Background and Goal: This study, based on an online survey of 1,135 adults demographically representative of the U.S. population, aimed to measure public perceptions of primary care spending.
Key Insights: Respondents believed that 51.8% of overall health care spending goes to primary care—more than 10 times the documented share of 4.7%. Additionally, respondents believed that primary care addresses 58.7% of health care needs, very close to actual primary care utilization as a percentage of all ambulatory physician visits in the United States (50.3%).
Why It Matters: Chronic underinvestment in primary care has resulted in workforce shortages, physician burnout, reduced access, and suboptimal care. Access to high-quality primary care has been associated with better population health and more equitable outcomes.
The General Public Vastly Overestimates Primary Care Spending in the United States
Melissa Ma, BS, et al
School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
