According to Scripps Health President and CEO Chris Van Gorder, hospitals across California are bracing for a perfect storm of policy-driven challenges that could undermine their ability to deliver patient care.

In a recent opinion piece published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Van Gorder sounded the alarm on several converging issues: proposed Medicare cuts (known as Medi-Cal in California), federal tariffs on medical imports, unfunded state seismic retrofit requirements, and aggressive government efforts to cap healthcare cost growth.

“These trains are hurtling toward each other, and it spells disaster,” Van Gorder wrote. “Will policymakers act before it’s too late?”

He emphasized that without urgent action from lawmakers, these measures’ combined impact could significantly reduce hospital resources, threatening access, quality, and continuity of care for patients statewide.