The difficulties in finding primary health workers in underserved areas of the U.S.

Where Are the Nation’s Primary Care Providers? It’s Not an Easy Answer - KFF Health News Politicians keep talking about fixing primary care shortages. But flawed national data leaves big holes in how to evaluate which policies are effective. Lydia Zuraw KFF Health News

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Policymakers have long tried to lure more primary care providers to the areas of the nation that have fewer than one physician for every 3,500 residents. Recent examples include the Biden administration boosting funding in 2022 to address shortages and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) pushing sweeping primary care legislation in 2023.

But researchers steeped in the issue have a persistent frustration: It’s hard to know if any policy is working given that the data the federal government collects on primary care shortage areas has been flawed for a long time. One of the biggest gaps is that the system counts only physicians, not the myriad other health care professionals who now provide much of our nation’s primary care.

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