Primary Care Investment Target Proposed in Delaware

The Delaware Department of Insurance Office of Value-Based Healthcare Delivery has recommended three “affordability standards,” including a primary care investment target that aims to increase investment in primary care services by 1.0% to 1.5% a year until 2025.

As outlined in a new report, the goal is to more than double spending on primary care in the fully commercial market, bringing per member, per month spending on primary care services in Delaware to levels consistent with leading states. The other affordability standards aim to decrease growth in health care prices for certain services and expand adoption of alternative payment models.

“An effective healthcare environment requires a strong primary care system, but it also requires shared standards that define success and progress. The multi-pronged approach announced today aims to increase primary care investment without increasing the total cost of healthcare or health insurance premiums,” said Commissioner Trinidad Navarro in a press release. “We are grateful to our many partners who shared their data and experience during the process of building these guidelines. Now we ask the public as a whole to share their feedback on this report.”

When Delaware adopts a primary care investment target, it will join other pioneering states like Rhode Island, Oregon, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

“Strong primary care is associated with better health outcomes, greater equity, and lower health care costs per person,” says Milbank Memorial Fund program officer Rachel Block. “It is our hope that by investing in primary care, which has been weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic, states will see these benefits.”