Rep. Panetta and a Bipartisan Group of Members Create Framework to Reduce Costs and Fix Health Care
Washington, DC – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), joined a bipartisan coalition of 35 House Members to announce ’CommonGround 2025,’ a new framework aimed at lowering health care costs and protecting access to affordable health care coverage for American families.
“The high cost of health care is one of the biggest challenges for working families in the 19th Congressional District,” said Rep. Panetta. “We need bipartisan solutions like CommonGround 2025 to meet the reality of the moment we are in to protect healthcare and reduce prices. Despite some of the politics on display in Washington, D.C., there are those of us in the U.S. Congress that actually are working together to provide real solutions to ensure accessible and affordable health care for working families.”
In its first year, this framework pairs necessary extension of the ePTCs with common sense reforms to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse, ensure insurance subsidies are going to those who need them, and reform pharmacy benefit managers. To ensure nobody falls through the cracks and misses the chance to sign up for insurance, it also extends the open enrollment period until March 19, 2026. Following the first year, the framework includes bipartisan priorities to address access to healthcare, including fixing the Medicare physician fee schedule, an issue Rep. Panetta has championed for years.
The framework and letter, co-led by Reps. Panetta, Gottheimer and Kiggans, were also signed by Reps. Adam Gray (CA-13), Juan Ciscomani (AZ-6), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), Maria Salazar (FL-27), Darren Soto (FL-9), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Jefferson Van Drew (NJ-2), Josh Riley (NY-19), Tom Kean (NJ-7), Susie Lee (NV-3), Jeff Hurd (CO-3), Jared Golden (ME-2), David Valadao (CA-22), Chris Pappas (NH-1), Ryan MacKenzie (PA-7), Ed Case (HI-1), Carlos Gimenez (FL-28), Maggie Goodlander (NH-2), Monica De La Cruz (TX-15), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Robert Bresnahan (PA-8), Greg Landsman (OH-1), Don Bacon (NE-2), Kevin Kiley (CA-3), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Nick LaLota (NY-1), Don Davis (NC-1), Scott Peters (CA-50), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-3), Hillary Scholten (MI-3), and Tom Suozzi (NY-3).
This legislation builds on Rep Panetta’s work to lower healthcare costs for working families in California's 19th Congressional District, and across the country. As Americans face higher costs, fewer providers, and weaker health coverage, Rep. Panetta has championed efforts to expand access to care, reintroducing the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act, which is bipartisan legislation to offset cuts to Medicare in 2025. He is also the co-lead of the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act, legislation that will permanently link Medicare payments to inflation, increasing the number of doctors available to see patients, and preserving access to care for CA-19 seniors. Rep. Panetta also pushed back on misguided cuts to Medicaid in the partisan tax package that the Majority pushed through in July, which is expected to cause over 19,000 people in CA-19 to lose their healthcare coverage. This past fall, he also met with some of the 8,600 people in CA-19 who are expected to lose coverage because of the expiring ePTCs and has voted repeatedly to oppose budget deals that failed to extend health coverage for his constituents.
In addition to releasing the framework, participating Members co-signed a letter calling on congressional leadership to meet with them and chart a constructive, bipartisan path forward.
Find the full CommonGround 2025 framework here.
Find the letter to House and Senate leadership here.
###