Rep. Panetta Convenes Local Healthcare Leaders to Address Challenges Ahead of Medicare Open Enrollment
Rep. Panetta convened a roundtable to discuss provider shortages
and service challenges ahead of October 15 Medicare open enrollment.
To watch his remarks, click HERE or on the above photo.
For additional photos, click HERE.
Santa Cruz, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) brought together local physicians, hospital leaders, and community health providers at Santa Cruz Community Health to address seniors’ challenges accessing care ahead of Medicare open enrollment and discuss his bipartisan efforts to ensure they have coverage they can afford and rely on. With Medicare open enrollment set to start October 15, the roundtable and subsequent press availability focused on local provider shortages, rising prescription drug plan premiums, and the need for Medicare payments to keep pace with the cost of providing care.
For many seniors in California’s 19th Congressional District, choosing Medicare coverage does not guarantee they can find a local doctor accepting new patients. Medicare physician reimbursements have failed to keep pace with inflation, making it harder for practices to recruit and retain physicians and continue serving seniors in a region with a high cost of living. These pressures leave beneficiaries facing fewer options and longer waits for the benefits they earned through a lifetime of work.
“As Medicare open enrollment begins October 15, seniors deserve coverage that they paid into and can rely on. Too often in our community, however, having coverage does not mean having access to care,” said Rep. Panetta. “That’s why I helped author, introduce, and am working to pass the bipartisan Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act and the Patients First Act that would strengthen physician payments and reduce administrative burdens, helping keep local doctors in practice so seniors can access the care they earned.”
“I appreciate the opportunity to share ideas with Congressman Panetta for strengthening Medicare to better support patients and providers. The Medicare Hospice Benefit has not been updated since its introduction in 1982, despite significant changes in disease trajectories and treatments. Safety-net providers like Hospice of Santa Cruz County increasingly care for patients with complex needs and short stays, yet the current Medicare reimbursement does not adequately reflect the intensity or cost of providing this care. Without meaningful updates to the benefit, high-quality hospices like ours face growing challenges in sustaining the level of care our patients need and deserve,” said Cathy Conway, CEO, Hospice of Santa Cruz County.
A 2022 California Medical Association survey found that 76% of responding physicians reported that traditional Medicare payments do not cover their costs of providing care, and 87% reported difficulty recruiting and retaining physicians because of low Medicare payment rates and the high costs of operating a practice in California. Additionally, 41% said they planned to close their practices to new Medicare patients.
Rep. Panetta co-leads the bipartisan Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act to index physician payments to inflation and better reflect the cost of delivering care. He also helped introduce the bipartisan Patients First Act to strengthen physician payments, support primary care, and reduce administrative burdens. Together, these proposals would help sustain practices and improve seniors’ access to care.
Rep. Panetta’s bipartisan REAL Health Providers Act, signed into law this year, will require annual updates to Medicare Advantage provider directories beginning in 2028 so seniors have more accurate information when choosing coverage. He previously voted for the Inflation Reduction Act’s cap on annual out-of-pocket Medicare Part D prescription drug costs and its option to spread those expenses across the year.
For additional photos, click HERE.
###