MASSACHUSETTS IS RECOGNIZED as having one of the best healthcare systems in the country, home to some of the most forward-thinking physicians, hospitals, and medical research. Our medical schools remain world-class, attracting some of the profession’s premier experts as well as the next generation of physicians. Time and again, our state has been the leader of innovation in healthcare reform, driving change and acting as a beacon for systems across the country.

However, when it comes to the foundation of healthcare here in Massachusetts – our primary care system – the model is broken, and only getting worse.  Primary care is a cornerstone of medicine, but the current system in our state is failing both patients and primary care clinicians.

Every day at primary care offices across the Commonwealth, new patients calling for basic healthcare services are either being turned away or asked to endure exorbitant wait times. For Massachusetts families, this is a full-blown crisis. There are not enough primary care clinicians in the state and those left in the profession are aging out – one third of the workforce is already over the age of 60. Others are burning out, reducing their hours, or leaving the field altogether.

The consequences of diminished access to affordable and timely primary care services are predictable, but also deeply troubling – money ends up being spent on unnecessary hospital and emergency care to treat conditions that become exacerbated due to primary care that is out of reach. ERs are overrun and taking the place of primary care. For those who are lucky enough to see their primary care, fees such as co-pays and deductibles are significant obstacles, making primary care increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible.

The good news is there is a thoughtful and clear solution before the Massachusetts Legislature.

A bill introduced this session by Senator Cindy F. Friedman, “An Act relative to primary care for you,” would reform how primary care practices are paid, driving optimal and equitable health outcomes, and significantly reducing unnecessary emergency department use and hospitalizations.

The legislation would double the percentage the state spends on primary care over three years, from 6-8 percent currently to 12-15 percent, while shifting the way the state administers and pays for primary care. Other states have implemented similar models – Delaware, Rhode Island, and Oregon have all begun requiring that around 10 percent of total medical expenses are spent on primary care.

This proposed legislation would eliminate deductibles and copays for patients at practices who opt-in. The power of primary care emanates from the patient-clinician relationship. Free primary care (no copays/deductibles) would be a complete gamechanger, allowing patients to build on these relationships and achieve better health. The evidence is clear. Primary care delivers better health and increased equity at a lower cost. This legislation removes obstacles between the patient and primary care.

The bill would double primary care investment without increasing insurance premiums. Primary care clinicians and their teams would be incentivized to invest in an extensive menu of evidence-based services for their patients, including integrated behavioral health, addiction care, health coaches, home care, expanded telehealth options, and extended office hours.

This legislation would pay for itself in four years, by reducing unnecessary emergency department visits and hospitalizations. In the first four years, large hospital systems and commercial payers would be asked to make a small investment in primary care to cover the cost of the legislation. There will be a significant return on investment for hospitals, payers, and the Commonwealth for decades to come.

While we appreciate the complexity of this issue, it is critical that state policymakers recognize the status quo is no longer acceptable. This legislation has received the support of nine major Massachusetts healthcare organizations, including Healthcare for All, UMass Memorial, the Massachusetts Medical Society, and the Massachusetts Academy of Family Physicians, to name a few. No primary care physician wants to turn away new patients or ask their existing patients to wait for months, but without the necessary support structures in place they have no choice and things are getting worse.

Bottom line: increasing investment in primary care delivers better health and increased equity for less cost. It is imperative that we urgently invest in primary care to deliver an expanded workforce with more clinicians and primary care team members. Every Massachusetts resident deserves equitable access to high-quality primary care as the cornerstone of a healthcare system in Massachusetts that is high value for everyone, establishing a viable blueprint for the rest of the nation.

Dr. Wayne Altman is a practicing family medicine physician in Arlington and also serves as the chair of family medicine at Tufts University.