Election results 2022 California - AP projects: Californians reject Prop 29, law requiring medical staff at dialysis centers
AP projects Californians have rejected Proposition 29. The measure would have required a medical professional to be present at dialysis centers.
Dialysis centers provided treatment for people whose kidneys are failing. The facilities are staffed by specially trained technicians and the treatments they provide often extend the lives of half a million Americans. This service has developed into an industry that brings in $27 billion a year.
Prop 29 required a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant to be on-site during these treatments. Additionally, the measure required clinics to fulfill a litany of conditions in order to operate.
First, it would have required clinics to report infection-related information to the California Department of Public Health. Second, clinics must disclose a list of all physicians that own at least 5% of a clinic. If a site did not disclose the required information, the state's Department of Public Health could issue a fine of up to $100,000.
Additionally, dialysis clinics must also gain state approval before closing or substantially reducing their services.
Finally, the measure prohibited any clinic from denying care to patients based on who pays for the treatment, whether it's a Medi-Cal, Medicare, private insurance or another entity.
"Critics of Prop 29 include the California Republic Party, the Chamber of Commerce, The American Nurses Association and dialysis clinics," said Sara Sadhwani, professor of politics at Pomona College. "They say this measure is unnecessary because clinics are already providing quality care and requiring additional staffing will only drive the cost of care up — making it inaccessible for some patients."
Furthermore, clinics were concerned that the unions behind the proposition would try to unionize workers, increasing the cost of care over time.
"Prop 29 was put on the ballot by a very powerful labor union, the [Service Employees International Union] United Workers West," said Loyola Law professor Jessica Levinson. "They think this proposition could help them strengthen, unionize in the dialysis center arena. It's also the third time that they're back on the ballot in six years for basically the same proposal."
Experts believed that the overall goal of this proposition is to unionize workers and gain higher wages for employees.
"Dialysis centers have become dominated, basically, by two gigantic companies that make a ton of money," said Dr. Fernando Guerra, a political science professor at Loyola Marymount University. "SEIU believes that workers should be paid to a greater extent and they are trying to unionize them — that is the ultimate goal of this proposition."
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