Massachusetts Senate advances bill to ease primary care doctor shortage

30% of Massachusetts residents report difficulty finding primary care

Massachusetts Senate leaders on Thursday advanced legislation intended to address a growing shortage of primary care doctors, unveiling a plan that would offer free medical school tuition for students entering primary care and create a new Medicaid program to fund residency positions in community-based settings.

The bill, which leaders said would come to a vote Thursday, follows a 2025 report from the Center for Health Information and Analysis that found 30% of Massachusetts residents had difficulty accessing primary care in the prior year.

State Senator Jason Lewis said the legislation is designed to expand the state’s primary care workforce. “The research is clear — access to high quality primary care improves long-term health outcomes for patients and makes healthcare more affordable for everyone,” Lewis said. “I’m very pleased that the state Senate is committed to addressing the state’s shortage of primary care providers and increasing access to high-quality, affordable healthcare.”

The legislation builds on a state law passed in early June that allocated $10 million in scholarships for UMass Chan Medical School students who agree to practice family medicine in underserved Massachusetts communities after they graduate. The new bill would expand that approach by covering full tuition for medical students who commit to primary care, and would not limit the program to in-state students, though it would allow UMass to prioritize Massachusetts residents, according to Senate leaders.

The bill also establishes a Medicaid Graduate Medical Education program to help cover the cost of residency and fellowship positions, with the requirement that postgraduate training take place in community-based healthcare settings. Training would focus on primary care, behavioral health and other areas with documented provider shortages. Senate leaders said they also intend to address the administrative burdens that primary care providers face, which can lead to burnout and reduce the time they spend with patients.

The shortage has created acute access problems for patients across the state. Fairhaven resident Noelle Aubin said she has been trying to find a new primary care doctor since November 2025 after her former physician left Hawthorn Medical Associates. She was given a 60-day prescription and told by the practice that if she could not find a doctor before it ran out, she could get refills at urgent care or the emergency department.

None of the providers Hawthorn suggested are near Aubin, she said, and even if she were willing to travel to them, they could not schedule an appointment until August. When she called Southcoast Health, she said she was told that no doctors were available and was placed on a waitlist.

“I’ve been calling around and practically begging my friends and family to ask their doctors to take me in,” Aubin said in an email. “These large corporations are not focusing on primary care — they are focusing on finding doctors who can make the corporation more and more money.”

The Massachusetts push comes as states across the country experiment with approaches to healthcare workforce challenges. MSI has previously reported on immigration policy’s effects on hospital staffing and on Utah’s pilot program allowing artificial intelligence to renew prescriptions without a doctor’s direct review.