As health insurance rates are set to skyrocket in January, more direct primary care clinics are opening around Maine with a subscription-based model of health care that can allow people to forgo health insurance for traditional primary care.

Since The Maine Monitor published a story on direct primary care in July, at least six more clinics have opened. Brad and Alley Tuttle, who spoke to The Monitor at the time about opening their new clinic, Apotheosis Health in Bangor, said they expect more to open in the Bangor area early next year.

Direct primary care is a model of care where patients pay a monthly fee to join a doctor’s office rather than buying traditional health insurance, though they still may need insurance for catastrophic emergencies. Providers typically have fewer patients and therefore can spend more time with them during visits.

In July, Apotheosis Health was one of at least 30 direct primary care clinics in Maine. (More than half had opened in the last five years, according to DPC Nation, which tracks direct primary care practices across the country, though this was likely an undercount.)

Since then, more clinics have opened in Presque Isle, Falmouth, Yarmouth, Kennebunk and Orland, according to news reports. In addition, MaineHealth opened its own membership-based primary care clinic in September.

The Tuttles said their clinic has grown since July from 50 patients to more than 200. They plan to eventually have around 300 patients.

With health insurance premiums expected to skyrocket in January, Alley Tuttle said many of their new patients who come in are deeply upset about expected premiums for new 2026 plans. Patients want predictable costs, sufficient time for their health visits and a relationship with their provider, she said.

“As premiums rise and access becomes more challenging, [direct primary care] will offer a more sustainable patient-centered alternative that also will help with provider burnout,” Alley Tuttle said.

Apotheosis Health charges $90 a month for individuals, with discounts for couples and families. The payment covers unlimited visits, including an annual physical, as well as any necessary follow-up visits. The facility also has a walk-in urgent care clinic and an infusion clinic for people with dehydration, both open to anyone. Urgent care visits cost $150, and fluids cost $100.

There are some drawbacks. The Tuttles, and other direct primary care providers, still recommend patients have some kind of catastrophic insurance for large emergencies, and patients may need coverage for specialists. The number of patients clinics take is limited by design, making it unlikely that direct primary care could be a replacement for the traditional health care model.

And some worry that direct primary care takes away patients from traditional health care, which could drive up the costs for everyone else, including those who can’t afford the subscription model.

Steven Michaud, president of the Maine Hospital Association, previously told The Monitor that direct primary care is a good option as part of the larger health care mix but, “that said, it doesn’t do much for those that can’t afford it.”

This story was originally published by The Maine Monitor, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. Visit the newsroom online: themainemonitor.org.