The California Medical Association is sponsoring a bill to strengthen California’s existing ban on the corporate practice of medicine. SB 351—authored by State Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, (D-West Sacramento)—will restore trust in California’s health care system and ensure that physicians maintain autonomy in patient care.

SB 351 will empower the California Attorney General’s office to investigate and intervene in cases where private equity firms unduly influence medical care. This legislation ensures that health care decisions are determined by patients and physicians rather than by profits.

“The financial interests of private equity firms are often in direct conflict with the ethical and professional standards for quality medical care,” said CMA President Shannon Udovic-Constant, M.D. “This bill is critical to protecting the physician-patient relationship and ensuring that decisions about patient care are made by doctors — not by financial groups looking to maximize profits.”