CORUNNA, MI — Three Michigan school districts are trying a different approach to employee health care: a clinic model that removes copays, deductibles and most of the usual insurance friction. At Corunna Plum Health, patients can walk into converted high school classrooms on the district campus and receive primary care at no cost.
On a recent day, 13 patients came through with problems ranging from poison ivy and pink eye to high blood pressure and anxiety. They also left with nearly $550 worth of medication at no charge. Appointments are set for at least 30 minutes, giving staff time to ask questions and talk through concerns rather than rushing in and out.
How the Corunna clinic fits into a direct primary care model
Corunna Public Schools, along with districts in Lansing and Van Buren, belongs to a consortium that uses Plum Health, a Detroit-based provider of direct primary care. In this model, health care is paid for directly rather than through traditional insurance billing for each visit.
Corunna began paying $90 per month for each of its 255 employees more than two years ago to support a two-day-a-week clinic for workers and their families. The district also pays for heavily discounted prescriptions filled through the clinic, which means patients do not have out-of-pocket drug costs when they use the service…