Indy patients are bypassing insurance to meet with doctors directly

(MIRROR INDY) — After Colleen Winship had her first baby two years ago, she noticed his breathing was irregular.

The 35-year-old eastsider tried calling the family doctor about the symptoms but couldn’t get through. Eventually, she drove her son to the ER.

“I was a scared new mom,” Winship said. “It was the first time he was sick, and I was home by myself.”

At the hospital, doctors evaluated her baby. They determined his breathing was normal and showed her an educational video about emergency symptoms. The bill came a few months later.

“There’s so many people you have to talk to before you finally get a doctor,” Winship told Mirror Indy. “You feel like a number more than a genuine patient.”

That’s why she started going to a direct primary care practice. This model, growing throughout Indianapolis, allows people to pay a monthly fee for unlimited doctors’ visits — no insurance involved. Patients say it gives them more access to physicians and eliminates stressful scheduling and wait times.

Now, if Winship has questions or concerns, she texts or calls Dr. Sarah Bosslet, ...