Primary Care Should Mean Primary Copay
Primary Care Should Mean Primary Copay
Keep Physical Therapy Affordable for Patients
Physical therapy helps people recover from injury, manage pain, and stay active — often without surgery, injections, opioids, imaging, or unnecessary doctor visits.
Physical therapists are already recognized as primary care providers in Utah.
Now we need copays to match.
When physical therapy is placed under a higher “specialty” copay, patients are penalized for choosing conservative, cost-effective care.
Why This Matters to Patients
For many people, a copay feels like the cost of one visit.
Physical therapy doesn’t work that way.
Most patients need multiple visits to fully recover — often 6 to 15 visits. When PT copays are $10–$50 higher per visit than primary care, the cost adds up quickly and becomes a barrier to care.
Higher copays lead to:
- Delayed treatment
- Incomplete recovery
- Worse outcomes
- Higher long-term healthcare costs
Patients should not be discouraged from finishing the care that helps them heal.
What We’re Asking
We are asking legislators to include physical therapy in the primary care copay, so patients are encouraged - not penalized - for choosing conservative care first.
This change:
- Aligns policy with existing law
- Improves patient access
- Reduces long-term healthcare costs
- Supports better outcomes
Take Action: Contact Your Senator
Hearing directly from patients makes a difference.
A short message from you - as a constituent - helps lawmakers understand how copays affect real people and real recovery.
Only 3 Quick Steps!
1 - Find your Senator
2 - Copy the email template you prefer
3 - Click the link to your senator. This will open your email app. With your Senators email and subject link. Copy the email you prefer in the body and hit send!
Step 1: Find Your Senator
You can find your Utah State Senator by entering your address here:
Find Your Senator:
https://le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp
Once you locate your senator, you’ll see their email address and phone number. Copy their email address or save their phone number.
Step 2: Send a Message (Template Below)
Your personal story matters more than perfect wording. Even a few sentences about your experience can make a big difference.
You can copy and paste the message below, or personalize it with your own experience.
COPY MESSAGE HERE:
Option A:
Subject: Higher Copays Made me Reconsider
Subject: Physical therapy helped me — higher copays almost stopped me Hello Senator [Last Name], I’m a constituent from [City], and I wanted to share why this issue matters to me as a patient. Physical therapy played a big role in helping me recover and get back to my normal life. What many people don’t realize is that PT isn’t just one visit. It often takes several weeks, and when copays are higher than primary care, the cost can become overwhelming. Here’s my story: Physical therapy is conservative care that can prevent more expensive treatments later. I hope you’ll support including PT in the primary care copay so patients like me can get the care we need without financial barriers. Thank you for your time and for listening to patients. Sincerely,[Your Name] [City] |
| COPY MESSAGE HERE: Option B: I’m a constituent from [City], and I wanted to share why this issue matters to me as a patient. Physical therapy played a big role in helping me recover and get back to my normal life. What many people don’t realize is that PT isn’t just one visit. It often takes several weeks, and when copays are higher than primary care, the cost can become overwhelming. Here’s my story: [In your own words, explain what you were dealing with, how PT helped, and how cost impacted your decisions.] Physical therapy is conservative care that can prevent more expensive treatments later. I hope you’ll support including PT in the primary care copay so patients like me can get the care we need without financial barriers. Thank you for your time and for listening to patients. Sincerely, [Your Name] [City] |