Mississippi Doctors Ditch Insurance For A Direct Primary Care Model
The model is gaining traction as Americans face mounting healthcare expenses.
Black News 
A growing number of Mississippi doctors are abandoning the traditional insurance-based healthcare model, opting instead for a subscription system they say gives physicians more time with patients while offering an alternative for people struggling with rising medical costs, according to Mississippi Today.
Dr. Rasheeda Hall, a board-certified family and obesity medicine physician, opened Hall Health in Hattiesburg in 2024 after becoming frustrated with a system that often forced her to rush through patient visits.
Hall Health operates under a direct primary care model, in which patients pay a monthly membership fee rather than having the practice bill insurance. Hall schedules 30- or 60-minute appointments, compared with visits that previously could leave her with as little as five minutes to diagnose conditions, educate patients, and discuss treatment.
The model is gaining traction as Americans face mounting healthcare expenses. A 2024 survey of more than 450 direct primary care practices found that memberships cost about $100 per person per month on average. Hall Health charges individuals $125 monthly.
Hall told the outlet she has experienced a “big uptick” in patients in 2026 as some consumers struggle with insurance costs following the December 2025 expiration of enhanced federal tax credits for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans.
About 1 in 5 of Hall’s patients are uninsured. The physician offers laboratory testing at wholesale rates and helps connect patients with financial assistance and lower-cost services outside her practice.
The model has particular implications for Hall’s patient population. Most are middle-aged Black women, a demographic that Hall said has often not received adequate attention from healthcare providers.
“I look them in their eyes, and they start crying,” Hall told the outlet.
“Because nobody has taken the time to stop and actually care to hear the response.”
Dr. Ashlee Hendry has seen similar demand. She opened Mid-South Direct Primary Care in 2022 and now operates locations in Petal and Hattiesburg.
Hendry, who previously saw more than 30 patients a day in a traditional setting, now sees no more than 12 daily and has a waitlist for new patients.
Still, direct primary care is not insurance and generally does not cover emergency or specialty services. Mississippi law requires direct primary care agreements to make clear the services and fees included.
Some health policy experts also caution that smaller patient caseloads could worsen physician shortages.
Hall acknowledges the model cannot solve the healthcare system’s broader challenges. She hopes to establish a nonprofit arm of Hall Health to make the service accessible to more patients.
“I’m one person, and I can’t fix all of healthcare’s problems,” Hall said.
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