Free Market Medical Association

What Free Market Medical Association does

The Free Market Medical Association (FMMA) is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 2014 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that connects willing buyers (patients, self-funded employers, public-sector employers, and health-share ministries) with transparent sellers (physicians, surgery centers, hospitals, imaging, labs, and pharmacies) of healthcare goods and services outside the traditional insurance-network model. Co-founded by Jay Kempton (CEO of the Kempton Group) and Dr. Keith Smith (co-founder of the Surgery Center of Oklahoma), the organization is built around three membership tiers — Buyers at $399/year, Sellers (provider pricing), and Vendor Services/Facilitators at $799/year — with vendor members including TPAs, brokers, technology providers, and consultants vetted against the FMMA "Pillars" of transparent bundled pricing, value shopping, and direct agreement.

The core technology product is ShopHealth, an online marketplace where FMMA member providers voluntarily publish comprehensive upfront bundled prices for medical procedures, searchable by place, procedure, provider, event, or DPC with location-based distance filtering. ShopHealth is positioned as a transparent price-comparison directory rather than a claims or payment platform; the FMMA itself is described as a membership and marketplace organization rather than a technology company, with no disclosed APIs, SDKs, or proprietary AI/ML systems. Distribution and community activation operate through 33 local chapters across 27 states (Alabama, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, California, Colorado, and others), an annual conference hosted at the Omni Oklahoma City (500+ attendees, 25+ vendors at the 2024 10-year anniversary), a 100+ video library on YouTube and Vimeo, and the Healthcare Americana podcast operated in partnership with Freedom Healthworks. Beacon Awards are given annually to individuals and organizations advancing free-market healthcare principles.

FMMA generates revenue through annual membership subscriptions, conference sponsorships and exhibitor fees, and donations, and is funded entirely outside the venture capital system. Strategic flagship partners include The Kempton Group Administrators (the Kempton Premiere Provider Program, which has reported hundreds of millions of dollars in client savings) and the Surgery Center of Oklahoma (the originator of transparent all-inclusive pricing in the U.S.). The organization is led by co-founders Kempton and Smith, with Matt Ohrt serving as Executive Director since August 2025; the operational team spans 11-50 employees.

Name

Free Market Medical Association

Legal name

Free Market Medical Association

Website

https://fmma.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Free Market Medical Association (FMMA) is a 2014-founded, Oklahoma City-based nonprofit membership organization that connects self-funded employers, patients, and facilitators with physicians and facilities that publish transparent bundled cash prices, primarily through its ShopHealth marketplace, 33 state chapters, and an annual conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Marketplace and Membership Organization

NAICS

Health and Personal Care Retailers (456)

SIC

Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies (5047)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical, Dental & Lab Supply Marketplaces (CRAFAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Healthcare & Medical POS Financing (FSAKAFAI)

Keywords

• Transparent healthcare pricing
• Direct care marketplace
• Self-funded employer benefits
• Medical price comparison
• Healthcare cost sharing

Headquarters

HQ city

Oklahoma City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Buyer Membership: Individual patients, self-funded employers, fully insured employers, tax-funded health plan representatives, union representatives, non-profits, and associations pay annual membership fees. Includes online membership directory access, special conference rates, educational tools, chapter leadership opportunities, and FMMA forum access.
2. Seller Membership: Primary care physicians, specialists, surgery centers, hospitals, and ancillary service providers (imaging, labs, pharmacy) pay membership fees. Sellers can post cash prices and medical practice information on the ShopHealth marketplace.
3. Vendor Services/Facilitators Membership: Brokers, agents, consultants, TPAs, technology providers, financial services, legal, marketing, stop loss, and underwriting providers pay higher annual membership fees ($799/year). Includes networking, discounted conference registration, and optional local chapter participation.
4. Donations: The FMMA accepts donations from supporters who want to support the mission without full membership. The organization survives primarily on member donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Free Market Medical Association operates a healthcare marketplace and membership organization that connects willing buyers (patients, self-insured employers) with transparent sellers (physicians, surgery centers, hospitals, ancillary providers) via its ShopHealth price-comparison platform. It monetizes primarily through tiered annual memberships (Buyer $399/yr, Seller, and Vendor/Facilitator $799/yr), donations, and sponsorships, while running 33 local chapters and an annual conference to grow the free-market healthcare movement.

