$894 for Strep Throat?! Hard Pass. (How Direct Primary Care Saves Money)

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Strep throat. 

I knew he had it. 

What I didn’t know was how much it would cost. 

The $894 Urgent Care Bill.

Last year on a Sunday morning, my husband came up to me and croaked out “Can you look at my throat? It hurts really bad.” I could tell he was avoiding swallowing due to the pain. “All right, say ah.” Angry red throat. Enlarged tonsils. Swollen lymph nodes. Low grade fever. Yep, this guy was cooking. This was before Papaya Primary Care existed, so off to urgent care he went.

Strep test was positive (told ya). They also checked for flu and covid, both were negative. A few weeks later a bill arrived. And wow… just wow. This was the breakdown: 

Urgent Care Office Visit	$350
Strep A Test	$150
Flu A & B Test	$234
Covid Test	$150
Specimen Handling Fee	$10
	Total Bill: $894

That’s not a typo. The cost of this one visit is pretty darn close to an entire year of primary healthcare membership at our clinic. That’s right, where appointments like this one are included at no extra charge. 

Why Does Basic Care Cost So Much?

Simply put, the reactive sick care model with insurance-based third party payment is expensive. Care is fragmented and there are huge overhead costs to keep this system going. 

Say you’re able to get an appointment at your primary care clinic instead of urgent care. The insurance model still applies; paying out for individual visits, tests, and procedures which feels transactional—because it is. We all know getting a same day appointment in primary care is nearly impossible, and if you do, the person you’re scheduled to see is not your primary care provider. It might be someone you’ve never met. Okay, what’s the problem? Well, a 15 minute appointment slot with someone who doesn’t know you or your health record promotes uncoordinated care, duplicated tests and a treat-the-problem (not the person) approach. 

Same with urgent care, which is designed for quick, episodic evaluation and treatment—but it’s also designed to bill insurance at the highest rate possible. With insurance rules, urgent care pricing will be more than a primary care clinic but still less (a lot less) than the emergency room. And if you haven’t met your deductible yet? That bill is 100% your responsibility. Ouch. 

How Direct Primary Care Saves Money.

Direct Primary Care (DPC) cuts out the insurance company’s pay per appointment model and instead charges a fixed monthly membership fee that covers most primary care services. We don’t file insurance claims to get paid which means no need to fund a department specifically for processing claims. No insurance means no rules for when and how you’re allowed to be seen, and no copays or surprise bills later. 

On top of this, DPC clinics have fewer patients which is why we can offer same day visits, longer appointments, and much more personalized care. The incentive here is in keeping patients healthy, not booking an appointment. Direct Primary Care has a strong focus on wellness, education, preventative care, and optimizing chronic conditions. Of course, you’re still human and bound to get sick at some point!

Let’s compare that $894 urgent care visit to what it would cost today with a Papaya Roots Plan membership: 

Monthly Membership	$89
Office Visit	$0
Strep A Test	$5
Covid + Flu A & B Test	$20
Specimen Handling Fee	$0 - J/K that's not a thing here!
	Total Bill: $114

Same care, only $114. That’s $25 for testing and includes the $89 monthly membership fee—meaning you’d still have access to unlimited visits for the rest of the month at no extra cost. Need a follow-up next week? Still $0. And the antibiotic to treat strep? Free with our medication program. Yep, free.

The Bigger Picture: The Focus Isn’t Money, It’s Care.

Whether it’s $894 at urgent care or $114 at Papaya Primary Care, the bigger picture is this: We’ve accepted a system where basic care feels complicated, rushed, and out of reach. We live in a busy world, juggling work, household responsibilities, kids, family, pets, the list goes on. We push through our exhaustion, our pain, our symptoms until we reach our breaking point because taking time off for an appointment seems impossible—or worse, like it won’t be worth it. We settle for “good enough” healthcare because the system has forced us to lower our expectations. 

I want you to remember, healthcare can feel simple, human, and even empowering. When the bill doesn’t scare you, when you know your provider’s name and they know yours, when you can ask questions without watching the clock—that’s when care actually works. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about saving money. It’s about finally getting the kind of healthcare that helps you feel healthier. 

For those in Florida (ages 18-64)

Ready to see how direct primary care can save you money?

Get the conversation started. Schedule a discovery call today!

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This blog post was written by Katlyn Agosta, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, CDCES. She is a wife, mother of two, and proud direct primary care nurse practitioner. Her specialty is diabetes care, education, and empowerment—from the lens of her own type 1 diabetes experiences.