Michigan school districts offer insurance-free care to beat rising health costs

Three Michigan school districts are piloting a specialized clinic to combat skyrocketing health care expenses. At the Corunna Plum Health clinic, situated within a converted high school campus, medical services are provided at no cost to patients. During a recent session, the clinic saw 13 patients who received treatment for various conditions including poison ivy, conjunctivitis, high blood pressure, and anxiety, all without any copays or deductibles.

The clinic also dispensed nearly $550 worth of medications complimentary to the patients. Superintendent John Fattal of Corunna Public Schools expressed his admiration for the clinic, emphasizing the value of extended consultations, which he believes epitomizes true healthcare. The consortium of Corunna, Lansing, and Van Buren school districts collaborates with Plum Health, a Detroit-based provider of "direct primary care," an emerging healthcare model that forgoes traditional insurance in favor of a straight monetary exchange between the patient—typically an employer—and the healthcare provider.

Corunna had started contributing $90 per month for each of its 255 employees to utilize a two-day-a-week primary care clinic, which also supplies deeply discounted medications, thus eliminating patients' out-of-pocket prescription drug expenses.