Enhancing Employee Health Benefits for Small Businesses in Myrtle Beach with Direct Primary Care Solutions
- Dr. Kishan Patel, MD — Board-Certified Internal Medicine
- Jun 1
- 5 min read
Updated: 22 hours ago
If you run a small business in Myrtle Beach, you already know how hard the health benefits math can be.
Traditional group health insurance is expensive. According to KFF's 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey, the average annual premium for employer-sponsored family coverage reached $26,993. Annual premiums have gone up. For restaurants, contractors, small professional firms, hospitality businesses, and startups along the Grand Strand, costs like that can make offering health benefits feel out of reach.
But there is a gap between "full group insurance" and "nothing."
That gap is where Direct Primary Care can fit.
Sarova Health offers a straightforward primary care membership for small businesses in Myrtle Beach, Carolina Forest, Market Common, Conway, North Myrtle Beach, and across the Grand Strand. For $125 per enrolled employee per month, your team gets direct access to Dr. Patel for everyday primary care needs with no copays and no per-visit billing from the practice.
What Direct Primary Care Means
Direct Primary Care, or DPC, is a membership model for primary care.
Instead of billing insurance for each visit, employees receive primary care through a flat monthly membership. That means fewer billing surprises, no copay for covered primary care visits at Sarova, and a more direct relationship with the physician.
At $125 per enrolled employee per month, Sarova costs less than $0.75 per work hour based on a standard 40-hour workweek.
For small business owners used to watching every line item, that kind of predictable cost matters.
One important clarification: Sarova Health is not health insurance. It does not replace major medical coverage. It does not cover hospital stays, specialist visits, surgeries, emergency care, or major imaging. Costs for care outside the practice specialists, hospitals, labs, imaging are separate.
Employees should keep major medical coverage for those needs. Sarova is designed to make everyday primary care easier to access and easier to use.
Why This Matters for Myrtle Beach Employers
The Grand Strand economy runs on people.
Whether you operate a restaurant, manage a contracting crew, run a professional office, or lead a growing local business, your team matters. When employees cannot access basic primary care, small problems can become bigger problems.
The pattern is familiar:
An employee has a sore throat, recurring back pain, a medication question, or a health concern they have been putting off.
They try to get an appointment.
The medical visit is weeks away.
They wait, miss work, go to urgent care, or let the problem get worse.
That costs the employee time, money, and stress. It can also cost the business productivity, coverage, and momentum.
Better primary care access does not solve every healthcare problem. But it can help employees address everyday concerns earlier, before they turn into more disruptive issues.
What Employees Get With a Sarova Health Membership
Direct Access to Dr. Patel
Employees can communicate directly with Dr. Patel for appropriate primary care questions instead of navigating a complicated phone tree.
Same- or Next-Day Access for Most Concerns
For most non-emergency concerns, members can be seen the same day or the next business day.
No Copays, No Per-Visit Bills
The monthly membership covers primary care visits at Sarova. Sarova never charges copays or per-visit fees for covered primary care. (Care received outside the practice is billed separately by those providers.)
Longer, More Personal Visits
Employees have time to discuss what is going on, ask questions, and understand the plan instead of feeling rushed through a short appointment.
Predictable Cost for Employers
At $125 per enrolled employee per month, employers know exactly what they are spending on this benefit. No claims fluctuation. No renewal shock. No hidden primary care billing.
Who This Benefit Is Built For
Sarova Health's employer membership is designed for small businesses that want to support their team without taking on the cost and complexity of a full group health plan.
It may be a good fit for:
Restaurants and hospitality businesses along the Grand Strand.
Contractors and trades in Myrtle Beach, Conway, and North Myrtle Beach.
Professional firms in Carolina Forest, Market Common, and surrounding areas.
Startups and growing businesses that want a simple health benefit.
Local employers who want to compete for talent with a practical, meaningful benefit.
You do not need to enroll your entire workforce. Employers can start with a portion of their team and grow from there.
A Clear Alternative to "Nothing"
For many small employers, the real comparison is not Sarova Health versus a full group health plan.
The real comparison is Sarova versus offering no health benefit at all.
No benefit may cost the business $0 on paper, but employees still get sick. They still need medication refills. They still have blood pressure concerns, diabetes questions, back pain, respiratory infections, anxiety, headaches, and preventive care needs.
Without easy primary care access, many people delay care or use urgent care for problems that could have been handled earlier.
Sarova gives employers a practical middle option: direct access to primary care at a predictable monthly cost.
How Sarova Health Compares
Option | Approximate Employer Cost | Primary Care Access |
|---|---|---|
Traditional group health insurance | Often expensive and variable | Included, but may still involve copays, deductibles, networks, and long waits |
No health benefit | $0 | Employee pays out of pocket or may delay care |
Sarova Health employer membership | $125 per enrolled employee per month | Direct primary care access with no copays or per-visit billing from the practice |
Sarova Health is primary care only. It is not health insurance and does not replace major medical coverage.
HSA, FSA, and Tax Questions
As of January 1, 2026, federal law allows direct primary care membership fees to be paid with Health Savings Account (HSA) funds, subject to a monthly cap of $150 per individual. Sarova's $125 monthly membership falls under that cap. This pairs naturally with the high-deductible health plans many small businesses already offer.
Some employers also ask whether Sarova membership costs are tax-deductible as a business expense. That is a reasonable question, but the answer depends on your business structure and how the benefit is offered.
For guidance specific to your business including HSA, FSA, or HRA treatment and deductibility please consult your CPA or tax advisor.
What is simple is the pricing: $125 per enrolled employee per month.
Getting Started Is Simple
No insurance broker. No complicated claims process. Just straightforward monthly pricing for each enrolled employee.
If you own or manage a small business in Myrtle Beach or along the Grand Strand, click the link below. We’ll answer your questions and show you how Sarova Health can support your team.
For $125 per enrolled employee per month or less than $0.75 per work hour you can give your employees direct access to more personal, accessible primary care.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not medical, legal, or tax advice. It does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. Sarova Health is a direct primary care membership practice, not health insurance, and does not replace major medical coverage. Employees should maintain major medical coverage for hospital care, emergency care, specialist care, surgery, imaging, and other services outside primary care. Employers and employees should consult their CPA or tax advisor about the tax treatment of membership costs, including HSA, FSA, or HRA eligibility for their specific situation.
