Report
Study Shows How to Get More People Primary Care Doctors
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Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR) - Georgetown UniversityMarch 30, 2026 Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR) - Georgetown University National scopeWhy this matters
Georgetown University researchers studied how well different government policies work to help people get primary care doctors. Each place tried different ways to help people get primary care. The research was paid for by the National Institute for Health Care Reform and done with help from the Milbank Memorial Fund.
Overview
Georgetown University researchers studied how well different government policies work to help people get primary care doctors. Primary care doctors are the first doctors people see when they get sick or need checkups. Many people, especially those with low incomes or who live in poor areas, have trouble finding these doctors. The researchers looked at policies at the federal, state, and local levels to see which ones work best. They studied five different places across the country: Grant County in New Mexico, Baltimore City in Maryland, Columbia County in Arkansas, Detroit in Michigan, and Kanawha County in West Virginia. Each place tried different ways to help people get primary care. The study includes a review of existing research, case studies from each location, and a final report with recommendations. The research was paid for by the National Institute for Health Care Reform and done with help from the Milbank Memorial Fund. The goal was to find out which policies actually help people get the medical care they need from primary care doctors.
{"full_text":"Assessing the Effectiveness of Policies to Improve Access to Primary Care for Underserved Populations | Center on Health Insurance Reforms \n\nAssessing the Effectiveness of Policies to Improve Access to Primary Care for Underserved Populations\n\nPrimary care is a critical tool to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities. However, access to this important source of care is lacking in the United States, especially for many underserved populations.
With support from the National Institute for Health Care Reform and in collaboration with Milbank Memorial Fund , CHIR researchers evaluated the effectiveness of various policy initiatives designed to improve primary care access at the federal, state, and local levels. In addition to an assessment of existing literature, researchers published a series of qualitative case studies focused on improving primary care access underserved populations in five locations across the country.
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