California taps attorney general to supervise Kaiser’s medical arbitration under new law
The California attorney general will now oversee Kaiser Permanente’s private medical arbitration system to ensure fairness under Assembly Bill 1770.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1770, known as Lindalee’s Law, mandating the California attorney general to supervise Kaiser Permanente’s internal medical malpractice arbitration. The AG’s office will be bolstered with up to four deputy attorneys general, a legal analyst and three secretaries to enforce fair handling of private arbitrations required by health plans. Critics, including plaintiffs’ attorneys and patients, argue Kaiser’s system lets the insurer repeatedly disqualify arbitrators and influences their selection, creating bias toward the plan.
The law was authored by Assemblyman Robert Garcia and championed by Stephen Martinez, who spent $350,000 on two cases that both ruled against him and his late wife, Lindalee Iverson. Martinez praised the signing, calling it a long-awaited step toward accountability. Kaiser maintains the process is impartial, while an independent administrator’s report noted frequent complaints of arbitrator bias.
