Primary care is the foundation of a healthier, more equitable New York—and today, it is under growing strain. A new data brief from the New York Health Foundation and the Primary Care Development Corporation highlights the urgent challenges facing primary care in 2025, including workforce shortages, uneven access across rural and underserved communities, and chronic underinvestment that drives higher costs and average outcomes—despite New York leading the nation in health care spending at more than $300 billion annually.

What the New Data Shows

New Yorkers rely on primary care for prevention, chronic disease management, and affordable, continuous care. Yet access remains uneven, with many communities facing limited provider availability and higher rates of preventable emergency department use. These inequities disproportionately affect Black and Latino New Yorkers and contribute to billions in avoidable costs each year.

Some critical statewide challenges identified in this brief include:

• A strained workforce marked by slow physician growth, provider shortages, and impending retirements.

• Reduced access in rural communities, where lower provider density and infrastructure barriers drive poorer outcomes.

• Chronic underinvestment, with only an estimated 3–5% of health care spending directed to primary care despite strong evidence of its impact on health, costs, and equity.