Making Healing Accessible: Our Approach to Care Affordability
There's a profound irony in the way American healthcare operates today.
Seeking care often creates significant financial stress (even, or sometimes especially, when insurance coverage is available) - and that stress itself undermines our health goals and ability to heal.
That needs to change.
My movement away from conventional primary care to founding and developing The Buddha's Medicine was driven by a recognition that true healing requires freedom - for both healthcare provider and patient - from sick systems.
Sick systems like our conventional care system in the United States; systems that have perverse stock price-based and corporate executive pay-based profit motives; systems that put a premium on volume over value; systems that engender fragmentation rather than integration.
As a physician who trained inside of that sick system, I've witnessed this contradiction firsthand and built The Buddha's Medicine specifically to address it. After years working within the constraints of conventional medicine, one market truth became abundantly clear to me: genuine healing requires removing barriers - not just physical and emotional ones, but financial ones, as well.
At The Buddha's Medicine, we believe that financial health is an essential component of overall wellness. The stress of financial burden can directly counteract the healing process we're working to facilitate. The foundation of our approach to payment and accessibility is to offer something different, more transparent, and above all, more direct.
This isn't just a philosophical difference - it directly shapes how we structure our care, from payment options to the unique integration of services that ultimately creates both clinical and financial efficiency for our patients. By integrating multiple types of care - modern bioscientific medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, lifestyle medicine, and preventative approaches - under one roof with a consistently-available and accountable healthcare provider, we offer not just better medical care but also a more financially sustainable model of care.
My firm personal conviction is that financial barriers should not prevent people from accessing transformative care. This isn't just an ideal—it's a concrete commitment that influences every aspect of how we operate.
Beyond the Insurance Model
Many patients ask why we don't accept insurance. The simple answer is that the insurance model universally restricts the quality and depth of care I can provide. Insurance companies incentivize brief, superficial appointments focused on single complaints, which fundamentally contradicts the holistic approach of Ayurvedic medicine. The insurance-based model also incentivizes using narrowly-applicable (and sometimes outright incorrect) western diagnosis codes (more than 70,000 of them!) and payment-limiting procedure and service codes.
By operating outside this system, we are free to offer something different:
Longer, time-unbound appointments that allow us to explore the full complexity of your health
Personalized treatment plans that address root causes rather than symptoms alone
Integration of multiple healing modalities without arbitrary restrictions
The freedom to practice medicine in alignment with actual healing principles
Our Commitment to Accessibility
Despite operating outside the insurance system, making care accessible remains one of our highest priorities. I firmly believe that health and healing should be available to those who seek it, regardless of financial circumstances.
This commitment manifests in several ways:
Payment Plans: For established patients facing financial constraints or concerns, we offer flexible payment plans that can spread costs out over time. New patients are encouraged to discuss payment plan options during their free consultation (see below!).
Free Consultations: We offer complimentary 15-minute consultations specifically to discuss whether our approach is right for you, including conversations about financial arrangements if needed. - Schedule Now
HSA/FSA Acceptance: Many of our services qualify for payment through Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts.
Superbills for Insurance Reimbursement: We provide detailed superbills that you can submit to your insurance company directly for potential out-of-network reimbursement. Numerous patients have successfully received partial reimbursement through this process.
The Value of Integrated Medical Care
As a triple board-certified physician with extensive training in both conventional and Ayurvedic medicine, I bring a unique perspective to your healthcare. The rates at The Buddha's Medicine reflect the comprehensive nature of the care provided – care that integrates:
Complete medical evaluation through conventional, integrative, and Ayurvedic lenses
Extensive time dedicated to understanding your unique health story
Personalized treatment plans drawing from multiple healing traditions
Ongoing support throughout your healing journey
My unique combination of credentials doesn't just represent a broad, diverse knowledge base - it translates to financial efficiency for our patients. Rather than paying for separate appointments with multiple specialists (a primary care physician, nutritionist, wellness coach, alternative medicine practitioner, etc.), you receive comprehensive, integrated care in one place. This approach not only provides better continuity of care but can also be more cost-effective in the long run.
The Long-Term Economics of Root-Cause Medicine
The Ayurvedic approach to medicine focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of health issues rather than merely managing symptoms. While this comprehensive approach may require more investment upfront, it often proves more economical over time.
When we treat only symptoms, they tend to recur or evolve into different manifestations of the same underlying imbalance—leading to ongoing medication costs, repeated doctor visits, and potentially more invasive treatments later. By addressing the fundamental causes of your health challenges, we work toward sustainable healing that can reduce your long-term healthcare expenses and dependency on the medical system.
Many of our patients find that their overall healthcare costs decrease significantly after addressing the root causes of their concerns, as they require fewer medications, experience fewer acute episodes, and develop the knowledge to maintain their health far more independently.
A Shared Commitment to Your Healing
I view the financial aspect of our relationship as part of our healing partnership. If financial constraints are preventing you from seeking care with us, I encourage you to reach out. The words I emphasize to every prospective patient are these: We will always do the best we can to make services sustainable available to you.
This isn't just a policy – it's a promise born from my conviction that healing should be accessible. While we can't guarantee we can accommodate every financial situation, we can guarantee that we will try our best to find a solution that works.
Financial health is health too. By addressing this aspect of well-being openly and compassionately, we create a foundation for the deeper healing work to come.
If you're considering care at The Buddha's Medicine but have concerns about affordability, I invite you to schedule a cost-free, 15-minute Consultation. During this time, we can discuss not only your health needs but also explore financial arrangements that might work for your situation. Please know that discussing financial considerations is a normal, expected part of our initial conversation—it's not an afterthought or an awkward topic, but rather an essential component of your overall care plan. My team and I are committed to having these conversations with compassion and without judgment, as we genuinely believe financial peace of mind contributes significantly to your healing journey.
Dr. Matt Van Auken, MD, MPH
Dr. Matt is an Ayurveda-trained, triple board-certified physician.
