A growing trend in the healthcare industry is “Direct Primary Care” (DPC), an affordable alternative to traditional health insurance for day-to-day healthcare costs. DPC allows patients to pay a subscription fee to a primary care doctor, covering services such as checkups, blood work, and routine medical care. This approach gives doctors more control over their practice and more time with patients. Dr. Anna Mirer, a primary care doctor in Milwaukee, has adopted this model and opened her own practice, “Presence Primary Care.” She believes that DPC is the future of healthcare, as it allows her to provide personalized care to her patients without the constraints of insurance companies.
Dr. Mirer’s decision to switch to DPC was motivated by her desire to spend more time with her patients and provide them with the care they need. She says that the traditional insurance-based model limited her ability to do so. With DPC, she can create a tailored experience for her patients, including guiding them on their mental and behavioral health. One of her patients, Lauren Burke, praises Dr. Mirer’s approach, saying that it has brought her peace of mind and helped her with her physiological, mental, and behavioral health.
However, not everyone is supportive of DPC. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association has expressed concerns that DPC models lack quality and safety measures, integrated information technology, and coordination of benefits across the care spectrum. Despite this, Dr. Mirer believes that DPC is a way of the future, especially given the rising concerns over increased insurance premiums in 2026. She has received more inquiries from potential new clients in the past two weeks, indicating a growing interest in this alternative approach to healthcare.
The concept of DPC has received bipartisan support at the state capitol, but a bill to regulate DPC plans has not yet become law due to opposition from conservative groups. The bill included a rule that doctors cannot discriminate based on gender identity, which has been a point of contention. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how DPC develops and whether it becomes a more mainstream approach to healthcare. For now, Dr. Mirer and other DPC doctors are pioneering a new way of delivering healthcare that prioritizes patient care and doctor-patient relationships.