With poor primary care reimbursement from Medicare, this scenario was predictable. Vermont is now reaching out to high-schoolers to drum up primary care support:
Harrington said the only way to attract more doctors to primary care is to lighten the administrative load, increase Medicaid reimbursement rates and expand programs that help new doctors pay off medical school loans of up to $150,000.
Reardon says the Area Health Education Centers are working with ninth- and 10th-graders in Vermont to drum up interest in health careers and are helping to meet primary care educational needs, Reardon said.
