CHCS May 19, 2022
As a nation, we underinvest in primary care. Only about six percent of total health care expenditures in the U.S. are for primary care activities, compared to peer countries that average 14 percent. This underinvestment leads to poor and inequitable health outcomes. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently put it best: “high-quality primary care requires committing to pay primary care more and differently given its capacity to improve population health and health equity.” And policymakers across the country are beginning to agree, as shown by efforts in 13 states to measure and increase investment in primary care in Medicaid. While there is urgency to advance this work, states need to think carefully about how to structure primary...