California led the nation in health care reform by enabling millions to obtain health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. This year, by expanding Medi-Cal to all Californians with low incomes, regardless of immigration status, our state will achieve another milestone: historically low numbers of residents lacking health insurance.
"We know that health systems that are oriented toward primary care function better... having access to a primary care provider means you'll be focused on [wellness]... You are concerned with your health on an everyday basis, not just when something is hurting."
If you’ve ever had trouble finding a primary care doctor, or getting an appointment with one when you’re sick, you’re not alone. And some of Vermont’s top medical experts say the primary care shortage is about to get worse.
As state Senate lawmakers consider provisions that would funnel more money into primary care services, doctors are raising some existential questions about the future of preventative care.
People who regularly see primary care physicians tend to live longer and healthier lives – if they can locate and secure doctors near home, Michigan doctors said.
Despite the necessity of such practitioners, who handle patients from birth to death, from newborns to grandparents, there are too few of them and trends suggest there will be even fewer as current practitioners age and medical students with six-figure loan debts chose more lucrative specialties.
Michigan is experiencing a decline in the number of primary care physicians, with more shortages expected by 2030, particularly impacting residents in underserved areas.
The global pandemic has, rightfully so, grabbed headlines as we all grapple with its ongoing impacts on our health care system. What COVID-19 has also made painfully clear is how strained that system is, particularly in rural communities.
The fact that rural health care is underfunded and understaffed is a story we know all too well — one that started long before the pandemic. The lingering impacts from COVID-19 could have a ripple effect on the more than 1 million Washingtonians who live in rural areas and already face long-standing hardships when trying to receive care.
On Feb. 23, Larry McNeely, PCC's Director of Policy, spoke on a panel at a conference titled The Case for Increasing Our Investment in High Quality Primary Care, sponsored by the New Jersey Healthcare Quality Institute. The event was about how investing more in comprehensive, coordinated primary care and ensuring that everyone has access to it will improve our health and quality of life.
The PCC and some of its Executive Members joined many other healthcare-related organizations in a Sept. 30 letter as part of the Coalition to Improve Diagnosis, an initiative of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine, to leaders of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee/Subcommitee.
