Pennsylvania Introduces Legislation to Measure and Increase Investments in Primary Care

Primary care advocates in Pennsylvania are taking the first steps down the road to measuring and enhancing investment in primary care with a new state bill, Senate Bill 809, introduced on June 23, 2023.

Sponsored by Senator Judith Schwank D-PA, the bill aims to shine a light on how and where healthcare dollars are being allocated by our complex healthcare infrastructure. A Primary Care Investment Task Force would be convened to make a detailed assessment of primary care investments in Pennsylvania and perform a comparison with other states. Building from their findings, the task force would also identify what can be done to bolster investment in this important segment of our healthcare system.

In the press release for the introduction of SB 809, Sen. Schwank echoes the core of the NASEM Report and PCC’s 2022 Evidence Report: “…greater investment in primary care is associated with lower health care costs, higher patient satisfaction, fewer hospitalizations and emergency department visits, improved health outcomes, and longer life expectancy.”  SB 809 has been added to PCC’s online State Primary Care Investment Hub along with legislation from 21 other states who have made efforts to measure and invest more in primary care. 

In addition to the State Primary Care Investment Hub, PCC also holds a quarterly State Primary Care Investment Workgroup meeting where primary care advocates from across the country meet and exchange ideas on how to boost investment in primary care. For more information, contact PCC’s Director of Policy Larry McNeely at lmcneely@thepcc.org. 

PCC congratulates Pennsylvania’s primary care advocates and Sen. Schwank for the introduction of this bill and encourages lawmakers to invest more in the health of the citizens of the Commonwealth!