Category: State Health Policy

The $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program is an unprecedented injection of capital averaging $200M per state annually through 2030. While legally earmarked for rural areas, smart state leaders know this isn’t just rural relief; it’s the launchpad for broader statewide primary care transformation. When you pair $1B per state in federal investment…

Over the last several years, headlines have touted that multiple states are doubling their primary care spending as a percentage of total health expenditures. But only five states[1] have formal, enforceable primary care spending targets. And five additional states participating in CMS’s AHEAD program have committed to increasing primary care spending as a share of…

While high-quality primary care is the foundation of an effective health system, simply setting an ambitious primary care spending target does not guarantee better care, access, or equity. In recent years, more states have announced plans to increase or even “double” primary care spending as a share of total health expenditures.  Yet only a small…

As a former healthcare investment banker, I observe what others have pointed out: that the U.S. will not fix its primary care crisis with higher annual expenditures alone. I argue for treating primary care as essential infrastructure by expanding the workforce through state-backed financing and loan relief, building modern information infrastructure with interoperable data platforms…