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Rhode Island has a primary care problem.Health Insurance Commissioner Cory King has a plan..Rhode Island has a primary care problem.Health Insurance Commissioner Cory King has a plan.An initial wellness exam for the state's primary care landscape published by the The 31-page report, which relies on 2024 insurance claims data, marks the first in what Health Insurance Commissioner "The purpose is to establish a baseline understanding, so we can be able to judge whether the efforts undertaken actually improve the needle on primary care payment and access," King said in an interview."Primary care is the cornerstone of a strong and effective health care system," the report states."For most patients, it serves as the entry point to care; they rely on trusted relationships with primary care clinicians for preventive services, chronic condition management, and referrals to specialists when needed.Timely access to high-quality primary care is crucial to the health and productivity of Rhode Islanders." The Ocean State appears to fare better than the national average in terms of adult access overall, but demographic details reveal alarming disparities.One-third of Hispanic Rhode Islanders lack a reliable primary care doctor or nurse practitioner, more than six times the rate of their white, non-Hispanic peers.Low-income households, those that earned less than People on Medicaid are also at a disadvantage relative to their peers with commercial insurance; less than half of Rhode Islanders with Medicaid through managed care organizations had a regular wellness visit with a primary care provider in 2024, compared with nearly seven in 10 people with commercial insurance plans.And across insurance models, people are increasingly turning to urgent care in lieu of traditional office visits with doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants due largely to an ever-deepening provider shortage.Research from It's a grim prognosis, and one that many fear will worsen under federal policy changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.New restrictions on Medicaid eligibility are expected to create a rise in uncompensated care, adding more demand and pressure to cash-poor healthcare facilities.Caps on student loan amounts will make it hard for aspiring doctors and nurses to afford advanced degrees, limiting the pipeline of providers badly needed to fill in the gaps in "There's no business reason why any primary care physician shouldn't do direct primary care," said Dr.Referring to the rise in concierge medicine, Fine said, "What I am hearing on the street with this is, it's turning into a tsunami." In search of solutions But, there are remedies — some already in place and others under consideration — that could help heal the state's primary care system.In Meanwhile, a highly anticipated review of state reimbursement rates for primary care providers, measuring costs and competitiveness with neighboring states, will be issued in September.Many expect OHIC's forthcoming rate review will mandate further rate hikes for primary care providers, who receive 30% less than their Commercial insurers have historically pushed back on the rate differences between Meanwhile, lawmakers are finalizing a fiscal 2027 spending plan that, at last revision, is set to include a "I know the budget is being discussed in both chambers, and this is something the A House companion bill by Rep.Asked for comment on the scholarship bill, A spokesperson Tackling self-insured employers King is also considering how to leverage his office's authority over self-insured employers, responsible for coverage for roughly two-thirds of Rhode Islanders.Unlike businesses that transfer all the risk of health coverage for their workers to third-party insurers, or self-insured individuals, King's office has no power to set annual premium rates for these private companies, including top employers like the state of "These investments will improve financial stability for practices, support recruitment and retention, and help expand access to care at a time when primary care continues to face workforce and financial pressures," "If we're really committed to primary care, it's worth exploring whether we can or should require self-insured employers to invest in primary care," he said.Lauria backed the proposal, noting that her own employer, Fine remained skeptical that any of the small measures taken or under consideration were enough to save a broken healthcare system."I don't care about where the deck chairs are on the Titanic," he said."What I care about is that we are sailing the Queen Elizabeth and not the Titanic." His proposal?A "Marshall Plan," that includes strategic and coordinated oversight of providers, and private and public insurance payors, while also addressing geographic distribution of primary care offices and the demographic barriers to care.Fine's advocacy group, Primary Care for All Americans, recently held its inaugural summit in "Cory did a great thing by throwing down this gauntlet," Fine said of the report."But his authority only extends so far." 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