Primary care is at the heart of health reform in Minnesota.

Both the United States and Minnesota are facing an impending shortage of primary care physicians and other providers just as the population is aging and needing their services more than ever. At the same time, policy makers are heralding primary care as essential to health care reform. This article explains why primary care is the focus of so much attention. It also summarizes the work of the Governor's Health Care Reform Task Force and reports its recommendations for increasing access to primary care in Minnesota.