Committee hears bill to let primary care practices charge $10/month from commercially insured patients

Summary

The House Committee on Corporations heard testimony on HB6353, the Primary Care Preservation Act, which would let primary care providers collect a capped $10 monthly practice support fee from commercially insured patients to stabilize operations; witnesses said the fee could have saved recent large practices from closing.

Representative Marie Hopkins introduced House Bill 6353, the Primary Care Preservation Act, at the House Committee on Corporations on June 5, 2025, proposing a voluntary, contract-law change to let primary care providers collect a capped practice support fee from commercially insured patients to shore up struggling practices.

Hopkins said Rhode Island faces a primary care crisis and framed the bill as a narrow, market-based tool to keep practices open. "This is a hail Mary," Hopkins said, describing a cap of $10 per patient per month (or $120 per year), with Medicare and Medicaid patients carved out and a family cap to be added in drafting. She told the committee the measure would be voluntary and that nurse practitioners would be included in revisions.

Three physician witnesses described the financial pressures facing private practices and supported the bill. Dr. Nathan Baraha, retired…

Committee hears bill to let primary care practices charge $10/month from commercially insured patients

Summary

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