How Direct Primary Care Fixes Healthcare by Removing Insurance

What if primary care didn’t need insurance at all?

In this episode of Doctors Making a Difference, Dr. Peter Crane sits down with Dr. Josh Umbehr—board-certified family physician and founder of Atlas MD—to unpack the Direct Primary Care (DPC) model.

Dr. Umbehr explains why insurance was never meant to cover routine primary care, how removing the middleman radically lowers costs, and why time—not technology—is the most powerful tool in medicine.

This conversation is essential listening for physicians feeling burned out, patients frustrated with rising healthcare costs, and anyone curious about what a better system could look like.

Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction to Dr. Josh Umbehr
01:30 – Why he chose Direct Primary Care straight out of residency
04:10 – How insurance distorts the true cost of care
07:05 – What Direct Primary Care actually is (and what it’s not)
10:35 – Membership pricing & unlimited access explained
13:45 – Why labs and medications are shockingly cheap without insurance
18:10 – Patient panel size, visits per day, and time with patients
22:30 – Work-life balance and 24/7 availability myths
27:40 – Burnout as an “unwinnable game” in insurance-based medicine
32:15 – Why “do no harm” must include financial harm
36:50 – Insurance, HSAs, FSAs, and recent legal clarification
41:30 – The future of Direct Primary Care
44:00 – Where physicians can learn more & closing thoughts

Resources Mentioned
Atlas MD – https://www.atlas.md
Atlas Direct – https://www.atlas.direct
The Care That Works by Sean Flynn
We’ve Got You Covered by Amy Finkelstein