SIDNEY — Victress Health and Wellness hosted U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, on Tuesday for an event advocating Health Savings Account and Flexible Savings Account money be eligible to be used to pay direct primary care providers.

Lisa Marino, who runs Victress Health with her sister Erin Hazelbaker, said direct primary care is “the solution to the health care crisis in America,” and said allowing HSA and FSA funds to be used for the service would give access to the model to more people.

Direct primary care is a health care model in which patients purchase a membership to a provider for primary care services. Direct primary care practices normally do not bill third-party payers, like insurance companies.

“It drastically saves on costs, encourages free market competition, it values prevention and root cause treatment, and it reestablishes trust in medicine, and we have a lot of lack of that right now,” Marino, who is a doctor of physical therapy, said to a group of about 30 people.

Marino started Victress in 2017. She moved the practice from Anna to 804 W. Russell Rd. last year.

Jordan represents Ohio’s fourth district, which includes northern Shelby County. (Sidney and southern Shelby County are in Ohio’s 15th district, represented by Mike Carey, R-Columbus.)

Jordan listened to Marino and to testimonials from patients and business owners, which Marino arranged. He said he supports the idea.

“This is patient-centered,” Jordan said. “Just like in education, you want child-centered education, student-centered education, same thing in health care. You want patient-centered health care, that’s what you’re doing, working directly with a patient to help them in a holistic way.

“And it’s free market. Like I used to say, the only place left in health care where it’s still free market is dental care. …But most of the rest of health care is driven totally by the government and the big insurance companies. So you want this kind of model that empowers the patient, and access to health savings account money, so they can spend it with the person they trust.”

One of Victress’ patients who spoke was Charles Johnston, who recently retired from the Marine Corps. He said Victress and the direct primary care model has helped him heal unresolved issues.

“I had a lot of symptom care. The goal in military medicine is to bring you in, find out what’s wrong with you, and get you back on the job,” Johnston said. “And they did a great job. However, as we know, like a lot of veterans as they start to age out, myself included, you leave there with some unresolved, maybe not fully explored medical conditions.

“… It has really benefited me, just because it makes you better understand the health care you’re getting. You know they’re going after the root cause, and not just the symptoms.”

A provision in U.S House Bill 5688, which was introduced by U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pennsylvania, last year, would allow for HSA and FSA funds to pay direct primary care providers.

Jordan is on the Judiciary Committee and House Oversight Committee and said he can’t do much to further the bill. He encouraged those in attendance to contact House Ways and Means Committee chairman Jason Smith, R-Missouri, to express support for the bill and encourage it be brought to the floor for a vote. He also told those in attendance to contact Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, to have him and the state legislature put pressure on Congress.

Marino said the direct primary care provider model can help reduce health care costs.

“It’s something like $4 trillion is spent in health care, and the studies are showing that direct primary care, along with direct contracting can save 20 percent,” Marino said. “That’s $800 billion.”

Reach Sidney Daily News editor Bryant Billing at 937-538-4822, or follow @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook or @TopBillingSport on X (Twitter).