Pay per visit fits
- 2 visits on insurance
- $300
- 2 visits at $85
- $170
About $130 less for the year
No monthly fee and nothing to cancel. Some visit types cost more.
Keep your insurance
DPC Membership Cost vs Insurance Out-of-Pocket Costs
Happy with your insurance, but not with long waits, rushed visits, surprise bills and no way to reach your provider? Here is what everyday care can cost on insurance, what a WheelHouse membership costs, and how the two work together.
- Keep your current insurance
- Memberships from $85 a month
- Or pay per visit from $85
The short answer
How does a membership compare with insurance out-of-pocket costs?
Keep your insurance for the big things. For everyday care, insurance often leaves you with a deductible, copays and bills you cannot see coming, plus a long wait to be seen. A WheelHouse membership is a flat monthly price from $85, with messaging and longer visits with the same clinician. If you only need care now and then, pay per visit starts at $85 with no monthly fee.
Side by side
Everyday care, two ways
The same year of everyday care, with your insurance kept in place either way.
| On insurance, out of pocket | With a WheelHouse membership | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay | A copay, averaging $27 for primary care and $45 for a specialist, or the full negotiated price until your deductible is met. The average single deductible is $1,886 | A flat monthly price: Basic Tele-Health $85, Standard Hybrid $130, Family / Group $360 for up to 4, Premium Concierge $500 |
| Knowing the cost | Often not until the bill or explanation of benefits arrives | The same price every month. Anything extra is confirmed before you book |
| Sudden bills | In a 2020 poll, one in three insured adults under 65 said their family got an unexpected medical bill within two years | No insurance claim and no bill weeks later for your visit. Medicines and labs are separate |
| Getting seen | An average 23.5-day wait for a family medicine appointment in 15 large metro areas | See open times and book online, by video, in the clinic or at home as your plan includes. Priority scheduling from Standard Hybrid up |
| Time with your clinician | About 18 minutes for an average primary care exam | 45 minutes for a first visit, 30 minutes for a follow-up |
| Reaching your provider | Varies by office, and usually through the front desk or a portal inbox | Message your clinician through the patient portal and WhatsApp, on every membership |
| Staying ahead of problems | Visits tend to happen once something is wrong | Regular check-ins: yearly on Basic Tele-Health, quarterly on Standard Hybrid |
Example years
When a flat price comes out ahead
Three example years for one adult, assuming each visit costs $150 and each urgent care trip $180 before the deductible is met. These are examples, so check them against your own bills.
Basic Tele-Health fits
- 8 visits and 1 urgent care trip on insurance
- $1,380
- 12 months at $85, video and phone visits included
- $1,020
About $360 less for the year
Assumes a video visit could have handled the urgent care trip. Messaging is included.
Standard Hybrid fits
- 10 visits and 2 urgent care trips on insurance
- $1,860
- 12 months at $130, up to 2 in-person visits a month
- $1,560
About $300 less for the year
Assumes regular visits could have handled the urgent care trips. Adds priority scheduling and quarterly check-ins.
When the dollars favor your plan. Basic Tele-Health at $1,020 a year matches about 7 visits at $150. If you need fewer visits, have a low copay or have already met your deductible, your plan may cost less in dollars. What a membership buys then is time and access. Pay per visit keeps those options open with no monthly fee, and our membership cost calculator runs your own numbers.
Which fits you
Happy with your insurance? Choose how you get everyday care
Both options sit alongside your plan.
| If this sounds like you | Start with |
|---|---|
| You need care a few times a year and want a longer visit with no commitment | Pay per visit, from $85 |
| You want to message your clinician, and video visits suit you | Basic Tele-Health, $85 a month |
| You have an ongoing condition and want regular check-ins and in-person visits | Standard Hybrid, $130 a month (partner +$85) |
| Your household wants one practice for everyone | Family / Group, $360 a month for up to 4 |
| You want the most personal care, including home visits | Premium Concierge, $500 a month (spouse +$350) |
Pay per visit
Visits from $85
Book the care you need, when you need it. No monthly fee and nothing to cancel.
