Storied Medicine // Dispatch No 3
Why Direct Primary Care Saves You Money — Insured or Not
How DPC bypasses the insurance markup on everyday care
“I pay $650 a month for insurance, and they still charge me $250 every time I walk in,” a patient once told me when I asked why he was skipping visits. “I might as well not have it.” That conversation, and dozens like it across ten-plus years in corporate medicine, is why I left to start a Direct Primary Care practice. DPC isn’t insurance — it’s a low monthly membership that buys you direct access to your doctor, unhurried visits, and transparent pricing. If we say something’s covered by your membership, it’s covered. There’s no surprise bill.
What DPC Actually Gets You?
Most DPC practices run $100–$350/month. Storied Medicine is on the lower end for Seattle: $150/month for adults, $100/month for pediatric patients (0–17). That includes:
Unlimited visits with Dr. Kendall (30–60 minutes — enough time to actually tell your story)
Same-day or next-day access for urgent needs, plus direct text/phone/video contact
Specialized care that usually means a referral elsewhere: HIV primary care, gender-affirming hormone therapy, addiction recovery (Suboxone/Buprenorphine), sports medicine, dermatology
In-office procedures: cryotherapy, skin biopsies, minor cyst/lipoma resections, joint injections, PAP smears, pelvic exams, chronic disease management
Wholesale/at-cost pricing on labs and medications
DPC differs from concierge medicine in one key way: concierge practices still bill insurance and profit from procedures and coding. DPC doctors are paid the same flat fee whether they see you once or twelve times — so the only incentive is doing right by you. We can still send imaging, labs, and meds to insurance when it helps, but we’ll usually find you a cash price that beats your insurance rate anyway, especially if you’re on a high-deductible plan.
Does This Work For My Coverage?
You have great insurance
Even with great insurance, you’re still paying $30–$60 copays, specialist fees, and lab costs. DPC absorbs most of that into one membership fee, and because we have time to address concerns directly, you’ll likely need fewer specialist referrals. Most families recoup the membership cost in avoided copays alone.
You have a high-deductible or catastrophic plan
This is DPC’s sweet spot. With a $5,000+ deductible, you’re already paying out-of-pocket for primary care — DPC just makes that cost predictable instead of per-visit. Pair it with your existing plan for genuine protection against major illness, plus low, flat costs for everything else.
You have an HSA or FSA
FSA dollars generally cover DPC membership fees — worth confirming with your plan administrator, but this can cut the after-tax cost by 20–30%. HSA rules are more nuanced (membership fees alone may not qualify if paired with a non-HDHP plan), and the rules are evolving, so check with a tax advisor if you’re HSA-funded.
You don’t have insurance
DPC is the closest thing to insurance that isn’t insurance: unlimited access to a personal physician, generic meds often $4–$10/month, and dramatically reduced prices for labs, with one flat monthly fee. If you don’t have insurance, we do recommend pairing it with a health-sharing ministry or short-term plan for catastrophic coverage.
The Math
Service Traditional Care Storied Medicine
Primary care visit $20–$50 copay + deductible Included
Urgent care visit $150–$300+ out-of-pocket Included
Skin biopsy / cryotherapy Specialist copay ($50+) + fees Included
Lab testing High marked-up insurance rates Wholesale / at-cost
Prescriptions Retail pharmacy prices At-cost (when available)
To be clear: DPC doesn’t replace insurance for hospitalization, surgery, or true emergencies. It replaces the expensive, inconvenient primary-care layer on top of it — and catching things early often means you avoid those bigger costs altogether.
Let’s Talk
Good primary care should feel like a relationship, not a transaction. You’re not a number, a resting heart rate, or a sleep score — you’re a full person who deserves a doctor who treats you that way, whether you have millions or you’re stretching every dollar.
Ready to talk about what membership would cost for you or your family? Book a free meet-and-greet here.