More than an Insurance Card: State Policy Can Improve Patient Access to Healthcare Providers

Bringing down prices in an industry requires demand to fall or supply needs to increase (Smith, 1776, bk.I, ch.VII).As long as babies continue to be born, chronic disease abounds, and the population ages, demand for health care will remain relatively inelastic or may grow (Ellis, Martins, & Zhu, 2018).Policymakers, therefore, should prioritize solutions that address the supply of healthcare providers, the number of access points to providers, and the amount of time providers spend treating patients.By removing unnecessary barriers, reforming outdated regulations, and embracing innovation, we can create a system in which patients can see a doctor when needed without breaking the bank.In this paper, we focus on state-level solutions to improve access to health care.We look at both the supply of providers and the state regulatory barriers to establishing good physician-patient relationships.While some healthcare problems need national solutions, we recognize that state policy reform is vital to addressing many issues around access to care.