Key takeaways
In this report, learn:
- How access to primary care improves health outcomes, especially for vulnerable populations, and is associated with increased life expectancy and lower premature mortality rates.
- How systemic factors create unequal access to primary care based on socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and geography, and the consequences of primary care shortages.
- What initiatives and investments California policymakers have made in recent years aimed at strengthening primary care, including workforce development and efforts to increase primary care spending.
- What 10 actionable recommendations summit participants focused on across five key areas: engaging and empowering the community, enhancing education and training, expanding access, improving data standards and sharing, and designing payment for equity.
Primary care is the cornerstone of a fair, efficient, and accessible health care system. It plays a crucial role in improving health equity, yet it’s often overlooked in policy discussions.
As California’s population becomes increasingly diverse, addressing long-standing inequities in health care are imperative for people, communities, and those delivering care. This report builds on state and federal momentum to revitalize primary care infrastructure, emphasizing the need to center these efforts around equity.
This report is the result of a summit of 30 health policy experts, including primary care providers, state officials, consumer advocates, community leaders, and patient representatives. The project was sponsored by the California Health Care Foundation in partnership with Mathematica.
This report is essential reading for policymakers, health care leaders, and advocates committed to improving California’s health care system. It provides a road map for leveraging primary care to address health disparities and create a more equitable health care landscape for all Californians.
