Why Orange County Families are Switching to a Different Kind of Doctor

If you live in Newport Beach or Irvine like I do, you already know that the cost of everything here is higher. Housing, groceries, and childcare are some of those main costs. None of this is cheap and Healthcare is no different. Yet, for all that families, myself included, spend on insurance premiums, copays, and deductibles, most still feel like they can't actually reach their doctor when they need one.

That disconnect is part of what led me to start Solace Primary Care. And it's why more Orange County families are choosing a model called Direct Primary Care - a simple, transparent alternative to the insurance-driven system most of us grew up with.

What you're actually paying for with traditional insurance

A typical family in Orange County with employer-sponsored insurance pays somewhere between $800 and $1,500 a month in premiums alone. Add deductibles, copays, and out-of-network surprises, and annual out-of-pocket costs can easily reach $10,000 to $15,000 - even in a year where nothing serious happens.

And for that? You get eight-minute appointments, weeks-long waits for anything non-urgent, and a doctor who may not even remember your name by the time you sit down.

The DPC alternative

Direct Primary Care replaces the insurance billing cycle with a flat monthly membership. At Solace, that starts at $150 per adult per month and $100 for a child membership. Your membership covers your primary care including those visits, messaging, follow-up, coordination without copays, without surprise bills, and without the wait.

The visits can be done in person, virtually, or even in your home.

The model that has worked best for my family has been to pair a DPC membership with a high-deductible insurance plan. The high-deductible plan handles the rare, expensive events including hospitalizations, surgeries, specialist care. Which I am glad that I have insurance as earlier this year I had to get my gallbaldder removed which would have been so expensive without insurance. Then, the DPC membership handles everything else, which is the vast majority of the care your family actually uses day to day.

For many families, this combination costs can be less than a traditional low-deductible plan — while actually delivering more accessible, more personal care.

What this looks like for a Newport Beach family

A family of three - two adults and one child at Solace pays $400 per month, capped at $400 regardless of how many children you add. That's primary care for your whole family: same-day availability, direct access to me in person or by phone or message, and visits that don't feel rushed. Labs at near-wholesale prices. A doctor who knows your kids by name and your husband's cholesterol history and the fact that you've been putting your own health last for two years.

That's what this model is designed to make possible. Not just savings on paper but a genuinely different experience of being cared for.

If you're curious whether DPC is the right fit for your family, I'd love to talk. You can book a complimentary discovery call directly on the website, no commitment required.

Dr. Shehzein Khan is the founder of Solace Primary Care, a Direct Primary Care practice serving Newport Beach and Orange County, with telemedicine available throughout California.