The Value of Funding a Primary Care Extension Program in the United States

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report, Implementing High-Quality Primary Care,¹ correctly identified that the Biden Administration’s priority goals for heath equity and a more effective and affordable health system require a sustained initiative to strengthen the nation’s fragile primary care infrastructure. In this Viewpoint, we reconsider the promise of the Primary Care Extension Program to strengthen and ensure access to high-quality primary care. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)² originally directed the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to establish the program; however, Congress did not appropriate funds to make it operational.