Allison Coleman, CEO of Capital Link, said economic analysis included actual savings in the health care system, the money they generate in communities and what employees spend in their communities, among other things.

A previous study showed that there are 56 million Americans who have insurance but no regular primary health care largely due to physician shortages, said Dan Hawkins, policy director for the NACHC. Expanding centers would reduce the number of "medically underserved," save money and provide "an economic engine for mostly low-income communities" the centers serve.

The proposal is not without challenges. Expansion only works if there's an adequate work force. A future report will examine the impact of too few primary-care physicians being trained. And the centers also wrestle with capital needs such as expanded facilities and equipment, including health information technology, the report says.

Utah's 11 federally funded health centers operate at 30 different sites, 64 percent of them in rural communities. They employ 688 full-time staff, and the economic impact is estimated at $60.4 million.

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com