"Health care costs are going through the roof, and I have many patients here in New York who have seen their insurance rates increase to the point where they can no longer afford it. This amendment allowing direct primary care practices to compete in the exchange is the only amendment in the Senate health care bill that is going to cure the high cost of health care," said Dr. John Muney, founder of AMG Medical Group, which operates five direct primary care clinics serving all five boroughs of New York. "I am very appreciative to the Senate for recognizing the value of direct primary care practices, and making sure they can continue to grow and patients can continue to have access and choice."

"Until now, health care reform has been entirely focused on insurance issues, rather than patient care," said Dr. Samir Qamar, CEO of Access Primary Care, which is the first medical practice in the state of California to provide primary care for one low monthly fee. "I applaud the Senate for including direct primary care in its legislation. With this amendment, direct primary care practices like ours can continue to prioritize high-quality patient care, rather than focusing on insurance billing."

Direct primary care medical homes can typically service approximately 90 percent of the reasons most people see a doctor in a lifetime. By removing time-consuming and costly insurance reimbursement processes from routine and inherently low-cost services and procedures, direct primary care practices eliminate approximately 40 cents of every dollar currently wasted in traditional insurance models.

SOURCE: Direct Primary Care Coalition