Legislative Advocacy - California Optometric Association
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Eye Help for the Public

    

Legislative Advocacy

 

The California Optometric Association is about improving access to eye healthcare throughout California. This is your opportunity to Give voice, Create change, Achieve goals and Ensure the future.

OPTOMETRY - 1986

  • Refraction / Prescribed glasses and contact lenses
  • Visual efficiency/vision therapy
  • Dilate eyes and diagnose suspected ocular pathology and refer
  • Diagnose suspected glaucoma and refer
  • Refer majority of emergency patients for treatment
  • Refer cataract patients for surgery and pray they come back
  • Stop seeing patients who turned 65 who had Medicare
  • Not bill the patient’s medical insurance for services

OPTOMETRY - 2019

  • Refraction / Prescribed glasses and contact lenses
  • Habilitative services / vision therapy
  • Treat infections / corneal ulcers, write prescriptions
  • Diagnose and treat glaucoma
  • Co-manage surgical patients cataracts/refractive
  • Foreign body removal / epilation / punctal plugs
  • Monitor macular degeneration and other macular pathology
  • Measure blood pressure and counsel patients
  • Diagnostic testing for ocular allergies and diabetes
  • Examine, diagnose and treat emergency patients
  • Get paid for the medical services provided by Medicare and PPO insurance
  • Provide immunizations
  • Plus so much more!

 

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

 

1978  Legislation passed to allow DFE

1986  Medicare parity throughout the United States

1993  First attempt at therapeutics bill failed

2001  First passed therapeutics bill/foreign body removal and infection treatment and an essentially insurmountable glaucoma treatment pathway

2008  Second therapeutics bill passed with attainable glaucoma treatment

2010  ACA passed with Harkin amendment

2014  Third therapeutics bill to redefine optometry failed

2016  Fourth therapeutics bill to redefine optometry failed

2017  Fifth therapeutics bill to redefine optometry passed, greatly expanding the scope of practice – AB 433

1986 – 2019  Numerous attempts to roll back the clock or limit optometry or allow refraction by opticians defeated

 

 

 

page updated: 08/02/2019
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