FAQ's
Frequently Asked Questions About Direct Primary Care
Have questions? Our FAQ page is here to help. Below you’ll find clear, helpful answers to the most common questions about Welcome Health, our services, and what to expect as a patient.
Patients pay a flat monthly membership fee that covers most primary care services. There are no copays or visit fees.
No. Membership is month-to-month.
No. Accepting insurance raises the cost of care and makes healthcare far more complicated for everyone involved. Primary care, at its core, is not expensive. Insurance involvement does not reduce the cost of primary care—it increases it.
No. We do not charge for office visits, so there are no claims that can be submitted.
Yes. Many patients pair their Welcome Health membership with insurance for emergencies, hospital care, specialty services, or imaging.
No. Direct Primary Care is not insurance and does not replace coverage for hospitalizations, surgeries, or specialty care.
Appointments can be scheduled online, by phone, or through secure text messaging. Same-day or next-day visits are often available. Appointments are longer than traditional primary care visits, allowing time to fully address concerns without feeling rushed. Initial visits are scheduled for 60 minutes, with follow-up visits typically scheduled for 30 minutes.
No. Many concerns can be addressed through phone or virtual visits when appropriate. Members also have secure access to their care team for questions, follow-ups, and guidance through our secure messaging platform—often eliminating the need for an in-person visit.
While we are able to bill insurance for lab tests, our cash-pay prices are often 80–90% less than insurance pricing. Because of this, most patients choose our predictable, low cash prices rather than risk non-coverage by insurance.
For example, a comprehensive metabolic panel, complete blood count, lipid profile, and hemoglobin A1c together cost under $15 at Welcome Health. The same tests may be billed to insurance at over $200.
Many labs are completed in-office. When outside labs or imaging are needed, we help coordinate cost-effective options.
We partner with VaxCare for vaccinations. This allows us to either offer vaccines at discounted cash prices or bill vaccines (through VaxCare) to a patient’s insurance. This means we can provide most routine vaccines in our offices.
This is one of the biggest benefits of our model. We are able to purchase over 100 generic medications at wholesale prices. Rather than marking them up, we pass those savings directly to patients.
As a result, many blood pressure, antidepressant, cholesterol, and diabetes medications cost under $3 per month.
Welcome Health focuses on providing affordable, predictable primary care. We do not cover care outside of our offices.
However, strong primary care often reduces the need for emergency care, specialty visits, and hospitalizations. We also have extensive experience helping patients find reduced-cost specialty, imaging, and hospital care—especially for those without insurance or with limited coverage. We can also connect individuals and employers with resources to explore more affordable coverage options.
No, we do not provide inpatient hospital care. However, we strongly encourage patients who are hospitalized or seen in the ER to text us with any questions or concerns. Bridging the gap between hospital and outpatient care is critical—and too often missing in the U.S. healthcare system.
For both small and large organizations, Direct Primary Care improves employee access to care, which leads to higher employee satisfaction, better retention, and a more competitive benefits package for recruitment. By strengthening primary care, DPC also helps reduce unnecessary ER and urgent care visits, supports earlier intervention and chronic condition management, and helps contain long-term healthcare costs. DPC works alongside—not instead of—traditional or self-funded health plans.
Click here to learn more about how Welcome Health can help employers