June 20, 2022 – Pandemic Patients Submits Testimony in Support of CA AB 2098
On June 20, 2022, Pandemic Patients submitted testimony to the California Senate Standing Committee on Business, Professions, and Economic Development in support of California Assembly Bill 2098 (AB 2098). If enacted, AB 2098 would include the dissemination of misinformation or disinformation about COVID-19 in the definition of unprofessional conduct. This would include inaccurate information about “the nature and risks of COVID-19, its prevention and treatment, and the development, safety, and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.” By including this type of behavior in the definition of unprofessional conduct, California will authorize the Medical Board of California and the Osteopathic Medical Board of California to discipline physicians and surgeons who spread disinformation or misinformation about COVID-19 to their patients.
AB 2098 previously passed the California State Assembly on May, 26, 2022 and the California Senate Standing Committee on Business, Professions, and Economic Development will hold a hearing on AB 2098 on June 27, 2022. Pandemic Patients’ testimony in support of AB 2098 focused on the harm that has resulted from misinformation about COVID-19, including economic harm and widespread vaccine hesitancy, and how regulating the spread of misinformation about COVID-19 is necessary to bolster the government’s ability to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. However, opponents of AB 2098 criticize the legislation for abridging the First Amendment rights of health care professionals, but Pandemic Patients provides a legal analysis that demonstrates why these claims are unsupported by existing First Amendment caselaw.
Click here to read Pandemic Patients testimony and learn more about this issue.
On March 14, 2022, Pandemic Patients issued a letter of support for Sen. Kaine’s CARE for Long COVID Act, which was introduced on March 2, 2022. We are incredibly grateful for Sen. Kaine’s introduction of this legislation and the many ways that it would provide support for patients with long COVID.
On March 2, 2022, Sens. Kaine, Duckworth, and Markey introduced S. 3726, the Comprehensive Access to Resources and Education (CARE) for Long COVID Act. If enacted, this legislation will invigorate the federal government’s response to the growing needs of patients living with long COVID.
On December 2, 2021, the Long COVID Alliance, joined by Pandemic Patients and a community of patient advocates, delivered a letter to the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee. The Long COVID Alliance submitted this letter to the committee in an effort to persuade the committee to more meaningfully consider the impact of long COVID as a part of the country’s national response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pandemic Patients is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works to relieve the harm caused by COVID-19 and post-COVID conditions. EIN 86-3930257.
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