Have you ever heard of direct primary care? I had not heard about it until recently. And I’m really disappointed it took me so long to find out about it. Direct primary care is a model that is becoming more and more popular and changing the way we look at healthcare. So, for anyone wanting to see a change in healthcare, I think direct primary care is the way we change medicine and the doctor’s office.
I Gave Direct Primary Care A Chance
I don’t have insurance. And I have never had it in my adult life. It is expensive. I’m not about that life. And that’s fine, I don’t get sick often and when I do I got to urgent care. I’ve been to urgent cares and I’ve been in the hospital and because I didn’t have insurance those hospitals worked with me since I didn’t have insurance. But it was still expensive, and because I saw a different doctor every time I didn’t get the help I needed and nearly died because of it. Everyone had different opinions, gave me medication I shouldn’t have had, and I wasn’t properly diagnosed for about a month.
My frustration was, if you have chronic issues and sometimes acute, it is hard to get them taken care of in urgent care with a different doctor every time. So, I decided to do some searching for a doctor. And I came across this direct primary care doctor’s office. Needless to say, I was interested.
And after making some phone calls, meeting the doctor, seeing the office, I signed up and I regret nothing.
What Is Direct Primary Care?
Direct primary care (DPC) is a model that practices a payment model where patients pays the doctor directly. They don’t take insurance, rather you pay a monthly fee in exchange of a number of primary care and medical services. A lot of services are covered under the fee. However, there are some services you will have to pay out of pocket. BUT, a lot of these services are paid based on wholesale prices and what the doctor pays. And they also help you find the most affordable places to go.
In case you don’t know, insurance causes prices to go up considerably. For example, if I needed a pap smear I would pay $100-$200 at most doctor’s offices. At mine, it is included under the monthly fee unless pathology is needed then it would cost me $25. Wholesale labs and discounted imaging is a lot more affordable.
Going to urgent care or other similar medical facilities costed me $95-$200 just for the visit before treatment, medicines, etc.
Video: Direct Primary Care (DPC) A Health Care Revolution
Why Is Direct Primary Care Better?
Since direct primary care doctors don’t take insurance (you can use it, but you have to put the claims in yourself) they’re not beholden to these insurance companies. Insurance companies at the end of the day dictate the healthcare you get. That means these doctors can focus on your health.
Not to mention, many of these doctors don’t take as many patients. They don’t have to because of the monthly fees. This means they can spend more time with you. My doctor the first time I went to see her, spent 1 1/2 hours with me. The second time she spent an hour with me.
And you still get preventative care, acute care visits, wellness checks, chronic care, and even more under these fees. The focus of direct primary care is that they want to do medicine and take care of patients the way it used to be.
They want a good doctor patient relationship. You can get same day or next day visits, home visits, extended hours, tech access, and more. My doctor even has a special line where you can get a hold of her 24/7 in case of emergencies. It’s amazing.
What Is The Drawback Of Primary Care?
You still may want to have insurance. If you ever go to the hospital you will want insurance more than likely. Direct primary care does not cover these things, only the care in their doctors office. So, it may not work out for you if you have to pay a monthly fee for your primary care and then still have to pay insurance for emergencies.
Personally, I don’t. Is it a bad idea? Maybe, but it’s what works for me. So, that is something to consider.
Understand that you will still have to pay for certain tests and supplements and medications do add up. Things like Goodrx can help, but most of it you’re gonna pay. It’s still cheaper for me in the end than if I was going to urgent care, but it does add up if you need a lot. I needed a lot, I hadn’t been to a doctor and had things checked out in about 15 years and needless to say…I had some leaks.
Healthcare Needs To Change
We all complain about healthcare. It’s too expensive and big pharma doesn’t care about us. I do not believe in universal healthcare. It’s not as great as other countries make it out to be, they’re taxed to high heavens, and they don’t have to use as much money for their military because of the US (I’m talking about NATO countries), so they have that ability.
America is much bigger, we take care of most of the world, and we are already taxed already and we get very little in return. We see how the government takes care of our veterans, first responders, our elderly, our schools, our roads, and us… I can’t imagine how our country would take care of universal healthcare.
