition. Below are tips on how you can become an effective grassroots advocate on behalf of the physicians and patients of California.
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RECOGNIZE YOUR POWER | You are the subject matter expert on how healthcare issues impact your community. When it comes to matters of health, you are the specialist and the lawmaker is a generalist. Legislators don’t need to know everything you know about a particular issue — they just need to know enough to be convinced to take action. ENGAGE POLICYMAKERS AND MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS | Get to know your elected officials by meeting with them and attending events in the community and at the Capitol. Educate them about your issues and ask to be added to their mailing or email lists for upcoming events. Volunteer for campaigns, attend fundraisers and participate on advisory committees. BE THE RESOURCE | Serve as an advocate on behalf of the physician community and your patients by offering your expertise and experience. TELL YOUR STORY | Tell policymakers your stories to illustrate the entire picture. There is power in sharing the realities of your profession. SHARE AND AMPLIFY ON SOCIAL MEDIA | Increase public awareness by promoting your legislative advocacy on social media. If you meet with an elected official, post and tag photos on social media and promote with key groups and media.
CMA IS HERE TO HELP AVAILABLE RESOURCES • CMA’s Legislative Hot List provides a summary and the status of CMA-sponsored bills, as well as the progress of other significant legislation. • Real-time call-to-action alerts for legislative priorities. • Sample letters for advocating positions on legislation/regulations. • Sample telephone call scripts for calling Capitol offices to voice positions on legislative bills/issues. OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED • Text DocLobby to 52886 to sign up for text alerts and you will be immediately notified when we need you to take action. • Participate in CMA’s Legislative Advocacy Day, which is held annually in April. This year’s Legislative Advocacy Day is April 24 at the Sacramento Convention Center. • Become a CMA social media ambassador. • Represent CMA by participating in media interviews for television, radio, newspapers and podcasts. • Author op-eds to educate the public on health policy issues. • Become featured as one of our #CMAdocs. • Follow @doclobby on Twitter. Learn more at cmadocs.org/grassroots.
HOW TO CONNECT WITH YOUR ELECTED OFFICIAL THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media is an excellent platform to communicate with your elected officials, especially Twitter. The key is to “tag” the elected official(s) you’re addressing using their official Twitter account. Keep in mind that many elected officials may have both a campaign Twitter account and an “official” Twitter account — the latter is preferred. With Twitter, you have only 140 characters to convey your message, plus an image or link. Try writing out your full message first, then review with a critical eye and pare down accordingly. Always keep it professional, even if you’re tweeting your opposition to a legislator’s bill. Most legislation can be viewed as either solving a problem or creating one, depending on which side you stand. When tweeting in support of something, or to encourage a vote for something,
make sure you’re stating WHY (i.e., the problem) and what you want the legislator to DO about it (i.e., the solution). Keep in mind that a legislator may not be familiar with all the bill numbers in a session, especially if they’re not the ones introducing that legislation. Any reference to legislation should be #hashtagged, with a very short description of the bill after. For example: As a practicing physician, I know how critical vaccinations are to prevent the spread of disease. @DrPanMD, vote YES on #SB277 #vaccine bill. You can also sign up for the California Medical Association (CMA) Social Media Ambassador program, which provides training, advice and content to help keep your colleagues and other medical professionals informed, connected and engaged. Visit cmadocs. org/social-media-ambassador for more information.
AND OF COURSE, MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW CMA AND ITS AFFILIATES ON SOCIAL MEDIA USING THE HANDLES BELOW:
@CMADocs (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) CMA Lobby Team: @DocLobby (Twitter only) Dustin Corcoran: @CMA_CEO (Twitter only) Physicians for a Healthy California: @PHCDocs (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) Network for Ethnic Physician Organizations: @EthnicPhysician (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) County Medical Societies: twitter.com/cmadocs/lists/countymedical-societies M A R C H /A P R I L 2 0 1 9 | L O S A N G E L E S M E D I C I N E . O R G 7
CMA Announces Statewide Effort to Promote Physician Wellness By Katherine Boroski, Senior Director of Communications for the California Medical Association
As the delivery of healthcare undergoes fundamental shifts and the rate of burnout among physicians continues to rise, physician wellness and professional fulfillment have become hot topics throughout the healthcare community — and for good reason. In a recent Medscape survey, nearly twothirds of U.S. doctors said they felt burned out, depressed or both. More troubling still, one-third of respondents said such feelings affected their relationships with patients. Burnout can erode the quality of patient care and decrease patient satisfaction. It can also limit patient access to care, as physicians experiencing burnout often cope by reducing the number of patients they see, reducing their clinical time or leaving the profession entirely. To help physicians succeed in their life’s work of caring for patients, the California Medical Association (CMA) has made physician wellness and the prevention of burnout a core priority. By advancing initiatives that enhance efficiency, professional satisfaction and the delivery of care, CMA is striving to help physicians navigate and succeed in a continually evolving healthcare environment. To that end, CMA is working with nationally recognized leaders on physician wellness who bring unparalleled academic expertise and hands-on experience to build an organizational initiative to improve physician fulfillment and wellbeing. The new initiative is a statewide collaborative effort with physician wellness experts from the Stanford Medicine WellMD Center: Tait Shanafelt, MD, associate dean, chief wellness officer and professor of hematology; and Mickey Trockel, MD, project co-leader and clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Under the leadership of CEO Kathleen Creason, CMA’s Physician Wellness Services will be the most comprehensive effort in the country to increase physician wellness as a vehicle to improve the quality of care they provide patients. “CMA is extremely proud to work with Dr. Shanafelt and his team to better combat physician burnout, which occurs from medical school through active practice,” said CMA President David H. Aizuss, MD. “This program’s scope, innovative approach and resources are unmatched in the nation, and it will substantially improve physician wellness while supporting patient access to quality care.” The program will utilize a population health framework to address systemic 8 L O S A N G E L E S M E D I C I N E | M A R C H /A P R I L 2 0 1 9
