Americans already wait weeks — and in some communities, months — to see a physician. At the very moment our nation needs more doctors, federal policy may be making it more difficult for talented young people to become one.

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State Rep. Dr. Matt Longjohn (D-Portage) and legislative and healthcare partners held a press conference today announcing the Primary Care Transformation Package. The bipartisan eight-bill package is designed to increase investments in primary care, expand access and build the healthcare workforce Michigan communities need. The policies respond and provide solutions to persistent gaps in primary care access across Michigan, with shortages spanning 75 of the state’s 83 counties and nearly  one in three Michiganders lacking regular access to primary care.

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We have a physician shortage in every state. With 2.7 million Georgia residents in “Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas,” only 12 states have a worse primary care problem, according to data on the Kaiser Family Foundation website.

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A new effort in the Michigan House seeks to bring more doctors to the state and put them in areas they’re needed most, amid a growing primary care shortage.

According to MiDOCS, there is a primary care shortage in 74 of Michigan’s 83 counties, with nearly one in three people lacking regular access, particularly in rural areas.

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On behalf of the Primary Care Collaborative (PCC) and the PCC’s Better Health NOW campaign (BHN), we are pleased to support H.R. 9693, the Patients First Act of 2026. This legislation would strengthen patient access while offering much needed stability and flexibility with respect to primary care payment and clinician payment more broadly.

Read our full letter of support below.

Novant Health is now partnering with K Health to expand its primary care offerings, hospital officials said.

The new offerings will incorporate AI capabilities into enhanced virtual care experience, according to a Novant news release. The new offerings will include 24/7 access to patients across North Carolina and South Carolina.

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Primary care medics are designed to bolster the workforce by complementing physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician associates at primary care clinics.

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Texas faces the most severe health care strain in the United States, driven by the nation’s highest uninsured rate and a shortage of primary care physicians, according to the Health care Strain Index released by ConciergeMD.

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The US doctor shortage is no longer a distant concern, it is a trend backed by hard numbers. According to a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the country could face a shortfall of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. That is not a small number. It touches primary care, surgery, and specialty medicine all at once, and it comes at a time when the population is getting older and needing more care, not less.

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