Direct Primary Care, or DPC, is a great way to avoid the high cost of health insurance while still keeping an eye on your well-being. DPC memberships are as little as $100 per month, and they give patients near-unlimited access to their doctor for questions, consultations, and primary care services. Learn more in our Direct Primary Care blog below.
What a DPC membership does not offer is emergency coverage. If you’re a DPC member and you don’t have other health insurance, a simple trip to the ER could end up costing you tens of thousands of dollars. According to the NIH, the “significant financial risk” of being uninsured against hospital costs is linked with not only bankruptcy, but also poorer health in retirement.
DPC members need to have a plan for unexpected or emergency medical costs. Fortunately, there’s a way to do that while keeping your DPC and still paying less than you would for “traditional” insurance.
Health Sharing + Direct Primary Care Explained: Adding Emergency Coverage to Your DPC
Pairing your DPC membership with a Health Sharing Plan will ensure that you’re covered for both routine and emergency medical services. New health sharing plans are hitting the market that are designed to work exclusively with DPC memberships. These specialized health sharing programs are less expensive than other healthshare plans, because they don’t have to include the things that are already covered by your DPC.
Here’s how DPC can work alongside Health Sharing:
- You enroll in a Direct Primary Care membership in your area. Direct Primary Care Coalition)
- Once your DPC is active, you can enroll in a healthshare program specifically designed to work with a DPC membership, like DPC Direct. (Your Personal Benefits Manager can help you with this when you’re ready).
- When you need to see a doctor to either ask a question or check on a symptom, you can do so at any time. Your DPC membership allows you to make any primary care appointments that you need in exchange for a single monthly fee.
- If you incur a large or unexpected medical expense, like an unfortunate trip to the ER, your healthshare plan can pay the bill.
DPC Direct: The Best Health Plan to Pair with Your DPC
Compare Pricing on the Best HealthShare Plans Available
Pairing DPC and Healthshare: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is Direct Primary Care (DPC)?
A: Direct Primary Care insurance, or just DPC, is an alternative healthcare model where a patient pays a flat monthly or yearly fee in exchange for regular, and sometimes unlimited primary care services. DPC memberships allow their members to visit their doctor without having to worry about copays or deductibles.
Q: What is Health Sharing / What is a Healthshare Plan?
A: Healthcare Cost Sharing, known more commonly as Healthshare, is an alternative healthcare model where like-minded individuals come together to share the cost of medical expenses. Healthshare plans are often provided by faith-based Health Care Sharing Ministries (HCSMs), however, membership is open to people of all religions and backgrounds.
Healthshare plans are popular because they are generally more affordable than traditional insurance. They are designed to cover the costs of unexpected or emergency medical costs only, so they are a viable way for healthy people to save some money.
Q: Which Healthshare Plans Work with DPC?
A: MPB Direct is a health sharing plan that has been designed specifically to work with established DPC memberships. You can only enroll in MPB Direct if you already have a DPC membership in place. Once you enroll, you’ll be saving a lot of money even compared to other healthshare programs. You’ll also be adding valuable emergency coverage to your healthcare strategy.
Note: MPB Direct and Zion Health are a part of the same healthcare sharing community; Both companies offer the same DPC healthshare plan.
Q: Do I need catastrophic health insurance with DPC?
A: DPC patients are encouraged to secure some form of catastrophic coverage to protect themselves from massive hospital and ER bills. Healthshare plans like MPB Direct provide this catastrophic protection while being more affordable than regular marketplace health insurance.
Q: Can I use an HSA to pay for DPC?
Q: How do I Look for Direct Primary Care insurance by State?
A: The Direct Primary Care Coalition hosts an online database where you can find DPC-participating physicians in your area.
Q: What’s the Best Healthshare Plan for DPC?
Get Free, Expert Help from a Personal Benefits Manager
Not all healthshare plans can be configured to work with Direct Primary Care. If you need to switch healthshare companies, your Personal Benefits Manage can help get you into a plan that works with DPC.
Click here to schedule a free appointment.
Want to keep reading? Learn more about How to Pair a Health Sharing Plan with your Direct Primary Care (DPC) Membership | Is a DPC Plan Right For You? A Guide on Direct Primary Care Pros and Cons!
You can also read our Healthshare plans comparision guide or Oregon DPC Guide.
You can also learn more on our DPC Direct Primary Care page.
Where Can I Find A DPC Practice?
Use the map below to find a DPC practice in your area. Note that some may not be accepting new patients at this time.
The drop pins that are Blue are DPC offices with whom we have a personal relationship, and that are currently accepting new patients. You can also see past issues of our DPC Newsletter that we mail out to our DPC Partners. (Attention doctors and patients: if you do not see your DPC clinic on the map, please click here to add your clinic.)
