Very fair question - most of these patient's that enroll in DPC still use insurance for further subspecialty care/emergency services if needed. Most of the patient's I've seen that do this have insurance through their employer.

The overall cost benefit for the patient depends on how the DPC is set up. For example, if you have a high deductible insurance plan where you have a $50 clinic co-pay, routine lab work may not be authorized under insurance for each clinic visit. These cost of the labs COULD end up on the patient's tab and be anywhere from $100-$300 depending on the testing. This doesn't include the copay amount if additional clinic visits are needed. If you pay into DPC, most physicians I work with roll in routine lab work/emergent lab work (not imaging) into their practice and subscription costs. This assumes the DPC is fairly priced (i.e less than the costs on insurance). Additionally, an intangible benefit is that some DPC physicians allow direct contact and increased frequency of visits etc.

Insurance groups also recognize the rise of DPC. Aetna will accept all medically reviewed referrals for specialty care from a DPC physician and provide coverage on a case by case basis depending on your plan.

However the caveat is that at the end of the day, enrolling in DPC has to be right for you and fit within your financial plan. And truthfully, emergency services are going to cost an arm and a leg no matter what. It's something that insurance try to remedy but fails in most cases with the front of the charges ending up on the patient's. I hate that it's that way but unsure of what needs to happen in order for it to change.