Doctor bypasses insurance red tape with membership plan for non-catastrophic care

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - The Family First Health Center in Daytona Beach is taking a different approach to patient care than you have seen in the past. Dr. Delicia Haynes says she does not accept health insurance at her family medicine practice. She compared it to car insurance.  "You don't use your car insurance for a door ding or an oil change," she explains. 

Instead, her patients purchase a membership to the practice. Dr. Haynes tells FOX 35 it is $57 a month for kids, $77 a month for ages 19-50, and $97 a month if you are over 50.  "It's like a gym membership for your doctor's office, and most people are used to a gym membership. They know that there is a monthly fee. You can go in and use whatever equipment that is in there."

Dr. Haynes came to this decision after plugging away for years doing things the same way the rest of the industry does it, and getting frustrated with all the hoops, red tape, and costs of administration.  "There's a lot of factors that are moving it towards that assembly line production based medicine. How many patients can you see in a day, and that became an ethical dilemma for me because sometimes you just need to spend that extra time with someone."

Dr. Haynes says insurance should be for things like catastrophic care.  "I definitely recommend they have some type of coverage, some type of health coverage for non-primary care. So whether its traditional insurance or it's one of the medical cost sharing plans, they have something so if it is not primary care they are covered for that as well."

She tells us she is able to negotiate greatly reduced rates with specialists in fields where a referral is needed, and for prescription drugs as well because other doctors and pharmacies are anxious to do business without having to deal with insurance companies and all of the paperwork that comes with them.