There is a boom in community health centers. The problem is, finding physicians to staff them:

Administration officials say they are doing their part, increasing health center funding by $645 million (about 48 percent) since the beginning of the 2002 fiscal year. Much of the money goes to hire and pay medical professionals, said James Macrae, associate administrator for primary health care in the Health Resources and Services Administration.

“We have put a significant amount of money . . . to really support bringing physicians, nurse practitioners and certified midwives into underserved communities,” said Macrae, whose agency is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. “At the same time, we also recognize that there is a need for getting more people interested in providing care to the underserved.”

Try reimbursing primary care properly and the problem is solved. The answer really is that simple.