Senate Passes Bill to Make It Easier to See a Primary Care Doctor

Legislation requires greater investment in primary care, fairer pay for community health centers, and a larger medical workforce, with aim of driving down health care costs 

(BOSTON—6/18/2026) The Massachusetts Senate today overwhelmingly passed landmark legislation to invest in primary care and make it easier for Massachusetts residents to get a primary care appointment. 

The bill simplifies finding a primary care clinician, reduces the amount of time providers have to spend on administrative paperwork, and aims to reduce health care costs. 

“Massachusetts has always led the way on health care, and today the Senate is doing it again. Too many of our residents are struggling to find a primary care doctor, or putting off basic care because of the cost,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “That's not acceptable, and it's not sustainable. This legislation takes direct aim at the problem: it requires greater investment in primary care, lifts up the community health centers at the heart of so many neighborhoods, and grows the workforce our residents need. When we get primary care right, everything else in our health care system works better. I want to applaud Senator Friedman for her tireless leadership and the years of dedicated work that went into crafting these policies, Chair Rodrigues for shepherding this legislation to the floor, and every Senator and stakeholder who helped shape a bill that will make a real difference for residents across the Commonwealth.” 

“After an exhaustive and thorough analysis of our primary health care delivery system, the Senate today acted on a comprehensive package of provisions informed by recommendations from the Primary Care Task Force, improving access to primary care for all Massachusetts residents,” said Senator Michael J. Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “This sweeping legislation supports residents of the Commonwealth by incentivizing significant investments into primary care, grows our health care workforce, assists community health centers, and cuts down on administrative bureaucracy. I’m pleased that this bill complements the Senate’s recent efforts in the Fair Share supplemental budget to support the primary care workforce and ensures we continue to foster the next generation of providers and strengthen our neighborhood health centers. Thank you to Senator Friedman for her collaboration, dedication, and hard work on bring this important bill forward, and to Senate President Spilka for her unwavering leadership.” 

“With this nation-leading approach, the Massachusetts Senate is confronting the primary care crisis head-on with the thoughtfulness and urgency it deserves,” said Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. “For far too long, our health care system has put too much emphasis on costly medical interventions, rather than incentivizing preventive care delivered in our primary care practices and community health centers. The legislation passed today delivers a historic increase in primary care funding in Massachusetts by reprioritizing and shifting how we spend our health care dollars to support our primary care providers, increases access to value-based care, and delivers better health outcomes for patients. I thank Senate President Spilka for her steadfast leadership in expanding access to care for all residents of the Commonwealth, Chair Rodrigues, my Senate colleagues, fellow Primary Care Task Force members, and the many stakeholders involved in this effort for their support of this transformational legislation.” 

This key health policy bill would create a more robust health care system in Massachusetts by requiring providers and insurers to invest a certain level of their annual spending on primary care services. 

In recent years, investment has surged in profitable ‘specialty care’ areas while only 6.7 per cent of total health care spending in Massachusetts has been on primary care. The resulting scarcity of available primary care doctors has left many residents searching for crucial basic, preventive care. 

Health care entities would now have to meet a new mandated level of primary care investment which would gradually step up to 15 per cent. The requirements would be overseen and enforced by the Health Policy Commission (HPC). 

The bill also lifts up one of the main settings where many Massachusetts residents access their primary care—community health centers (CHCs), which have been disadvantaged by receiving lower reimbursements than other providers. This legislation calls for fairness and sets dependable rates for CHCs by requiring commercial insurers to reimburse at least the same rates that MassHealth reimburses for the same services. 

The Senate’s proposal also doubles down on recent efforts to grow the size of the primary care workforce in Massachusetts. It would re-establish a Medicaid graduate medical education (GME) program, which the state can use to take advantage of matching federal funds to help cover the costs of fellowships and residency programs. When fully scaled up, the program would fund dozens of positions and help draw more primary care providers to Massachusetts in community-based settings. 

Statements of Support 

Jen Lemmerman, Executive Director, Health Care For All 

“This legislation will help patients access more timely, affordable care—an urgent need made more acute as federal actions continue to erode an already strained health care system. For years, we’ve heard from people on our HelpLine struggling to find a primary care provider or get an appointment when they need one. We commend the Senate for advancing this vital legislation and we look forward to working with the House and the Governor to help make it law as soon as possible.” 

David Seltz, Executive Director, Health Policy Commission; Co-Chair, Primary Care Task Force 

“We know that access to primary care improves health outcomes, reduces health disparities, and saves health care dollars, yet too many patients in Massachusetts cannot easily access the primary care they need, and clinicians are burnt out and leaving the field, posing a crisis for our health care system. The Commonwealth has been a long-time national leader in health care, and the state can be a trailblazer once again by enacting comprehensive legislation to strengthen and stabilize our primary care system. The Governor issued a call to action on primary care in the State of the Commonwealth address, and the Massachusetts Primary Care Access, Payment, and Delivery Task Force has subsequently released a set of recommendations and principles to achieve the goal of accessible and affordable primary care for all residents. Today, the Senate is taking action to bring that vision one step closer to reality. The Health Policy Commission looks forward to partnering with our colleagues to achieve that future.” 

Christina Severin, President and CEO, Community Care Cooperative (C3)

“Community health centers play a critical role in keeping our communities healthy. This legislation recognizes that fact and commits to increasing primary care spending and making sure health centers are fairly reimbursed for the essential services they provide. It’s a long-overdue investment in making sure every resident—no matter their income, language, or zip code — can get the care they need to stay healthy.” 

Dr. Wayne Altman, Professor, UMass Chan Medical School; President-Elect, Massachusetts Academy of Family Physicians; Founder, Massachusetts Primary Care Alliance for Patients (MAPCAP); President, Family Practice Group, The Sagov Center for Family Medicine 

“The entire country is watching Massachusetts and this primary care bill. This is the most effective state legislation put forward to address the primary care crisis to date. This has the potential to be a national model in the same way that Chapter 58 became a national model for the ACA. The bill is good for hospitals, good for emergency departments, good for specialists, good for folks who need access to high-quality mental health care, and most importantly, good for the people of Massachusetts.” 

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