$80 a Month, Unlimited Visits: Direct Primary Care Explained

Direct primary care costs $80 a month for adults and $60 for children at Prairie Roots Health in Sioux Falls, and it buys unlimited visits, one-hour appointments, and your provider's cell number. Sam Niewenhuis is a family nurse practitioner and founder of Prairie Roots Health, a direct primary care clinic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Host Melissa Goodwin asks him what people type into Google before they switch: what direct primary care is, what the membership actually covers, whether you still need health insurance, what happens when you need imaging or a specialist, what a full lab panel costs, and whether an HSA can pay the fee. Sam caps his panel at 200 to 400 members. Conventional primary care runs 3,000 to 6,000. That ratio explains almost everything else in this conversation. In this episode What direct primary care is, described by a practicing family NP: "an innovative alternative to insurance driven healthcare" What $80 a month covers for adults, $60 for children, and why he calls it unlimited Why he gives members his cell number, and how rarely it actually rings A full hour with a new member instead of fifteen minutes with a nurse first Why he still tells people to carry a catastrophic plan, a high deductible plan with an HSA, or a health share A comprehensive lab panel at wholesale for roughly $100 to $150 Who bills your insurance when you need an X-ray, imaging, or a specialist Direct primary care versus concierge medicine, cleanly separated Why family practice providers refer out biopsies and workups they are trained to do The Weston A. Price Foundation, fermented foods, fiber, and freshly milled grain A myth round: HSAs, wealth, medical records, alternative medicine, and whether DPC is a fad Who direct primary care is honestly not a good fit for Chapters 0:00 Health advice is confusing, and that is the show 0:41 Medicine used to come to your door 1:31 What is direct primary care? 2:04 What $80 a month buys, and $60 for kids 2:10 Why members get his cell number 4:32 A full hour, not fifteen minutes 5:41 Getting seen the same day you call 6:34 A flat fee and no surprise bills 7:35 Do you still need health insurance? 8:14 Why paying cash changes who shows up 9:24 Labs for $100 to $150, not insurance pricing 10:06 Who actually joins a DPC clinic 11:27 Primary care is underused, and dermatology waits 13:06 Imaging and specialists: who bills your insurance 13:49 Why he left the conventional system 16:50 House calls, still a real thing 17:17 The cholesterol phone call that sends people looking 18:36 The Weston A. Price Foundation and food as medicine 19:37 Freshly milled flour, and why store flour is empty 20:48 Why so many young people have gut problems 23:44 Myth: DPC is concierge medicine, renamed 24:19 200 to 400 members versus 3,000 to 6,000 24:50 Myth: you cannot use an HSA for direct primary care 25:12 Myths: only for wealthy people, and losing your records 26:07 Myth: direct primary care is a fad 26:28 Who should be calling him tomorrow 27:05 Chronic illness and functional medicine 27:42 Who direct primary care is not for 29:00 The free meet and greet, and how to find him About the guest Sam Niewenhuis, Family Nurse Practitioner, is the founder of Prairie Roots Health, a direct primary care clinic at 5010 S Broadband Ln, Suite 110, Sioux Falls, SD 57106. Phone (605) 307-5737. He practices full scope family medicine from newborns through adults over 75, offers house calls in the Sioux Falls area, and is finishing his certification with the Institute for Functional Medicine. He is part of the Weston A. Price Foundation. prairierootshealth.com/direct-primary-care Resources mentioned Weston A. Price Foundation Institute for Functional Medicine Samaritan Ministries (named as an example of a health share) IRS Notice 2026-05, the HSA and direct primary care rule effective for months beginning after December 31, 2025 About Dialed In Health There is a new health trend every week and half the time you cannot tell what is legitimate and what is good marketing. Dialed In Health brings in the people who do the work and asks what you would ask if you were sitting across from them. Hosted by Melissa Goodwin. Weekly, across Sioux Falls, the Twin Cities, and Omaha. Keep going Watch this episode on YouTube: [YOUTUBE URL] Full transcript, chapters, and FAQ: dialedin.health/podcast/episode-33-direct-primary-care Find a vetted provider: dialedin.health/the-directory Every episode: dialedin.health/podcast If this was useful: follow Dialed In Health wherever you listen, and leave a rating and a review. It genuinely moves the show in front of people looking for these answers. Are you a health or wellness provider who wants to be on the show? Apply at dialedinhealth.kit.com. Disclaimer: This episode is educational and informational only. It is not medical advice and not a substitute for evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment by a licensed provider. Nothing here is tax advice. Talk with your own clinician and your own tax professional. Read the full transcript