Why Do I Think Direct Primary Care Will Make A Difference?
Now, this brings me to my point. Why do I think direct primary care make a difference?
It brings back the doctor patient relationship. Doctors aren’t trying to get as many patients in as possible. They can take time to talk to you, get to know you, and help you with any problems that arise. My doctor is helping me heal the base problems rather than sticking duct tape on all the cracks. And I appreciate that, and she has the time to do that.
Wholesale prices are so much better than what most doctors charge and I always have access to my doctor. This is a way to make healthcare more affordable, more accessible, and more organic like it once was. I mean, what doctor is willing to do extended hours without a fee or make house calls anymore? I think this may be the answer to making healthcare more affordable to those who are generally forgotten which is the middle class.
Lower income families can usually get government help with Medicaid. Wealthy folks can afford insurance. The elderly get Medicare and the VA get healthcare from the government. And if you work for the state or a business and at least 40 hours you get insurance. But what about homemakers? What about independent contractors? What about middle class who are still living paycheck to paycheck? It feels like middle class and certain groups get left out and I think this is a great solution.
How Much Does Direct Primary Care Cost?
So, this question we’ve all been waiting for. How much does direct primary care cost? The answer is… I don’t know what it costs for every doctor. I’m sure some areas are more expensive and some areas are cheaper. I pay $60 a month. However, after some research it seems it can cost anywhere from $50-$150 and maybe in some places more. And because of that it makes more sense for me to pay $60 a month than paying $500 for insurance for myself.
What All Is Covered With My Direct Primary Care Doctor?
This may not be for everyone, but this is what MY doctor’s office covers. I’m showing you this, because I want to give you an idea of what is covered. But every doctor’s office is different I’m sure.
Visits
- Annual Exams- woman and men’s wellness
- Well Child Visits
- Sports Physicals
- Mental Health Care
- Occupations Physical Exam
- Chronic Disease Management
- Urgent Sick Care
- Weight Loss Management
- Preventive and Wellness
- Dermatology Exam With Skin Mapping
- Home Pediatric Sick Visit
- Family Planning
- Pre-Surgical Clearance
- Hospital Follow-up
- Aesthetic/Botox Consultation
- Pre-Travel Counseling
- Acute Osteopathic Manipulation
Procedures
- Stitches
- Minor Skin Lesion Removal and Biopsies
- Join Injection
- Cryotherapy for Warts and Lesions
- EKG
- Trigger Point Injections
- Spirometry
- Nebulizer Treatment
- Cyst/Lipoma Removal
- Irrigation and Drainage of Abscess
- Ingrown/Fungal Toenail Removal
- Casting/Splinting
- Paper Smear
Labs
- Rapid Step
- Urine Analysis
- Blood Glucose
- Urine Pregnancy
- Fecal Occult Blood Test
They also have flu, but it costs $10. Which is cheaper than the $135 at the urgent care. The rest of the tests are at wholesale price so it doesn’t cost me a kidney to get tests done.
My Final Thoughts On Direct Primary Care
I think we need to learn to take care of ourselves. We need to have good diets, move, and know the basic home remedies to treat ourselves. But sometimes we need help. I have PCOS, autoimmune problems, and hyperthyroidism all caused by leaky gut and very high inflammation in my body. Obviously, I need help treating those and I needed answers. My doctor is helping me treat the base of the problem so I can heal hopefully without life long meds.
It’s okay to need help and it’s okay to be wary of doctors. Like I said allopathic medicine has a purpose alongside with natural medicine. And in my case it is working in good harmony. But I genuinely think we should be supporting things like direct primary care. It gets doctors thinking about the patients and gives patients the piece of mind knowing that they have a doctor that isn’t going to charge them $1,000 for a visit and a couple tests.
We need to take our health and our healthcare back from big pharma and insurance companies and I think this is the best way. And in my case, it’s more affordable, because I’m stuck in the middle. I’m not poor, I’m not rich, but I’m blessed in the middle. And this is a great thing for people like me who are stuck in the middle without a lot of help. I dunno, I think it is a really great idea and I would like to see more people supporting this as patients and as doctors.
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What do you think about direct primary care? Have you heard about it before?
