Suppose people with no health insurance could buy easy access to a doctor for only $25 or $30 a month. Well, they can in Rhode Island thanks to an innovative program brilliant in its simplicity. No government is involved, and one doesn’t need an employer, either, to enroll. The monthly cost is less than most people’s cable bill.

Dr. Michael Fine is the brain behind the program, called HealthAccessRI. He and eight doctors in his practice, Hillside Family and Community Medicine, of Pawtucket and Scituate, have been offering “memberships” for easy access to their services for about six years. It’s so easy. A member is billed $25 or $30 a month and receives in return, yearly physicals, visits whenever he or she is sick and 24-hour phone access.

This is not comprehensive coverage. It does not include hospitalization, specialists, drugs, X-rays or lab tests. But, as Dr. Fine notes, it provides primary care, which is all most people require. And when people can visit a doctor any time they have a concern, chances are good that ailments will be discovered before they become more advanced and more expensive. And when someone lacking major coverage is found to have a serious illness requiring specialty care, the doctors can help get that individual into a program to help pay for it.

The HealthAccessRI model seems to work well for people with chronic conditions, such as diabetes. The patient can be followed, and even 15 visits a year to the doctor can be done if found necessary.

The economics make sense for all. Family care costs less than the specialties. Dr. Fine contends that a primary physician can help the patient avoid unnecessary tests and operations, which not only create big bills but put patients at risk. (Dr. Fine points to studies showing that countries with the most primary-care doctors also have the lowest health-care costs and best outcomes.) For doctors, a system that pays for services without subjecting them to the hassle and expense of dealing with insurers can increase their incomes — while at the same time lowering patients’ health-care costs.

HealthAccessRI is no cure-all for the uninsured population. As noted, it doesn’t include major medical coverage for such events as a heart attack or serious cancer. However, combining this inexpensive means of obtaining primary care with a high-deductible catastrophic policy for big-ticket medicine (this insurance costs far less than comprehensive coverage) could provide health security for most people. Of course, there remains the problem of folks with serious pre-existing conditions whom many insurers won’t touch.

Such offerings could put a major dent in the state’s uninsured population of about 120,000. HealthAccessRI now has 21 participating doctors, and we look forward to its expansion. It’s a wonder no one else has thought of this before.