Hawaii, Wyoming lead the country in primary care doctor shortages
The United States is short more than 17,000 primary care doctors—a number almost as high as the deficit in dental and mental health professionals combined.
A variety of factors have led to the worsening shortage. The high cost and time commitment required to become a doctor, an aging population outpacing the number of doctors entering the field, and burnout stemming from long hours and understaffed facilities rank high among them.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth grew exponentially for first-time consultations and follow-ups. Even with most lockdowns and social restrictions having ended, telehealth remains a viable option for outpatient consultations and pre-office evaluations largely because it's easier and more convenient to access than having to commute to a doctor's office.
In addition to telehealth, some areas offer programs designed to help fill the medical needs gap. According to the National Association of Community Health Centers, there has been a significant increase in mobile health clinics—clinics that travel into underserved communities to see patients—since 2019. Moreover, Congress' passage of the MOBILE Healthcare Act in 2022 paves the way for even more mobile clinics by allowing qualified providers to use federal money to fund them. But despite this and other initiatives, some 99 million people live in areas—both rural and urban—where there is insufficient access to primary medical care.
Sana compiled 2022 data from the Health Resources and Services Administration and Census Bureau to determine how many people in each state live in geographic Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) that specifically lack primary care facilities. States are ranked by the share of their total populations that live in geographic shortage areas and high-need geographic shortage areas—those with higher-than-average needs for care that have a doctor-to-patient ratio of 3000-to-1 or higher. Washington D.C., New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, and Vermont did not have reported shortage areas.
Read on to see where your state stands.
