Direct primary care is a good idea, an alternative to red tape/bureaucracy nightmare of some health insurance. Katherine has explained that it supports a doctor/patient bond, Dan has reported that it could lower costs for Medicaid and state workers, As with so many issues, removing federal government barriers is key to allowing this good idea to flourish in NC. And direct primary care is growing in NC as more people choose this option.
But perhaps the most compelling reason that direct primary care is a good idea is the question of access. Health insurance is not the same thing as access. As we see the fall-out from Obamacare, government overreach into medicine, and corporatization of medical practices – access to primary care doctors is a real issue.
Direct Primary Care is a virtual incubator for primary care physicians. By removing restrictions placed on primary care physicians by third party payers and increasing low payments we are recruiting hundreds of new physicians who, with high student loans, today aren’t going into primary care at all. Also physicians at middle-end of their careers are extending those careers by transforming to Direct Primary Care rather than retirement or joining a health system as an employee.
