Press Releases

Last Friday, U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) hosted a “SLO County Medicare Forum” at Cuesta College. The Forum brought together local health care providers, stakeholders, and residents to discuss the value of Medicare programs, the challenges they face, and how to improve healthcare access in the region. Attendees heard updates from both Congressmen on their work in Washington and had the opportunity to share their perspectives. Download photos here. 

“It was great to be back at Cuesta College to discuss how to improve Medicare access for seniors in San Luis Obispo County, as well as the damaging impacts of President Trump’s so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ on our country’s health care system,” said Rep. Carbajal. “I’d like to thank all of our panelists and attendees for sharing their knowledge and perspectives. I’ll take the insights we gathered back to Washington to inform legislative efforts aimed at strengthening Medicare access, especially for our rural communities who need it most.”

“Medicare hasn’t kept up with the costs of healthcare, leaving too many seniors without proper access to ready and reliable doctors,” said Rep. Panetta.  “Today’s forum was important to give providers, patients, and community leaders a chance to share their experiences, highlight what’s at stake, and discuss actionable solutions.  I appreciated all the people who came out and spoke up.  I’m motivated to continue my work to pass my bipartisan Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act that would stop harmful cuts, tie reimbursements to inflation, and make sure seniors can continue to count on their healthcare.”

The Forum’s panelists included: Dr. Tim Auran, CMA; Sue Anderson, President and CEO Dignity Health; Dr. Steve Clarke, Community Health Centers of the Central Coast; Dr. Jason Sanders, Movement for Life Physical Therapy; Dr. Penny Bornstein, Public Health Director San Luis Obispo County Health Department and San Luis Obispo Health Counts; and Ryan Ashlock, Adventist Hospital President and CEO. 

In February 2025, Congressman Carbajal co-sponsored Congressman Panetta’s bipartisan Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act, legislation to support physicians and protect access to care for Medicare beneficiaries.

Last Congress, Carbajal co-sponsored the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act, which would tie physician payments to inflation and offer them long-term financial stability.

Carbajal is also a co-sponsor of the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act. The bipartisan legislation would combat the nation’s doctor shortage and improve access to health care by expanding the number of Medicare-supported medical residency positions by 14,000 over seven years.

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