contributors to physician burnout, along with providing tailored support for physicians at increased risk or experiencing specific challenges. In addition to creating tools to support changes that the healthcare system can make to increase physician well-being, the program will assist those already expressing signs of burnout. “This collaboration will implement a comprehensive approach to promote the wellness of California’s physicians,” said Dr. Shanafelt. “Given the strong links between physician distress and the care they provide patients, we believe improving physician wellness benefits not only physicians but the patients and communities they serve.” The program will also include offerings that range from local physician commensality groups (to help physicians reconnect with their peers and to find meaning in their work) to tools that help physicians calibrate their well-being, while also linking those physicians who have markers of burnout to additional resources. Training will be made available to empower physician leaders to build practice environments that support professional fulfillment. The program will also include an annual comprehensive, longitudinal assessment of the experiences of California physicians to identify new opportunities and measure progress. “This project aims to promote wellness for all physicians, deliver specific interventions to those most at risk for burnout, and provide timely interventions to those already in distress,” said Dr. Trockel. “Along with broad focus on promoting well-being, this tiered approach also sets the ambitious goal of preventing physician suicide in California.” National studies led by Dr. Shanafelt indicate that burnout is more common among physicians than U.S. workers in other fields. Physician burnout has also been associated with risk for suicide among physicians. “The well-being of the nation’s physicians is a critical factor in maintaining access to care and the quality of our healthcare system,” said Creason. “The program will help physicians conquer these issues so they can do what they do best — care for patients.”
For more information on CMA’s Physician Wellness Services Program, contact Kathleen Creason at kcreason@cmadocs.org or (916) 551-2031.
SAVE THE DATE
CMA LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY DAY APRIL 24 IN SACRAMENTO
Registration is now open for the 45th annual California Medical Association (CMA) Legislative Advocacy Day on April 24, 2019, at the Sacramento Convention Center. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss healthcare with legislators at the Capitol. Meetings are scheduled and coordinated by local county medical societies. This unique event is free of charge to all CMA members. Plan to California Medical Association jointh more than 400 physicians, medical students and resident 45 Annual Legislative Day members in educating legislative leaders Advocacy as champions for patients and the practice of medicine.
Wednesday, April 24, 2019 Sacramento Convention Floor Ballroom Registered attendees willCenter receive| 3rd webinar training on legislation
and policy affecting the practice of medicine on April 4. Set April 24 aside to become an
Put your training into ACTION and your legislator! advocate for your patients andvisit colleagues! CMA has secured special rates with the Sheraton Grand and Kimpton Sawyer hotels. CMA Legislative Advocacy Webinar Training
For moreThursday, information, please contact Yna Shimabukuro at April 4 | 7–8PM (916) 444-5532 or yshimabukuro@cmadocs.org. Registration Registration is is FREE FREE cmadocs.org/events cmadocs.org/events
MEDICAL BOARD HOSPITAL STAFF F R A U D / A B U S E
For more information, please contact Yna Shimabukuro at (916) 444-5532 or yshimabukuro@cmadocs.org.
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Lawmakers Unveil Bills Targeting Coke and Pepsi in California EFFORTS AIM TO REDUCE INCIDENCE OF OBESITY, DIABETES, TOOTH DECAY AND HEART DISEASE
A broad coalition of physicians, dentists and public health advocates announced their support for a package of bills aimed at reducing consumption of sugarsweetened beverages and ensuring that corporations like The Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. stop targeting low-income communities and pay their fair share of public health costs. The California Medical Association and California Dental Association are backing five measures, including a broad array of policy proposals, that would reduce the consumption of sugary beverages such as soda, energy drinks, sweet teas and sports drinks that contribute to obesity, diabetes, tooth decay and heart disease. “Like the tobacco industry, companies like Coke and Pepsi are peddling harmful products to children at a significant cost to public health and our healthcare system,” said CMA President David. H. Aizuss, MD. “These measures will help lower consumption and help Californians make healthier choices that prioritize public health.” Sugar-sweetened beverages are a major factor in preventable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, which affects approximately 4 million California adults, costing the state billions of dollars in healthcare costs. The high levels of sugar and frequency of consumption of these beverages, which are consumed by over 50% of 8-year-olds daily, are especially problematic. “The combination of high sugar content and acid makes soda especially damaging to teeth, and dentists see the devastating effects of this in our practices every day,” said CDA President Del Brunner, DDS. “Tooth decay is the No. 1 chronic childhood disease, and it affects children’s ability to chew, speak properly and learn in school; we must do more to reverse soda’s lifelong negative effects on dental health.”
THE MEASURES INTRODUCED INCLUDE: AB 766 by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) bans the sale of unsealed beverages larger than 16 ounces at food service establishments, including restaurants with self-service soda fountains. AB 764 by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) prohibits a soda company from offering a manufacturer’s coupon to their partnering manufacturer, distributor or retailer. AB 765 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) prohibits placement of sugar-sweetened beverages near the checkout counter at supermarkets, larger grocery stores, supercenters and warehouse clubs. SB 347 by Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel) requires a warning label on sugar-sweetened beverages so consumers can make decisions that work best for them. AB 138 by Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) creates a fee on sodas and other sugary beverages and uses the new revenue to offset health and economic costs associated with overconsumption of sugar.
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