"Access to health care is more than giving someone an insurance card. It requires that patients also be able to find a primary care physician who can provide first contact, comprehensive, continuous, preventive and coordinated care for most of their health care needs." -- Snippet from letter written by AAFP and several other primary Care organizations to Congress.
The American Academy of Family Practitioners and number of other primary care physician organizations sent a letter to Congressional leaders calling for more primary care provisions to be added to legislation. These groups have been saying for a long time that the pending primary care shortage is a major crisis that demands attention immediately, especially if coverage is extended through Medicaid to millions of the nation's poor. Low Medicaid payment rates make it nearly financially impossible for struggling primary care physicians to new Medicaid patients and will only exacerbate the shortage.
Check out the AAFP press release to get an idea of what additions Primary Care Organizations are calling for.
