Over 100 million Americans face barriers to accessing primary care, according to a new study by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and HealthLandscape at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). The estimated number of Americans who are medically disenfranchised—at risk of lacking access to primary care due to an inadequate supply in their local community—has nearly doubled since 2014. The insufficient number of primary care providers in the United States poses a serious public health threat, leaving nearly one-third of the population vulnerable to preventable chronic diseases and emerging threats like COVID-19 and influenza.
The COVID-19 pandemic amplified the essential role of primary care providers in reaching vulnerable populations and ensuring access to public health interventions, such as vaccinations, treatments, and health education. According to the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, “primary care is the only health care component where an increased supply is associated with better population health and more equitable outcomes.” For that reason, access to primary care for all citizens must be a national priority.
Access to primary care in medically disenfranchised communities can be improved through strategic investments, such as incentives for primary care practitioners to train and work in medically underserved communities and additional funding for Community Health Centers to expand their network of providers. For decades, health centers have provided high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive care to millions of patients in medically underserved communities. The health center model ensures that all individuals can access affordable care that is patient-centered and community-based, regardless of their income or insurance status.
Health centers’ reach and impact are growing, but they face critical challenges: a provider shortage, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, and a growing patient population with complex needs. These and other factors have led to a net increase in medically disenfranchised patients in the last 10 years. Health centers need additional resources to close the primary care gap by expanding their services in medically disenfranchised communities. The last expansion of health centers occurred in 2019 when the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded more than $50 million to establish 77 new health centers in 23 states. However, hundreds of health center applications were denied due to a lack of sufficient funding, leaving more work to be done to address gaps in access.
This report describes America’s medically disenfranchised population and how, with expanded resources, Community Health Centers can begin to address gaps in primary care. (author abstract)