Annals of Family Medicine: Many Americans Overestimate U.S. Primary Care Spending, Study Finds

An early access research brief in Annals of Family Medicine reveals that U.S. adults overestimate primary care expenditures by more than 10-fold.

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Feb. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study, titled "The General Public Vastly Overestimates Primary Care Spending in the US," published in Annals of Family Medicine, reveals that the public's perceptions of primary care spending are over ten times greater than actual expenditures. Researchers conducted an online survey of 1,135 U.S. adults, reflecting national demographics, and found that respondents estimated primary care accounts for 51.8% of total health care spending—even though actual spending is only 4.7%. Additionally, respondents believed that primary care addresses 58.7% of health care needs and rated its importance at 8.0 out of 10, very close to actual primary care utilization as a percentage of all ambulatory physician visits in the United States (50.3%).

These findings reveal a stark disconnect between public perception and actual primary care investment. Although respondents rated primary care as highly important—believing it addresses nearly 60% of health care needs—actual spending is more than 10-fold lower. This overestimation underscores chronic underinvestment in primary care, which contributes to workforce shortages, physician burnout, reduced access, and suboptimal care. The study's lead author, Melissa Ma, stated, "Our results show that the general public highly values primary care and would likely be startled to see how little is being spent on primary care compared to their estimates. This mismatch highlights the need for increased engagement of patients to support policies that affirm primary care's essential role in the health care system."

For additional details, please refer to the early access publication in Annals of Family Medicine.

Article Cited:

The General Public Vastly Overestimates Primary Care Spending in the United States

Melissa Ma, BS; Rebecca Etz, PhD; Andrew Bazemore, MD, MPH; Kevin Grumbach, MD

Annals of Family Medicine is an open access, peer-reviewed, indexed research journal that provides a cross-disciplinary forum for new, evidence-based information affecting the primary care disciplines. Launched in May 2003, Annals of Family Medicine is sponsored by seven family medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Board of Family Medicine, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, the Association of Departments of Family Medicine, the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors, the North American Primary Care Research Group, and the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Annals of Family Medicine is published online six times each year, charges no fee for publication, and contains original research from the clinical, biomedical, social, and health services areas, as well as contributions on methodology and theory, selected reviews, essays, and editorials. Complete editorial content and interactive discussion groups for each published article can be accessed for free on the journal's website, www.AnnFamMed.org.

SOURCE Annals of Family Medicine