Direct Primary Care Statistics of the Week

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Grounded Health is a company that states they are “the independent quality and accountability layer for employer health plans.” This is not a testimonial for them, as I know nothing more about them. That being said, here are some statistics they laid out.

  • Family premiums hit $26,993 this year and are rising 6.5–10% into 2026 
  • 1.7 of total health spend is now AI upcoding alone. (Garner Health, 2026)
  • 79% of one employer’s $4.08M claim went to administrators, not care. (U.S. Senate testimony, 2025)
  • 49% of plans took a $1M+ claim last year — up from 23%. (Aegis Risk, 2025)

To summarize:

  • More costly
  • More upcoding
  • More pay to administrators
  • More claims

Direct Primary Care has been proven to reduce most of this. We should be the tip of the spear for employers to vanquish these issues.

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About Douglas Farrago, MD

Dr. Farrago is a retired family physician based in Forest, Virginia. Since 2021, he has run DPCnews.com, a leading resource for the Direct Primary Care (DPC) movement. He is the author of three best-selling books on Direct Primary Care: The Official Guide to Starting Your Own Direct Primary Care Practice The Direct Primary Care Doctor’s Daily Motivational Journal Slowing the Churn in Direct Primary Care (While Also Keeping Your Sanity) In 2016, Dr. Farrago conceived the idea for the Direct Primary Care Alliance and co-founded the organization alongside other pioneering DPC physicians. He is widely recognized as a leading expert in the DPC model and frequently lectures to medical students, residents, and practicing physicians on how to successfully start and run their own DPC practices. Dr. Farrago sold his Direct Primary Care practice in October 2020.