Product overview

The Free Market Medical Association offers a platform centered on its ShopHealth marketplace, which allows providers to post transparent prices for patients to compare. The organization operates membership tiers (Buyer, Seller, Vendor/Facilitators), manages a 33-chapter network across 27 states, and hosts an annual conference. These products work together to connect willing buyers of healthcare with transparent sellers, facilitated by third-party administrators and health sharing ministries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ShopHealth
• FMMA Membership Program
• FMMA Annual Conference
• FMMA Local Chapters
• FMMA Be a Beacon Awards Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 21% projected decline in Stop Loss Carrier plan costs in first year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Freedom HealthworkscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFreedom Healthworks partnered with FMMA to bring more resources for furthering the direct care and free-market medicine movement. Their podcast 'Healthcare Americana' is now the official podcast of the FMMA, expanding reach to a wider audience of healthcare stakeholders including innovative clinicians, policymakers, patients, and advocates.
• Mises InstituteminorOthersFree market economic research and education organization that supports the FMMA's mission. Listed as an association friend who helps promote and support free market healthcare.
• Health RosettaminorOthersOrganization focused on fixing healthcare through open source principles. Listed as an association friend who supports FMMA's pillars.
• Benjamin Rush InstituteminorOthersMedical education nonprofit supporting free market healthcare principles. Listed as an association friend who helps promote FMMA's mission.
• Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)minorOthersMedical association advocating for physician autonomy and free-market healthcare solutions. Listed as an association friend supporting FMMA.
• Docs4Patient Care FoundationminorOthersFoundation dedicated to preserving the sanctity of the physician-patient relationship and affordable healthcare access. Listed as an association friend.
• Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA)minorOthersOklahoma-based think tank focused on fiscal responsibility and free-market solutions. Jonathan Small, OCPA President, is a FMMA Beacon Award winner.
• The Kempton Group Administrators, Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreator of KPPFree(TM), a Third-Party Administrator of self-funded employer-sponsored benefit plans since 1969. President & CEO Jay Kempton is Co-Founder of FMMA. Titanium Sponsor of FMMA annual conference. Partnership has helped save clients hundreds of millions of dollars.
• Surgery Center of OklahomaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-of-the-art multispecialty facility owned by top surgeons. Co-founded by Dr. Keith Smith, Co-Founder of FMMA. Transparent, direct, package pricing pioneer. Titanium Sponsor. The innovator of the free market model in the U.S.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Phia Group: Healthcare cost-containment and plan-protection firm co-founded by Adam Russo (2024 FMMA Beacon Award winner). Phia operates alongside FMMA's mission by protecting self-funded plan assets from overpayment, with deep overlap in employer-buyer audiences.
• Surgery Center of Oklahoma: Surgical facility co-founded by FMMA co-founder Dr. Keith Smith that pioneered transparent, all-inclusive bundled pricing in 2009. It is the flagship 'seller' in FMMA's ShopHealth marketplace and the most visible proof point of FMMA's free-market thesis.
• Health Rosetta: Open-source ecosystem for fixing healthcare benefits, founded by Dave Chase. Listed as an FMMA 'association friend,' Health Rosetta shares the self-funded employer playbook and provides a parallel certification/community for benefits advisors pursuing transparent purchasing.
• Direct Primary Care Coalition: National advocacy organization promoting Direct Primary Care as a free-market alternative to insurance-based primary care. The DPC Coalition operates upstream of FMMA by lobbying for DPC-friendly legislation; FMMA operationalizes DPC adoption through its seller network.
• The Karis Group: Healthcare cost-containment and medical bill negotiation firm founded by Dr. Tony Dale (also Sedera founder and 2021 FMMA Beacon Award winner). Karis operates as a 'good-faith facilitator' helping self-funded plans achieve the savings outcomes FMMA promotes.
• Sedera Health: Medical cost-sharing community founded by Dr. Tony Dale (2021 Beacon Award winner) that helps members pay directly for healthcare outside of traditional insurance. Like FMMA, Sedera operates in the free-market/direct-pay ecosystem and is a frequent co-marketing partner at FMMA events.
• The Kempton Group Administrators: Third-party administrator of self-funded employer health plans since 1969 and co-founded by FMMA co-founder Jay Kempton. Its Kempton Premiere Provider Program is the operational counterpart to FMMA's marketplace, enabling employers to actually transact against the prices ShopHealth publishes.
• Christian Healthcare Ministries: Healthcare cost-sharing ministry and 2023 Beacon Award winner that has satisfied nearly $10B in members' healthcare costs since 1981. CHM functions as a 'good-faith facilitator' in FMMA's three-party framework, connecting members with providers willing to accept direct payment.

Emerging players

• Turquoise Health: Health price-transparency platform that aggregates hospital-mandated rate files and cash prices into a searchable marketplace. Turquoise is the venture-backed technology analogue to ShopHealth, with deeper data coverage but no grassroots community layer.
• Hint Health: Direct Primary Care platform that helps independent physicians launch and operate membership-based practices. Hint is the technology counterpart to FMMA's DPC advocacy, providing the billing/EMR infrastructure that FMMA-recommended physicians actually run on.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/freemarketmed
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCucchY3qVDYMfnvCwqY3PYg/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/free-market-medical-association-b96a51195
• Instagraminstagram.com/freemarketmedical

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Free Market Medical Association