The Ohio House of Representatives has inserted language in its version of the state budget bill (House Bill (HB) 166) to specify that direct primary care (DPC) agreements that meet certain criteria are not considered insurance. This has long been a goal of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians and would guard against any future regulatory action by the Ohio Department of Insurance to begin regulating DPC agreements as an insurance product.
Criteria for DPC agreements in the current budget language include: must be in writing, agreement must state that either party can terminate the agreement in writing, a termination fee cannot be charged, and the agreement is related to services provided in exchange for the payment of a fee paid on a periodic basis.
The state budget bill (HB 166) is currently being considered by subcommittees of the Ohio House Finance Appropriations Committee.