States such as Rhode Island and Oregon are taking steps to increase the proportion of health care costs dedicated to primary care. The New York State Legislature has now enacted a law to establish a Primary Care Reform Commission.
The Commission’s goals include defining and measuring New York’s baseline spending on primary care, setting goals for strengthening investment in primary care, and testing pilot programs to identify the most promising models. ..
The law that creates the committee, according to a survey, shows that only one primary care provider per 10,000 people reduces hospital visits by 5.5%, emergency department visits by 11%, and surgery by 7. It has been shown to be% less. Still, it is estimated that only 5% of US health care costs are spent in primary care. According to the law, New York currently spends more per capita health care than the national average, but its key health indicators are consistently below many other states. “This indicates a lack of access to primary care and a lack of investment.”
Participants will receive relevant expertise from primary care providers, federal qualified health centers, healthcare funding, reimbursement, and regulatory experts from specialized practice groups, as well as companies operating in New York. Includes representatives with, public and commercial health plans, including managed care plans. , And primary care professionals and advocacy groups. Third-party payers are forced to provide the data requested by the Commission while protecting their property.
The first report of the recommendations, issued by March 31, the year following the enactment, provides a comparative analysis of current primary care spending and recommendations to the governor and parliament on primary care barriers and how to overcome them. included.
In February, David Sandman, President and CEO of the New York Health Foundation, testified to the New York State Joint Legislative Budget Hearing. In his testimony, he addressed the opportunity for New York to improve health outcomes and save money by focusing more on primary and preventive care.
Sandman talked about how New York has consistently under-invested and underestimated primary care. As of 2017, New Yorker spends $ 10,000 per New Yorker on medical expenses, which is 20 percent higher than the national average, he said. But all that spending doesn’t provide enough value for New Yorkers. “Our health is often poor. New York ranks in the top 10 health indicators such as cardiovascular disease incidence, low birth weight, diabetes, preventable hospitalization, drug-related mortality, and heavy drinking. Not done. We have to do better. We don’t have to spend more on health care. We need to spend smarter and better ways to return better value. The solution is. Rebalancing health costs means allocating a greater percentage of the amount we spend to primary care. “
According to a review by the Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC), nearly 12 states have introduced or enacted policies to invest more in primary care, according to Sandman.
• Rhode Island led when it set a goal of increasing its share of primary care spending by commercial insurers by 5% over five years. Over the same period, total state spending fell by 14 percent. Rhode Island was the only state in New England to increase the supply of primary care physicians per capita, but spending by commercial health insurers grew slowly compared to other states in the region.
• In Oregon, the law requires that primary care spending be increased by 1% each year, with the goal of primary care accounting for 12% of total spending by 2023.
• In Massachusetts, the Governor has introduced a law that will increase spending on primary care and behavioral health services by 30% over three years.
“It’s time for New York to join other pioneering states and rebalance our spending to emphasize primary care,” Sandman said. “New York will find its own way while other states offer models and options. Having worked to redistribute resources to primary care in smaller states like Rhode Island, New York It can be more difficult in states with large and complex medical systems such as. “
