HEALTH-CARE REFORM, PRIMARY-CARE, AND THE NEED FOR RESEARCH

Health care reform proposals that seek to increase access for almost 4 0 million uninsured Americans will require an expansion of primary car e. Simply expanding available primary care services is likely to be pr ohibitively expensive. Developing a rational and efficient strategy fo r the provision of primary care to all Americans will require understa nding of the relationships among primary care and access, costs, and q uality-relationships that are often obscured by the complexity of the US health care system. Those relationships are examined to identify so me key areas of research needed to inform policy development and impro ve primary care services. Despite significant gaps in our knowledge, t he evidence strongly suggests that restructuring and strengthening the role of primary care practitioners in the health care system will fac ilitate access to affordable, high-quality health care for all America ns.