As of January 14, 2025, the wildfires raging across Southern California have destroyed more than 15,000 structures, including thousands of homes, businesses and medical practices.  

Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in response to the wildfires to help facilitate the response and recovery. Under state law, health plans and insurers operating in counties affected by an official state of emergency are required to act quickly to ensure patients in areas affected by wildfires and other disasters have continued access to care.  

The California Medical Association (CMA) has published a guide to help ensure patients continue to have appropriate access to medically necessary health care services. The guide contains designated phone numbers and links with information about how patients can access care (including out-of-network care) during the declared emergency. This guide is available free to all interested parties.  

CMA continues to work with regulators and payors to understand the flexibilities offered by each payor and will update the guide as additional information becomes available.  

Physicians with questions or who are experiencing issues can contact CMA’s Center for Economic Services at (800) 786-4262 or economicservices@cmadocs.org.