What is the goal of strengthening Medicare and Primary Care?

• A. To privatize care
• B. To improve access, equity, and system efficiency
• C. To raise patient costs
• D. To reduce the number of clinics

Answer: (B)

Strengthening Medicare and primary care is about making care easier to get, fairer for everyone, and more efficient for the health system as a whole. When primary care is strong, people can access GP services and preventive care without prohibitive costs, and clinicians can manage chronic conditions early and coordinate care before problems become serious. This expands access by removing financial and logistical barriers, supports equity by ensuring universal coverage reaches all population groups, and boosts efficiency by reducing unnecessary hospital visits and duplicative tests through better continuity and coordination of care.

Choosing options that push privatization, raise out-of-pocket costs, or reduce the number of clinics would undermine these aims: privatization can widen gaps in access and affordability; higher patient costs deter people from seeking needed care; and cutting clinics would limit access and worsen fragmentation, not improve system performance.