Direct Primary Care vs. Insurance-Based Care: What's the Difference?
DPC isn't insurance, and it isn't trying to be. Here's what actually changes when you pay your doctor directly instead of routing every visit through an insurance company.
The short answer
Insurance-based primary care bills a third party for every visit, which brings copays, prior authorizations, and rushed appointments. Direct Primary Care (DPC) replaces that with a flat monthly membership paid straight to your doctor — no copays, unlimited visits, and real time with your physician. DPC is not a replacement for insurance, though: it doesn't cover hospitalization, surgery, or other catastrophic events, so we recommend pairing membership with at least a high-deductible insurance plan.
Insurance-Based Primary Care
- Visit is billed to your insurance company, often with a copay
- Appointments are frequently short (5–15 minutes)
- Reaching your doctor between visits usually means a phone tree or portal message with a delayed response
- Referrals and some treatments may need prior authorization
Quill Health Direct Primary Care
- Flat monthly membership paid directly to the practice — no copays
- Extended, relaxed visits (30 minutes to an hour)
- Direct communication with your doctor by phone, text, email, or video call
- Typically same-day or next-day scheduling for routine, urgent, and sick visits
- Wholesale pharmacy, lab, and imaging pricing — up to 50–90% savings
What Your Membership Covers
- General adult physicals & pediatric care
- Wellness education & chronic disease management (asthma, COPD, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease)
- Physicals for school, sports, work, DMV forms, and FMLA
- Same-day/next-day sick and urgent visits
- Minor in-office procedures (EKG, breathing treatments, incision & drainage, injections, and more)
- Coordination of care with specialists, if needed
Monthly Membership Pricing
Simple, age-based pricing with no long-term contracts.
with 1 paid guardian
Adult plan
Senior plan
2 adults + 2 children
(each additional child $30)
Plus a one-time enrollment fee of $100 (individual) or $150 (family), plus your first month's membership. No long-term contracts — 30-day notice to cancel.
What DPC Doesn't Cover
DPC is not insurance — it does not cover catastrophic events like hospitalization, surgery, or emergency care, which is why we recommend at least a high-deductible insurance plan alongside your membership. At Quill Health specifically: we don't manage pregnancy care beyond pre-conception counseling, free urine pregnancy testing, and OB/GYN referral; we don't perform surgeries deeper than the skin; we do not currently administer childhood vaccines due to our small volume (we refer to the Health Department); and we don't manage chronic pain with opioids or routine benzodiazepine prescribing.
Common Questions
No. DPC is health care, not insurance. Quill Health does not bill or accept insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid, and membership does not cover catastrophic events like hospitalization or surgery. We recommend pairing your DPC membership with at least a high-deductible insurance plan for emergencies.
Monthly membership is age-based: $45 for ages 6–18 (with one paid guardian), $85 for adults 19–64, $105 for seniors 65+, and $245 for a family plan covering 2 adults and 2 children ($30 for each additional child). There's a one-time enrollment fee of $100 (individual) or $150 (family), plus your first month's membership.
Membership covers general adult physicals, pediatric care, wellness education, chronic disease management, minor in-office procedures, and coordination of care with specialists if needed — plus unlimited visits and direct access to your doctor with no copays.
DPC is not insurance, so it doesn't cover catastrophic events like hospitalization, surgery, or emergency care — that's what a high-deductible insurance plan is for alongside your membership. At Quill Health specifically, we also don't manage pregnancy care beyond pre-conception counseling and referral, don't perform surgeries deeper than the skin, don't currently administer childhood vaccines, and don't manage chronic pain with opioids or routine benzodiazepine prescribing.
Ready to Experience Healthcare the Way It Should Be?
Enrollment is limited to preserve unhurried, personalized care — see full membership details and request to join.
Request to Join