Affordable healthcare options in Houston – without insurance!

HUSTON – Health insurance can be costly for families and employers. But did you know that you have other options to cover yourself and avoid paying a tax penalty? There is concierge medicine, which can give you exclusive access to your primary care doctor, a true VIP service. And there is direct primary care, which is all specialty treatment, at a more affordable cost.

We first told you about direct primary care in 2021. Since then, it has grown; a simple internet search turns up many options in Houston.

Here are just a few:

Some doctors choose this path because they want to really get to know their patients. Dr. Bhavana Rao told us in traditional family medicine is not always possible.

“If you have a 15-minute visit and you have five issues to discuss. It’s hard for everyone you know,” said Dr. Rao.

That’s why she liked the straightforward idea primary care, AKA a monthly subscription for doctors. You pay monthly subscriptions for all kinds of services, so why not use them for your doctor?

How much does direct medical care really cost?

“Direct primary care practices do not submit any invoices or receipts for consultations, two insurances. And it’s much more affordable,” said Dr. Rao.

With direct primary care, you pay an annual or monthly fee and may receive benefits such as same-day appointments, phone calls, and/or text messages with your doctor. This can be at any time of the day or night.

“Yeah, the only doctor I’ve ever had or know of will text, like she’ll text to make sure we’re okay. Or if we have a question. We will send her a message. And she’ll be back to us like, in short, I mean, within half an hour for sure,” said patient Jeff Newkirk.

What about health care for children?

The Newkirk family has used this type of medical care for years. Their kids can use the service too and they don’t even live here!

“We have three college kids. And whenever they have a problem, they just you know, they’ll call me and say, ‘Hey, Mom, I feel like this.’ And I’ll say well, get in touch, Dr. Rao. And they do and she takes care of everything virtually,” said Diane Newkirk.

The Newkirks say they don’t need traditional health insurance now. It can be a scary thought, but Sunil says it can work for many families.

“We know car insurance is for accidents, homeowners insurance, we know if it’s something we can pay out of pocket and fix. We will not go to insurance. But health insurance in this country is framed, so the way it’s framed is something you have to use for everything. And insurance is not built for that insurance is built for something that is rare,” said Sunil Vashsist.

How does direct care compare to traditional insurance?

Let’s break this down. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average person pays $7,470 for health insurance each year. Plus copays, prescriptions, and whatever else it takes to meet your deductible. To compare this to direct primary care, the average annual cost for an entire family is $21,342 at Meridian Springs Primary Care.

How much is the monthly membership fee?

“It’s $75 for adults and we have discounted rates for children, for children under 21, and that’s $15 per child,” said Dr. Rao.

We checked, and $75 is about average for a direct primary care service. Some direct accesses cost a little more or a little less, but most are in this park. If you pay $75 a month for a year. A family of four would pay about $2,160. This is without any insurance for an emergency hospital stay or surgery.

Newkirk says his family wouldn’t consider going back to the old way of health insurance.

“No way. No, because that’s too stressful. You know, the old way is stressful. You never know what specialist you may go to that is covered here. You know, you know, Dr. Rao will be there. She is accessible. She gets to know you as a person and a patient because she cares and takes time. There’s no way to replace him,” Newkirk said.

CONNECTED: More about direct primary care

What if you need a specialist?

If you are someone who needs specialized care such as dialysis, cancer patients or someone with an autoimmune disease, chances are this type of medicine will not work for you. But if you’re in the vast majority who only need primary care and generic prescription drugs, this could save you money. Many direct primary care physicians network with each other to find specialists who will either offer a discount for out-of-pocket patients. Newkirk says that when the family needs specialized care, Dr. Rao points them in the right direction.

“She has doctors that she’ll put you in touch with, or places that will offer some kind of discount for someone who doesn’t have like the insurance that, you know, the general public has. And you know, it saves you money that way,” Diane Newkirk said.

CONNECTED: Affordable health care for those in need

How do you cover the cost of prescriptions?

Surprisingly, many prescriptions can already be cheaper without insurance. Dr. Rao encourages patients to use GoodRX.com to find coupons for low-cost drugs. If you qualify for Medicare, you can also purchase insurance plans specifically to cover prescription drugs.

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