What is direct primary care, and how is it different from concierge medicine?

Direct primary care (DPC) is a membership model: a flat monthly fee replaces insurance billing for primary care, giving you longer visits, direct messaging, and no copays. Concierge medicine typically charges a high annual retainer and still bills your insurance. DPC removes the insurance layer entirely, which is what makes Aspen Health affordable and simple.

How much does membership cost?

Aspen Health has three plans: Core ($100/month, adults 21+), Premium ($150/month, adults 21+), and Youth ($50/month, ages 6-20). A one-time onboarding fee applies ($300 adults, $100 youth), charged with your first month at enrollment. Membership requires a 6-month minimum, then continues month-to-month.

Do I still need health insurance?

Yes, keep it. Aspen Health is your primary care home, not insurance. Your membership covers everyday primary care: visits, messaging, and ongoing access. You'll still use insurance for hospitals, the ER, specialists, imaging, and prescriptions.

Can I use my HSA or FSA?

Yes. As of January 1, 2026, federal law confirms DPC membership fees are HSA-eligible, subject to a monthly cap of $150 per individual. Both Core and Premium fall within that cap. We can provide documentation if your HSA/FSA administrator requires it.

Do you bill insurance, or accept Medicare/Medicaid?

We don't bill insurance for membership, which is what lets us offer longer visits and direct access with no copays. Aspen has opted out of Medicare and Medicaid billing, but you're welcome to join regardless of status. We can provide a superbill for possible out-of-network reimbursement if your plan allows.

What's included in my membership?

Unlimited fair-use visits in-person and video, unlimited secure messaging, rapid in-office testing, group education sessions, and access to health coaching. Most routine labs, imaging, and prescriptions are referred to third parties and billed directly by them, often at discounted cash-pay member rates.

How fast can I be seen, and how do I reach Dr. Benson?

Urgent visits are generally available within 24 hours most days. You can message your doctor directly through the secure portal, with responses typically the same business day and no later than 72 hours. Messaging isn't monitored overnight or weekends.

Do you offer telemedicine, and where?

Yes. Dr. Benson offers secure video visits for patients physically located in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. At least one in-person visit per year is strongly encouraged for best care.

What conditions do you treat, and what's your approach?

Aspen is a full primary care home with a focus on lifestyle-responsive and chronic issues: weight and metabolic health, gut health, thyroid and hormones, cardiometabolic risk, autoimmune conditions, fatigue, sleep, allergies, and mental health, plus routine preventive care. Treatment starts with lifestyle, adding medication when clinically needed.

Do you prescribe medications and order labs?

Yes. Dr. Benson prescribes when clinically indicated and manages chronic-condition medications, filled at your pharmacy of choice. Routine labs are referred to certified third-party labs; rapid in-office tests are included.

What if I need a specialist, hospital care, or imaging?

Those run through your insurance, as in any practice. Dr. Benson helps arrange referrals, shares clinical context with specialists, and follows up on results. Members also have access to discounted cash-pay imaging and lab referrals through network partners.

How do I cancel, and what's the commitment?

Membership requires a 6-month minimum commitment. After that, it's month-to-month and cancellable with 30 days notice. Early cancellation within the first six months requires paying the remaining balance. If you rejoin after cancelling, a $300 re-onboarding fee applies.

Why Your Annual Physical Isn't Enough

Aug 1

Written By Jay Benson

I get this question a lot: "I get my annual physical every year, so why do you keep telling me Aspen Health does something different?"

Fair question. Let me explain.

THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH ABOUT ANNUAL PHYSICALS

Large studies have looked at whether the standard annual physical actually saves lives. The honest answer: on its own, it doesn't move the needle much on mortality or heart attacks. That's not me being cynical — that's what the data shows.

But here's what it does do well: it catches chronic disease earlier, gets people onto blood pressure and cholesterol treatment sooner, and pushes people toward cancer screenings they'd otherwise skip.

So the physical isn't useless. It's just incomplete.

WHY ONCE A YEAR ISN'T REAL PREVENTION

Real prevention isn't a single appointment. It's three things working together: catching problems early, staying current on the testing and treatment that keeps future problems from developing, and — the biggest one — consistent lifestyle direction and accountability.

That third piece is the one people underestimate. Diet, exercise, sleep, stress, relationships, and toxins — these are the things that actually determine your health five and ten years from now, more than any single test result. And they don't change because someone told you once, in January, to "eat better." They change with regular check-ins. Someone asking how it's actually going. Adjusting the plan when life gets in the way. That kind of accountability is, frankly, the greatest force in prevention we have.

You can't get that from one visit a year.

WHY A 15-MINUTE VISIT ONCE A YEAR ISN'T ENOUGH

The greater value of a physical exam was never really about the blood pressure cuff or the stethoscope. It's the time a doctor spends actually listening to you, tracking your progress, and building enough trust that you tell them what's really going on.

That's hard to do in 15 minutes. It's hard to do when your doctor has 20 other patients on the schedule that day. And it's nearly impossible to do when you only see that doctor once a year.

WHOLE-PERSON CARE ISN'T A BUZZWORD — IT'S A STRUCTURAL PROBLEM

Even primary care doctors who study this for a living have pointed out that piecing together annual wellness visits, referrals, screenings, and chronic disease management into 15-minute increments doesn't add up to comprehensive care. It adds up to fragmented care. Patients walk in expecting to be looked at as a whole person and instead get a checklist.

WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE AT ASPEN HEALTH

This is exactly why I built Aspen Health the way I did. Direct primary care (DPC) combines all three pieces of real prevention: we catch things early, we stay on top of the testing and treatment that optimizes your future health, and — most importantly — we see you often enough to actually guide and hold you accountable to the lifestyle changes that matter most.

You don't get squeezed into a 15-minute slot once a year. You get a doctor who knows your name, your labs, your goals, and checks in with you regularly enough to keep you moving in the right direction and an optional health coach to add additional accountability and motivation to improve your healthy habits.

A NOTE TO MY CURRENT PATIENTS

If you're already part of Aspen Health, this is your reminder: don't just treat your care like a once-a-year annual. Come see me 2 to 4 times a year. That's where the real prevention happens — not just in catching things early, but in the regular course-correction that keeps you on track. Reach out and get on the schedule.

If you're not yet a patient and you're ready for care that actually has time for you, I'd love to have you join us.

— Jay Benson, DO

Founder, Aspen Health | Princeton, NJ

- Liss D. et al., "General Health Checks in Adult Primary Care: A Review," JAMA, 2021

- Shein D.M. et al., "The Annual Physical: Delivering Value," The American Journal of Medicine, 2017

- Tarn D. et al., "Small Solutions for Primary Care are Part of a Larger Problem," Annals of Internal Medicine, 2022

- Laine C., "The Annual Physical Examination: Needless Ritual or Necessary Routine?," Annals of Internal Medicine, 2002

Jay Benson

Why Your Annual Physical Isn't Enough

Central NJ Residents: Your HSA Can Now Cover Direct Primary Care