Rep. Schrier’s Bill to Improve Access to Primary Care Passes House
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the United States House of Representatives voted to pass the Medicaid Primary Care Improvement Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Representatives Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-WA) and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX).
Access to primary care is an essential component to comprehensive health care, particularly with regard to preventative care. Unfortunately, the United States is projected to have a primary care physician shortage of up to 77,000 by 2034, causing millions of Americans to go without access to vital primary care. A shortage of this capacity would be particularly devastating in rural communities, where there is already a lack of primary care access.
Representative Schrier’s bill clarifies that state Medicaid programs may engage in direct primary care arrangements. This would allow for an approach wherein physicians are paid a flat monthly rate per patient, and in exchange patients have more robust access to their physician. Direct primary care models have been shown to have better patient outcomes, lower costs, stronger relationships between physicians and patients, and improved patient and physician satisfaction. "
“As a doctor, I know how crucial access to consistent primary care is for the health of families and children. Dependable access to primary care can be the key to catching and addressing medical issues early on and reducing costly trips to the emergency room,” said Congresswoman Schrier. “By making it clear that Medicaid can participate in direct primary care arrangements, this legislation will help expand access to primary care and achieve better health outcomes, and I’m thrilled to see it pass the House.”
“This bill incentivizes a form of healthcare that is better for patients, and for the American taxpayer,” said Rep. Crenshaw. “Passing this bill will save lives by encouraging preventive care that catches and treats routine medical issues before they become major health problems.”
“H.R. 3836, the Medicaid Primary Care Improvement Act, is a bipartisan bill which clarifies that states can work with CMS to provide Medicaid beneficiaries great access to primary care using direct primary care (DPC). Medicaid beneficiaries have a hard time finding a primary care doctor. So many lower income Americans get sicker because do without the care they need—which leads to more complicated treatment later. Or they show up in the ER to treat routine conditions,” said Jay Keese, Executive Director, Direct Primary Care Coalition. “DPC is an advanced payment model (APM) that allows for a personal relationship with a primary care doctor of the patient’s choice at a reasonable cost. By providing access to DPC rather than fee for service care, states can help low-income Americans improve their health with great primary care for a fraction of the cost of the same care delivered in the hospital or ER. In a year when not much seems to get done on a bipartisan basis, we are so thrilled that Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) and Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA) brought their colleagues together to pass H.R. 3836 unanimously in the Energy and Commerce Committee last July. I applaud the members of the House for passing this bill today and I urge the Senate to take up this measure for swift passage!”