The health policy journal club is an interdisciplinary, inter-professional group convened monthly by the Farley Health Policy Center to discuss timely topics in health policy. A curated selection of high-yield articles provides the basis for discussion. Past topics have included income inequality and health, professionalism in medicine, patients as consumers, and adjusting payment for measures of social risk. This page presents the reading list from the most recent journal club.

This month’s discussion examined the structural challenges facing U.S. primary care, including chronic underinvestment, workforce strain, and rising administrative complexity—all of which limit the system’s ability to deliver accessible, high‑quality care. We explored proposed federal and state policy strategies to strengthen primary care infrastructure, reduce burdens on clinicians, and realign financing and delivery systems to better support sustained, comprehensive primary care.

The Primary Care Crisis

Rosenbaum L. Misunderstandings - Not Otherwise Specified Episode 3.3: The Forever Crisis of Primary Care. October 29, 2025. NEJM Perspective.

Jabbarpour Y, Jetty A, Byun H, Siddiqi A, Park J. The Cost of Neglect: How Chronic Underinvestment in Primary Care is Failing US Patients. The Health of US Primary Care: 2025 Scorecard Report. The Robert Graham Center.

Policy Levers to Strengthen Primary Care

O'Malley AS, Gupta DP, Rich EC, Lewis C. Administrative Burden in Primary Care: Causes and Potential Solutions. Commonwealth Fund Issue Brief. October 2, 2025.

Bitton A. Primary Care Needs a Triple Double: A Call to Action. Milbank Memorial Fund Blog. November 19, 2025.

The Triple Double: Doubling Down on Primary Care. NACHC Dr. John W. Hatch Center for Science, the Robert Graham Center, and the Milbank Memorial Fund.

Primary Care Investment Guide. Harvard Center for Primary Care. December 2025. Executive Summary and Recommendations pages 1-8.

Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: A Policy Menu for States. August 2025. National Academy for State Health Policy and the Milbank Memorial Fund.