Healthcare
There is a recognized and well-documented crisis in healthcare throughout the United States. In Riverside the crisis is compounded by a unique situation of a rapidly increasing and diverse population that is underserved by a shrinking number of physicians, nurses and related healthcare professionals. The Chamber promotes a quality healthcare system that is affordable, accessible and designed to support the overall health of Californians. It is critical to support efforts to contain costs while avoiding unnecessary and costly regulatory controls, including mandates that result in employers not providing healthcare coverage for their employees. The Chamber encourages the business community to actively participate in programs that encourage healthy lifestyles.

The Chamber Supports:

• Monitoring and communicating with legislative bodies the impacts of federal healthcare legislation, specifically the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, on local businesses.
• Health education and available programs that promote healthy lifestyle choices that can reduce healthcare costs.
• Policies to reduce health care costs and assure that all Americans have access to affordable, quality and efficient healthcare.
• Policies that reduce fraud and abuse within the healthcare system.
• Increased state funding of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to providers of healthcare, rather than attempts to further cut current reimbursement rates.
• The allocation of Health and Mental Health Realignment funds based on current population and updated regularly to reflect population changes and ensure equitable distribution across the state.
• Efforts to update the state reimbursement formulae for health care services to equalize the distribution of funds to local healthcare providers.
• Policies that encourage continued medical discoveries and innovations that improve quality of care.
• Competitive marketplaces to control pharmaceutical and healthcare plan costs.
• Actions that preserve the current voluntary employer-provided health coverage system.
• Legislation to allow employers to offer more affordable benefits plans that allow choices in coverage.
• Federal and state reforms that allow small businesses to obtain group coverage and increased advantages from tax deductible medical care saving accounts and association plans.
• Continued growth and expansion of clinical based education programs to train and retain the number of healthcare professionals in the region.
• Flexibility in state mandates for hospital seismic retrofitting.
• Actions to improve access of resources related to shortage designation or medically underserved populations.

The Chamber Opposes:

• Proposals to establish a government-mandated health care delivery system that negatively affect local employers.
• Any new taxation to fund healthcare delivery plans.
• Proposals that would increase medical malpractice insurance for physicians.
• Mandates of specific health benefits that would increase costs.
• Cuts to funding that would impede local efforts to train and retain physicians and Allied Health Professionals.

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Jul 03   INSIDE Downtown
7:30 AM @ Mission Inn Foundation - 3750 Market St.
For more information, contact Liam Walgenbach at lwalgenbach@riverside-chamber.com Jul 08   Business Education Partnership
7:30 AM @ Chamber's Bourns Boardroom - 3985 University Ave.
For more information, contact Ramy Shbaita at rshbaita@riverside-chamber.com Jul 10   Good Morning Riverside
7:00 AM @ The Historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa - 3649 Mission Inn Ave.
For more information, contact Bryan Pratt at bpratt@riverside-chamber.com Jul 11   Governmental Affairs Council
12:00 PM @ Zoom
For more information, contact Quirina Ramirez at qramirez@riverside-chamber.com Jul 16   Business In Action
7:30 AM @ Chamber's Bourns Boardroom - 3985 University Ave.
For more information, contact Shellena Padilla at spadilla@riverside-chamber.com