The movement behind primary care—and why we’re making it free

There’s a movement happening called Direct Primary Care (DPC). Many people are not familiar with the concept, but at Decent, it’s a core aspect of the health care plans we offer. In short, many primary care providers are now offering plans to provide individuals and their families with unlimited access to a doctor for a flat, monthly fee. It’s value-based alternative to the fee-for-service model that has come to rule healthcare today.It’s a way to improve healthcare quality and access while cutting out unnecessary paperwork and costs. The monthly fee eliminates the need to deal with claims and insurance companies and the accompanying paperwork. Instead, doctors can spend their time where it counts: with patients.

We’ve wrapped this into our health insurance plans, so you don’t have to worry about any fees at all. Both our Trailblazer and Pathfinder plans include free primary care. When you need to see the doctor, you get to see the doctor. For $0.

Doctor-patient relationship, above all else

We’ve all been on the health care hamster wheel. If you’re self-employed, you have to purchase a plan on the exchange. These plays typically come along with co-pays for everything and hidden costs. Since the in-network doctors attached to these plans are beholden to the rules of mega health insurance companies, they are often inundated with mountains of paperwork and patient quotas. It makes spending quality time with patients a tall order that rarely gets filled. Instead, patients sit in waiting rooms for the better part of an hour only to spend 10 minutes with a doctor who barely has time to digest their entire medical history.

We believe that the doctor-patient relationship should sit at the center of healthcare. Decent’s Pathfinder and Trailblazer plans are built around this belief. This means that you enjoy personalized care with your primary care doctor as often as you like with $0 co-pay or out-of-pocket costs. Same or next-day appointments and telemedicine (video calls) are available, along with 24/7 phone, texting, and email support for your health questions.Translation: free primary care. Whether you want an in-person visit or 24/7 phone access (with your doctor, not a telemedicine service), you get it for free.

For health care outside of routine check-ups, the clinic schedules any needed surgeries and your doctor manages pre-op and post-op care to ensure that you get your questions answered. Many types of routine lab work, like blood testing or strep throat cultures, are offered for free, along with preventative treatments like routine physicals and flu shots.Our network is large and growing every day, but we realize that your doctor might not be a part of our network yet. If that’s the case, we simply ask that you provide their contact information so we can reach out to get them on board. We strongly believe that you should be in the care of someone who knows you as a patient and understands your medical history.

Transparent pricing for your primary care needs

It doesn’t get more transparent than free, and that’s what we offer. Most DPC models require you to pay a flat, monthly fee to your primary care provider in exchange for access to a menu of primary care options. We handle all that for you and your doctor. We pay their monthly fee under our plans, so you just pick up the phone and call your doctor when you need them. That means you enjoy free primary care.

We also realize that access to a primary care doctor alone is often not enough. We offer two distinct plans built around the needs of our self-employed members so they get the best care possible—without breaking the bank. Take a look:

Pathfinder (Bronze) Plan

This plan is an economic option for people who:

• Work for themselves (whether as freelancers, artists, etc.)
• Are young and healthy
• Want catastrophic coverage in case something happens
• Don’t have dependents
• Like free doctor’s visits all year long
• Hate the health insurance runaround
• Love low premiumsGet more info here.

Trailblazer (Silver) Plan

This plan is a robust option for people who:

• Work for themselves (whether as freelancers, small business owners, artists, etc.)
• Make at least $55,000/year
• Have families (or may start one soon)
• Like free doctor’s visits
• Hate the health insurance runaroundGet more info here.

Making free primary care a routine procedure

We realized that people were getting sick and tired of being sick and tired. When patients are viewed as a number in a giant database controlled by people who are constantly raising health care rates, the outcome does not look positive. Similarly, doctors are forced to sacrifice time with patients in order to complete administrative tasks and broker with health insurance companies to ensure patients can be approved for the proper treatment. This tightens the belt on actual time spent caring for the patients they aspire to serve.

By building our plans around DPC—or more specifically: free primary care—we change the core incentives in healthcare. Your primary care doctor can focus on keeping you healthy because our plans take care of their fees. Doctors know it’s in their interest to make sure you get the best care because they don’t make more money if you continue to come back with health problems. They also pay special attention when referring you out for specialty care, as they know they’ll be tasked with addressing any issues that arise out of those visits. Pricing is transparent, so you don’t have to worry about hidden charges and surprise bills. In this model of healthcare, your doctor earns your loyalty and trust and you stay healthy. It’s as simple as that.