Primary Care Task Force Statutory Deliverable #3: Establish a Primary Care Spending Target

Statutory Deliverable #3:

Establish a Primary Care Spending Target

Introduction

Despite evidence that access to high-quality primary care is associated with increased health

outcomes and lower health care costs, only five to seven cents of every health dollar is spent on

primary care in the United States. 1 In 2021, the U.S. spent 4.7% of its total health care spending in

primary care, compared to an average of 14% in other high-income nations, many who rank higher

in health outcomes than the US. 2 In Massachusetts, primary care spending as a percentage of all

commercial health care spending was 6.7% in 2023, and is declining. 3

To address this underinvestment, many states have passed legislation to increase the proportion of