AB 265 Protects Consumers from Drug Company Coupon Practices

SACRAMENTO - Yesterday, Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), a dentist by profession and chair of the Assembly Health Committee, introduced AB 265, legislation that would prohibit the use of coupons for pharmaceutical drugs when other FDA-approved drugs are available and less expensive.

Drug Prices, Opioids, And Obamacare: A Conversation With Assemblyman Jim Wood

California policymakers are facing a busy year, as a Republican-controlled Congress inches closer to rolling back key provisions of the Affordable Care Act and debate over high drug costs continues.

Assemblymember Jim Wood, D–Healdsburg, helps set priorities for health policymaking as chairman of the Assembly Health Committee. The former family dentist represents a 300-mile Northern California coastal stretch that spans from Sonoma County all the way up to the Oregon border.

Assemblymember Jim Wood Honors Judge Harold E. Neville, Jr. of Humboldt County

SACRAMENTO – On January 5, during one of the first days of the 2017 State Assembly’s Regular Session, Asm. Jim Wood honored the life of Judge Harold E. Neville, Jr. by adjourning in his memory. Judge Neville died December 6, 2016. He served as one of the most respected judges in Humboldt County for many years.

“Judge Neville was a larger-than-life personality,” said Asm. Jim Wood, who represents Humboldt County. “I was proud to honor Judge Neville and the positive impact he had on so many people.”

Assemblymember Jim Wood Reappointed Chair of Assembly Health Committee

SACRAMENTO – Today Speaker Anthony Rendon announced the reappointment of Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) as chair of the Assembly Health Committee.

“I am grateful to be given the privilege of continuing to serve as chair of the Assembly Health Committee,” said Wood. “We tackled some difficult issues last session, and working with our colleagues from across the aisle, we tightened restrictions on the sale of tobacco to young people, protected consumers from unwarranted billing when receiving care from in-network health care providers, increased children’s access to preventive health care and mental health services, improved access to investigational drugs for seriously ill patients and improved food safety, to name a few.”

Governor signs bill that can help improve rural access to broadband services

SACRAMENTO – On Friday Assemblymember Jim Wood’s (D-Healdsburg) legislation to improve access to broadband technology, AB 1549, was signed by the Governor.

This bill requires the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to notify companies and organizations working on broadband deployment, such as the Redwood Coast Connect Consortium and the Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County, of projects that involve construction methods suitable for installing broadband conduit and to place these notifications on the Caltrans website. It also allows interested companies and organizations to collaborate with Caltrans to install broadband conduit as part of each project. In addition, Caltrans, beginning in 2018, must develop guidelines to facilitate the installation of broadband conduit on state highway rights-of-way.

Patients protected from surprise medical bills under AB 72

Sacramento – Today AB 72 by Assemblymembers Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), Rob Bonta (D-Alameda), Susan Bonilla (D-Concord), Brian Maienschein (R-San Diego), Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), and Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) was signed by the Governor. Beginning January 1, 2017, this law will protect patients from the unfair practice of receiving surprise bills for healthcare when it was provided, unknowingly to the patient, by providers outside their health plan’s network.

Bill to Protect North Coast Oaks Signed by Governor

Sacramento – On Saturday, Governor Brown signed AB 1958 by Assemblymember Jim Wood which will create a program that would allow private land owners to affordably protect historic oak woodlands from encroaching conifers.