Invest in Primary Care Before More New Yorkers Are Left Behind

Families across New York are being failed by a healthcare system that waits for people to get sick before it acts. Preventive care is out of reach. Primary care doctors are disappearing or overextended. Emergency rooms are overwhelmed. And millions of New Yorkers, especially in low-income communities, communities of color, and rural areas, are paying the price with their health or by going into debt.

As Chairs of the Senate and Assembly Health Committees, we are the proud sponsors of the Primary Care Investment Act, a bill that would make a long-overdue investment in the foundation of our healthcare system and help close the significant care gaps that persist across New York. This week, our legislation successfully passed the New York State Senate, so the time is now for our colleagues in the Assembly to act.

Primary care is where healthcare begins. It’s where children get vaccinated, chronic illnesses are managed, mental health needs are identified, and preventable diseases are caught before they become life-threatening. Strong primary care systems save lives, reduce hospitalizations, and lower healthcare costs for the people and the state.

Despite its return on investment the United States spends just 5 to 7 percent of healthcare dollars on primary care—roughly half of what countries with better health outcomes invest. In New York, chronic underfunding of primary care by insurance companies and our profit-centered healthcare ecosystem has contributed to New York’s current primary care issues.

The lack of adequate funding for primary care impacts both patients and providers, leading to inadequate access, poor health outcomes, and an overburdened workforce that loses experienced professionals and has trouble attracting new ones. As a result, people delay care until conditions become emergencies. Families end up in overcrowded ERs instead of doctors’ offices. Hospitals shoulder avoidable crises. Costs skyrocket while health outcomes worsen.

Recent federal policy changes, including those advanced under H.R.1, will erode affordable coverage options and send even more New Yorkers to the one place they can access care without paying first: the emergency room. As access points shrink, the need for a strong, accessible primary care foundation becomes more urgent than ever to stabilize an already fragile system.

The Primary Care Investment Act offers a clear path forward. The legislation would require public and private insurers to measure and gradually increase their investment in primary care until it reaches at least 12.5 percent of total healthcare spending. That funding would help expand and diversify the primary care workforce, strengthen behavioral and preventive care coordination, stabilize providers serving high-need communities, and improve access in the communities that need it most.

This is not just good health policy, it’s smart fiscal policy.

An average emergency room visit costs more than $1,200. A primary care visit costs roughly $300. Investing upfront in preventive care reduces avoidable hospitalizations, catches illnesses earlier, and lowers long-term healthcare spending. States that prioritize primary care consistently see healthier populations and lower costs.

We cannot keep treating symptoms while ignoring the cause. We urge our colleagues in the Legislature and Governor Hochul to pass the Primary Care Investment Act this session.

New Yorkers cannot afford to wait any longer.