Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! Our Family Physicians are well-equipped to provide primary care to patients of all ages.

Because DPC practices do not accept insurance payments, the providers are able to avoid the ever-increasing and costly documentation demands and administrative intrusions that come with accepting insurance payments.  DPC practices also avoid the onerous patient data collection responsibilities which many plans impose. These require staff, time, and money, often amounting to substantial intrusions on patient privacy.

Because DPC physicians avoid these obligations to insurance companies, they are free to spend that time listening to and treating patients. And because DPC physicians eliminate the significant overhead costs of participating in insurance, they can pass the savings on to you, the patient – and give compassionate, attentive and timely care at an affordable cost. At Preferred Family Medicine, you are not a “covered life” but a person.

We unequivocally recommend that you carry insurance or health sharing coverage. Preferred Family Medicine does not replace insurance, and ideally we encourage our patients to carry a health sharing plan or a high deductible/major medical plan with a health savings account. This ensures financial help should hospitalization or referral to a specialist be necessary, but offers the potential for huge overall savings when combined with our discounted prices. You should consult with your insurance provider to help you find a plan that works best with our medical model and that will meet your specific needs.

Still need help? We may be able to direct you to an insurance agent who is well versed in the Direct Primary Care model and can assist you in finding a compatible insurance product.

Medicare and Medicare supplemental insurance will still cover medical costs that you incur outside of Preferred Family Medicine. For example, prescriptions that you fill at an outside pharmacy, labs run at an outside lab, hospital charges, physical therapy, x-rays and scans, just to name a few, should be covered at their usual rate. You do not lose your Medicare coverage for other medical needs just because you are a patient of Preferred Family Medicine.

Direct Primary Care may qualify as reimbursable through your Health Savings Account (HSA) and may also qualify under the Affordable Care Act.  Section 10104 of P.L. 111-148 (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) states: “The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall permit a qualified health plan to provide coverage through a qualified direct primary care medical home plan that meets criteria established by the Secretary, so long as the qualified health plan meets all requirements that are otherwise applicable and the services covered by the medical home plan are coordinated with the entity offering the qualified health plan.”

HSA and FSAs may not be used for annual memberships as the IRS prohibits “prepayment” of medical services. Ask your insurance or tax preparation specialist for more details.

Unfortunately, HMO's often prohibit orders and referrals from providers outside of their network. HMO's tend to prioritize saving money over patient choice by limiting one's care to a narrow network of providers. We believe this is unfortunate as it restricts one's options. While it is ultimately up to the individual to risk taking on financial responsibility for services that may not be covered by out-of-network providers (and our providers are considered "out-of-network), we tend to discourage patients with HMO insurance from becoming members.