Thousands of seniors in San Diego County forced to find new doctors

Patricia “Patti” and Myron Monroe of Poway were surprised recently when they received new medical cards in the mail, printed with the names of doctors they had never met.

They were stunned to see that these new doctors worked for medical groups outside UC San Diego Health and, as they began to read the accompanying paperwork, a feeling of déjà vu descended.

This notice informed them that their Medicare Advantage health plan from SCAN, the not-for-profit Senior Care Action Network, would no longer include UCSD primary care doctors as of March 1. It was a lot like the letter they received in the fall of 2023 when Scripps Health notified about 32,000 patients that they would need to find new doctors because its popular coastal and clinic medical groups were leaving Medicare Advantage in 2024.

The news was devastating, especially as the couple has been more than satisfied with the medical home they have found. Both husband and wife say that new doctors have helped them resolve long-standing medical issues, getting off some medications and leaving them feeling healthy as Patricia’s 77th birthday arrived last week.

“I really like my primary doctor right now, the one that I have at UCSD, and I certainly...