Grassroots Movement Requires No Insurance to See a Doctor

You pay a monthly membership to join a gym and for box stores like Costco and Sam’s Club. But, what if you paid a membership to see your doctor?

We took a look at a growing model in Wisconsin that requires no insurance.

“We are what we call a direct primary care company,” says Solstice Health founder and physician, Timothy Murray. “We are eliminating insurance completely from our model.”

Murray says this allows them to put the cost back to patients without hidden or per visits fees, for a flat monthly rate depending on age.

“Primary Care is much like getting your tires rotated, or your wiper blades, or your oil changed,” explains Murray. “If you can pay $19.99 for an oil change you should be able to pay $2.84 for cholesterol tests here at our offices.”

The company is part of a grassroots movement being seen across the country to make health care more transparent and affordable, eliminating those surprise doctor bills.

“Not many people have 100% coverage after deductible,” says Murray. “When they go into the physician they’re getting these bills, and they continue to get health care bills after that. That is the number one cause of bankruptcy in this country. Sixty five percent of bankruptcies in this country are related to medical costs,” says Murray.

But not everything is covered through their direct primary care. That is why they recommend their members have a catastrophic insurance plan which covers major medical expenses like surgeries or serious illness like a stroke or heart attack.

“we’re looking to do that hopefully by the end of the year, maybe into early 2018 is to have direct surgical pricing as well,” says Murray. “So we’re getting some surgeons on board.”

Since its opening, a few years ago, the company has seen their member base grow to nearly a thousand patients. Murray says that membership has growth with their waiting lists and expansion throughout the state and believes that movement will only continue to grow especially with the country’s health care in limbo.

“I think it’s going to help us in the long run because people had already been shopping since prior,” says Murray. “Now they are really going to be looking because any new bill that comes into play is going to understand that price transparency, consumerism in health care, and helping people understand what they’re buying.”

You can find more information on Solstice Health here.