Contact: Jane Smith, smith@nyhealthfoundation.org
February 4, 2026, New York, NY – New York continues to spend more on health care than nearly any other state while achieving only average health outcomes, according to a new data brief released today by the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) and the Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC). The brief, The State of Primary Care in New York: A 2025 Data Update, finds that chronic underinvestment in primary care is straining the workforce, limiting access—particularly in rural and underserved communities—and contributing to higher overall health care costs.
Primary care is where most New Yorkers receive preventive services, manage chronic conditions, and first enter the health system. Yet these latest data reveal that primary care accounts for only 3-5% of total health spending in New York. Primary care is under-resourced even as evidence builds that strong primary care systems are associated with better health outcomes, lower costs, and greater equity.
“Primary care is the most powerful lever we have to improve health and control costs at the same time,” said David Sandman, President and CEO of the New York Health Foundation. “If we devoted a larger share of our health care spending to primary and preventive care, it would change how the entire system functions. Today, we spend more on expensive, technology-intensive procedures and far less on basic care that keeps people healthy. The system delivers exactly what we pay for, so we must change the incentives.”
The brief identifies three urgent challenges facing primary care across the state:
- Workforce capacity is under pressure, with looming retirements, slow growth in primary care physicians, and persistent shortages affecting millions of New Yorkers;
- Uneven access in rural communities, where residents have fewer providers, higher rates of preventable hospitalizations, and significant infrastructure barriers; and
- Chronic underinvestment, despite growing evidence that increased spending on primary and preventive care is associated with lower overall health care costs and improved access.
New York is not alone in grappling with these challenges. More than 20 states have taken steps to measure and strengthen investment in primary care, with early adopters reporting cost savings, improved access, and growth in the primary care workforce. The data brief underscores the opportunity for New York to learn from these experiences while addressing its own persistent gaps.
“Strong primary care improves health outcomes and reduces costs across New York State,” said Aamir Mansoor, Director of Policy at the Primary Care Development Corporation. “But workforce shortages, rural access challenges, and gaps in preventive care persist across the state. As federal actions like H.R.1 threaten to reduce access to care, New York must move forward with deliberate investments in primary care that strengthen the health system and advance the state’s goal of affordability for all residents.”
The brief provides the most up-to-date information to inform policymakers, health system leaders, and the public about the current state of primary care in New York and the role it plays in advancing health, equity, and fiscal sustainability.
The full brief is available here.
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About the New York Health Foundation
The New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) is a private, statewide foundation dedicated to improving the health of all New Yorkers, especially people of color and others who have been historically marginalized. The Foundation is committed to making grants, informing health policy and practice, spreading effective programs to improve the health care system and the health of New Yorkers, serving as a convener of health leaders across the State, and providing technical assistance to its grantees and partners.
About Primary Care Development Corporation
Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC) is a community development financial institution (CDFI) that supports healthy, thriving communities across the country through capital financing, technical expertise, and advocacy.
PCDC partners with providers and practices – particularly those in low-income communities and communities of color – and investors to identify health care needs, increase primary care capacity, and craft effective, evidence-based solutions. Over the last 30 years, we have leveraged over $1.5 billion in
capital and investment to develop and improve the primary care field and its infrastructure. Our comprehensive approach makes better, more equitable, and more accessible primary care a reality. For more information and to get involved in the transformation of primary care, please contact PCDC at info@pcdc.org or visit www.pcdc.org.
