Traditionally, insurance has been used to cover catastrophic events that would create a heavy financial burden on individuals, families, or businesses. Health insurance companies now provide primary care coverage for routine healthcare needs, but is it the best option to utilize insurance in that way?
Insurance companies have restrictions on which doctors, medications, and services they will cover, thus taking the freedom of choice away from patients and providers. Zion Asher Family Physicians is a Direct Primary Care (DPC) provider, which means we are not tied to any insurance companies.
Insurance plans require you to use in-network providers. You may or may not have a doctor available to you in your area depending on if the clinic your insurance contracts with is accepting new patients. Every year your insurance may or may not renew their contracts with your provider, creating the possibility of having to leave a provider you like to find a new in-network provider. Choosing Zion Asher Family Physicians means that you get to choose and keep your primary care physician, no matter who your insurance company contracts with.
In clinics that accept insurance, the number of patients a doctor typically sees is around 2,000. This drastically reduces the amount of time that you get to spend with your doctor, averaging 12-15 minutes each visit. That’s if you even get to see your doctor instead of their nurse practitioner. DPC physicians typically have 500-600 patients, which significantly increases the amount of time you can spend with your actual doctor. Visits are usually scheduled to last 30-60 minutes, which provides enough time for doctors to gain a greater understanding of your healthcare goals and needs. Then when you have an acute illness, often all it takes is a phone call for the doctor to know what you need.
Here at Zion Asher Family Physicians, we offer labs and medications at highly affordable rates without having to ask insurance companies for permission to run tests or prescribe certain medications. Labs and many medications can be offered to our members at a lower cost than our members had been paying even while utilizing their insurance. In the event that a member needs to see a specialist, our physicians will write a referral and that specialist can bill your insurance for their services.
Having a catastrophic insurance policy or health sharing ministry in addition to a DPC membership is highly encouraged, because you never know what tomorrow will bring. But 90 percent of a person's healthcare happens at the primary care level. Many chronic illnesses can be avoided by taking care of yourself and having a doctor you trust who is easily accessible. A membership with Zion Asher Family Physicians is an excellent way to ensure that you are getting the highest quality of care available.