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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 14, 2025
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Marty Johnson, (202) 420-7424; mjohnson@communityplans.

STUDY: Safety Net Health Plans Promote Innovative Solutions To National Provider Workforce Shortage

WASHINGTON — ­A new study from the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) published Tuesday outlines steps Safety Net Health Plans are taking to combat the nationwide health care provider shortage.

The national provider shortage, which increases patient wait times and the burden on health care providers is most acutely felt among patients that receive health coverage through Medicaid. Primary care physicians and behavioral health providers, especially in rural areas, are expected to become particularly scarce.

“Doing more with less is in the DNA of Safety Net Health Plans. So it’s no surprise that our members are forging new provider pipelines in innovative ways,” said ACAP CEO Margaret A. Murray. “Still, they can’t do this on their own ­­— without increased Federal and state support, the wave of provider shortages our plans are seeing will become a tsunami. This brief shows how our plans have built a menu of items for policymakers to consider.”

The study demonstrates innovative models that Safety Net Health Plans are piloting in growing the Medicaid workforce. The training and retention of doctors, nurses, therapists, and allied health professionals requires a complex combination of economic, educational and social forces. ACAP plans demonstrate a wide range of routes to success, with tailored programs that leverage their community’s strengths — spanning tuition assistance, job training, and housing supports.

Featured ACAP member plans that are working to build and sustain the health care workforce include:

• Kern Family Health Care (Calif.): Committed $10 million to the Healthcare Workforce Expansion Initiative to elevate local health care training;
• CareOregon: Addressed housing shortages affecting providers and other community members by transforming a hotel in Seaside, Ore. into residences for health care workers and supportive housing for plan members with behavioral health needs;
• AlohaCare (Hawaii): Awarded roughly $400,000 in educational scholarships to students pursuing degrees in health and social care since its founding in 1994;
• UPMC for You (Pa.): Graduated more than 200 students since 2021 from its six-week training program, Freedom House 2.0, which helps students become medical assistants, patient care technicians, or community health workers.

Read the study in full at communityplans.net.

ABOUT ACAP
ACAP represents 85 health plans, which collectively provide health coverage to more than 30 million people. Safety Net Health Plans serve their members through Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Marketplace and other publicly-sponsored health programs. For more information, visit communityplans.net.

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