- Telehealth across Virginia, in-clinic visits in Woodbridge, and home visits in Northern Virginia
- New-patient visits of 45 minutes, follow-ups of 30 minutes
- Prescriptions sent electronically when appropriate
- Discounted cash-pay labs
- Clear prices before you book
Best for: occasional needs, a second opinion, or trying us out.
Membership
Plans from $85 / month
Message the clinician who knows you between visits, get priority scheduling and regular check-ins.
- Messaging through the patient portal and WhatsApp
- Priority scheduling and regular check-ins
- In-person and home visits on hybrid and premium plans
- Plans for individuals, couples, families and employers
- 30-day trial on every membership
Best for: ongoing conditions, frequent questions, and families who want one clinician for everyone.
Not sure which suits you? Take the 1-minute plan finder
Keep your plan
What your insurance still does
A membership is not insurance. We recommend keeping your plan, because it protects you in the year something big happens.
Bring to WheelHouse
- Sick visits and everyday concerns
- Follow-ups on ongoing conditions
- Prevention and wellness questions
- Messaging between visits, on a membership
Keep using your insurance for
- Hospital stays and surgery
- Specialist visits
- Imaging such as X-rays, MRI and CT
- Prescription medicines
- Emergencies
Preventive services your plan covers, such as many screenings and vaccines, can still go through your insurance. Your plan’s out-of-pocket maximum also limits what you pay for covered care in a bad year: for 2026 Marketplace plans, no more than $10,600 for an individual or $21,200 for a family. Membership vs health insurance, explained
Check your numbers
Four things to look up on your own plan
Your deductible
How much of it do you usually meet in a year? Your plan’s member site or summary of benefits will show it.
What a visit really cost
A recent explanation of benefits shows what you paid for a visit, not only the copay.
Your visits last year
Count primary care, sick visits and urgent care trips, for everyone who would be covered.
Your HSA or FSA
Fees are often eligible, which lowers what you actually pay.
Get simple health tips by email
Practical, seasonal health tips and reminders from our nurse practitioner, about once or twice a month.
Keep exploring
Related pages and reading
Sources
- 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey KFF
- 2025 survey, summary of findings KFF
- Physician appointment wait times, 2025 AMN Healthcare
- Average primary care exam length Healio
- Problems using health insurance, 2023 survey KFF
- Unexpected and surprise medical bills, 2020 poll KFF
- No Surprises Act key protections CMS
- Out-of-pocket maximum (glossary) HealthCare.gov
- New HSA rules for direct primary care IRS
Common questions
Questions about membership and insurance costs
General information, not medical or financial advice. For an emergency, call 911.
No, and we recommend you keep it. A membership is not insurance. It does not cover hospital stays, surgery, specialists, imaging, prescription medicines or emergencies, and your plan stays exactly as it is.
You keep your plan and pay your premium either way, so it does not change. What changes is what you pay for everyday care, and how that care feels.
No. It depends on what a visit costs you and how often you need care. A membership tends to pay off when you pay full price until your deductible is met and you need care regularly. If you have a low copay and rarely need care, your plan may cost less in dollars, and pay per visit from $85 may suit you better for the times you want a longer visit.
No. WheelHouse does not bill insurance, so membership and visit fees do not count toward your deductible or out-of-pocket maximum. If you expect to meet your deductible this year anyway, keep that in mind when you compare.
Medicines are bought separately, and labs are discounted cash-pay. In-person visits are $85 and up on Basic Tele-Health, and home visits cost extra on plans that do not include them. We confirm the price before you book.
It helps. The federal law protects you from many surprise out-of-network bills, such as most emergency care and out-of-network clinicians at in-network hospitals. It does not cover everything: ground ambulance rides are not included, and you can still get a bill you did not expect because of your deductible or coinsurance.
Yes. We refer you and coordinate the next step, and your insurance covers the specialist as your plan allows.
Often, yes. Under federal rules that began in 2026, direct primary care memberships up to $150 a month for one person, or $300 for more than one, can generally be paid from an HSA. Family / Group ($360) and Premium Concierge ($500) are above those limits. Check with your plan administrator.
Please call or text us first. We will talk through how our services can work alongside your Medicare coverage.
Ready when you are
Keep your plan. Change how you get everyday care.
Book a membership consultation, or start with a single visit.