Why Primary Care for all is so important

Access to affordable quality healthcare is a concept that most everyone can support but making it a reality in America has proven elusive. By helping patients prevent illnesses through immunizations and annual screenings, universal primary care access ensures a healthier populace and simplifies the business of healthcare.

In this short video (2:30 minutes), Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips provides her experienced perspective on the vision to make primary care accessible for all Americans. Some of Dr. Compton-Phillips’ key points are captured below.

What is universal access to primary care?

Every single person in the country should have easy access to a doctor who can help them get care when they need it.

What’s the difference between primary care for all and Medicare for all?

Medicare is a disruptive approach to healthcare coverage that moves responsibility for providing insurance and the organization of healthcare to the federal government, resulting in a single payor system that offers basic coverage for everyone.

Alternatively, primary care for all keeps the current insurance structure intact while also guaranteeing that every American has access to basic preventative services to keep people and communities healthy.

“Primary care for all can keep people healthier and well and do it in a way that doesn’t bankrupt the country.”

What is Capitation?

Capitation is a foundational component of universal primary care that fundamentally changes the way doctors are compensated. Capitation is similar to a monthly Netflix subscription in that patients would pay a fee to get access to all types of primary care services. This system gives health care providers a more holistic view of the types of services they need to provide individual patients, while enabling doctors to use different modalities of care, such as virtual visits to simplify access to care for patients.

Learn more about primary care services offered by Providence.