What Is Direct Primary Care?
Direct primary care (DPC) lets you pay a monthly fee so you can see your primary doctor at any time.
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The monthly fee to join a direct primary care office is usually between $50 to $100 per month. However, direct primary care isn't the same thing as health insurance, and most people still need health insurance to help pay for emergencies.
What is direct primary care?
Direct primary care (DPC) is a membership system where you pay a monthly fee to see your doctor at any time.
Your monthly membership fee usually covers the costs for primary care, like office visits, lab work and certain procedures.
Direct primary care is designed to give you more time with your doctor. That closer relationship can help your doctor treat you more holistically, focusing on your overall health and wellness rather than only treating specific issues as they come up.
How does direct primary care work?
If you want to join a direct primary care office, you have to pay a fee. Usually, this is a monthly fee, although sometimes it's quarterly or yearly. The fee gives you access to your doctor's office. DPCs also often include networks, so your doctor can refer you elsewhere for tests and care that they can't do themselves.
Most direct primary care offices have around 400 patients, while traditional doctor's offices have around 1,800 to 2,000. A smaller number of patients lets DPC doctors take more time with each person and get to know their individual health needs and concerns.
When you need medical care, you call and set an appointment just like you normally would. Nearly all DPC doctors offer same-day appointments, which means you can get care quickly if you need it. But instead of running your appointment through your insurance and paying for part of the cost yourself, you don't usually have to pay anything. Your membership fee covers most of your medical care, although some offices still charge a per-visit fee.
Do I still need health insurance if I have DPC?
You should still have regular health insurance even if you have a direct primary care membership. DPCs only pay for primary care, which means you're still on the hook to pay for things like emergency room and specialist visits, prescription medications, hospital costs and the cost for specialized care.
If you have the money in the bank to pay a high share of your medical bills yourself if you have an emergency, you could consider a Catastrophic or Bronze plan. These plans aren't right for most people because you have to pay a large share of your medical bills yourself. But if you're mostly healthy and have savings, they can be a good way to get coverage for emergencies.
Both Catastrophic and Bronze plans are considered high-deductible health plans as of Jan. 1, 2026. This means you can pair them with a health savings account (HSA), which is a special bank account that lets you save pretax money to use for medical costs.
If you have a DPC that costs less than $150 monthly for just you, you can get an HSA. If your DPC membership is cheaper than $150 per month, you can use an HSA to pay for the membership fee and other health care costs that come up. If your direct primary care membership is more than $150 per month, you can't get an HSA.
What does direct primary care cover?
A direct primary care membership covers the cost for things like wellness visits, lab work, simple procedures and going to the doctor when you're sick.
Because most DPC practices offer same-day appointments, you can also usually use your direct primary care office for urgent care needs, like minor injuries and illnesses. Most DPC offices also offer nutrition and weight management counseling.
Before you join a direct primary care practice, make sure you also understand what isn't covered. Your DPC membership won't cover things like visits to specialists, emergency room visits or hospital costs. If you need to go to a doctor who isn't in your DPC network, you'll have to pay the full cost for your care unless you have a separate health insurance plan.
How much does direct primary care cost?
A direct primary care membership usually costs $77 per month, on average.
Most memberships are between $50 and $100 per month for an adult and $20 to $49 per month for a child. Family memberships usually cost $100 or more each month.
Without insurance or a direct primary care membership, going to a primary care doctor as a new patient costs $160 per visit. DPCs have lower costs, which can help make healthcare more accessible to people who don't have or can't afford health insurance. However, it's always possible that you'll only use a DPC membership for a few doctor appointments per year, which means you might not get as much value from it.
Direct primary care pros and cons
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Predictable monthly cost
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Allows for more time with your doctor
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Often comes with same-day appointments
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Only covers primary care
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DPCs aren't available everywhere
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No guarantee you'll use the membership often
How do I find direct primary care near me?
To find a DPC office near you, use the search tool from DPC Frontier.
You can also check the member directory from DPC Alliance. Although these tools may not show every direct primary care practice in your area, it's a good place to start.
If there aren't any direct primary care offices near you on the search tools, you could try calling some doctor's offices to see if they know of any DPCs in your area.
Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of direct primary care?
Direct primary care, or DPC, is a type of health care system where you pay a monthly fee to join an office. Once you're a member, you can visit your doctor at any time, usually without an extra fee. However, direct primary care only covers routine medical care. If you need to see a specialist, have an emergency or need prescription medications, you'll still need a regular health insurance plan to help pay for the costs.
What are the downsides of direct primary care?
The biggest downside of direct primary care is that it doesn't include coverage for emergencies, prescription medications or complex medical care. If you need to see a specialist, go to the emergency room or get treatment from any other doctor outside your DPC network, you'll need to have a regular health insurance plan or you'll pay the full cost yourself.
Is direct primary care covered by insurance?
No, direct primary care isn't covered by insurance. Instead, you pay a monthly, quarterly or annual fee to join the DPC office or network. Your fee is usually enough to cover most of your medical care. But you generally should pair a DPC membership with a health insurance plan, so you have coverage for medical care that isn't part of your direct primary care office or network.
Sources
Sources for this article include the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL), KFF and the National Library of Medicine.
Cate Deventer
Insurance Writer
Cate Deventer is a ValuePenguin writer who specializes in health insurance, Medicare, auto and home insurance. She's been a licensed insurance agent since 2011.
She started her insurance career working as a customer service agent for State Farm. She later moved to an independent agency, where she worked with several insurance companies and hundreds of clients. She quoted policies, filed claims and answered insurance questions. In 2021, she pivoted her career and began writing about insurance for Bankrate. She moved to ValuePenguin in 2023 and began writing about health insurance and Medicare.
Cate has a passion for helping readers choose insurance to fit their needs. She enjoys knowing that her research and knowledge help people choose insurance products that make a positive difference in their lives.
How insurance helped Cate
Cate used her health insurance knowledge to navigate a surgery in 2023. Understanding how her policy worked let her focus on recovery instead of worrying about bills.
Expertise
- Health insurance
- Medicare
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- Home insurance
- Life insurance
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- Licensed Life, Accident and Health Insurance Agent
- Licensed Property & Casualty Insurance Agent
Referenced by
- CBS
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- BA, Theatre, Purdue University
- BA, English, Indiana University
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