Direct Care provides services based on membership. Most direct care models bill a monthly membership fee - like a gym. In exchange for the membership fee, there are services that are included. For example, for Direct Integrative Care, there are 20 face to face visits and 100 telephone and telemedicine visits. For the majority of patients, above should suffice meeting their integrative/functional/lifestyle needs.
Because Direct Care model is NOT an insurance, the limitations on membership (again like a gym) is limited to services at the specific clinic. I recommend to my patients that an access to high deductible insurance (also known as catastrophic health insurance) and/or health share ministry should be considered.
For a high deductible insurance, you should find a licensed insurance agent/broker. To be clear, health share ministry IS NOT insurance. It is estimated that more than 1 million Americans participated in health care sharing as of Feb of 2019 sharing more than $670 million in medical bills annually. The membership is growing due to the fact the cost of membership in health care sharing ministry is generally lower than the cost of insurance rates. (Source: Wikipedia). Just like insurance products, not all health sharing ministries are made equal. Below is an article that reviewed 10 best health share plans.
Top 3 were:
Zion Health has two unique features:
Zion Health does not decline membership to anyone based on their religious beliefs
Zion Health offers a membership plan that includes Direct Primary Care
A suggestion was made to add Sedera
Below is a review of Sedera.
I am grateful that there is more interfacing of health share ministry and direct care model.
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