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Old 12-01-2014, 12:46 PM
 
913 posts, read 4,342,668 times
Reputation: 783

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I asked this question here about 2 years ago. No one really knew. So I ask again, hoping that the "landscape" has changed and more people starting to look for alternatives to Obamacare/medical insurance plans, that become ever more and more expensive.

Does anyone know or use "direct pay" plans or "share cost" medical funds/co-ops in Houston?

"direct pay" - is when you have an service agreement directly with your local physician. No middle man (aka insurance provider). You pay him cash, he charges much lower. No inflated bullsh*t bills, no gimmicks. It actually how it used to be in the good ol' US of A just 70 years ago.

A good successful example of this approach is a (Surgery Center of Oklahoma) Surgery Center Oklahoma. They are so competitive, they are not ashamed of publishing their prices online!

shared cost - is when a group of people create a "rainy day fund" to pay for medical services of each other. Again, no middle man here like the government or insurance companies. You get exactly what you pay for. AFAIK, with this plan one does not have to pay Obamacare.
A good example that this worlks is a (Liberty health Share) Liberty Health share.

Do we have anything similar here in Houston?
Do you know any providers with similar plans in Harris or Fort Bend county?
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Old 12-01-2014, 01:06 PM
 
Location: Non Extradition Country
2,165 posts, read 3,770,520 times
Reputation: 2261
Search "Concierge medicine" in Houston. I think you will find what you are looking for.
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Old 12-01-2014, 03:05 PM
 
913 posts, read 4,342,668 times
Reputation: 783
Quote:
Originally Posted by DSL_PWR View Post
Search "Concierge medicine" in Houston. I think you will find what you are looking for.
Thanks! Looking at their packages, I can't say I am impressed:

===========
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HydraFacial® MD treatment


Introductory Wellness Package
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Old 12-01-2014, 09:09 PM
 
1,534 posts, read 3,493,237 times
Reputation: 1296
I don't necessarily think cheap is good in healthcare. Most good doctors want to be paid a good salary and the cost of good and sterile equipment is not cheap. I'd be leery of a cheap direct plan. Insurance is a middleman and yes, they do make a profit out of it, but just like car insurance, you pay because you need them in case you run up a very expensive bill.
If you're healthy, try looking into and Health Savings Account (HSA) and catastrophic health insurance plan. HSA allows you to accumulate pretax dollar, no expiration unlike a Flex account. The premiums are lower but you pay more out of pocket....again, this is for healthy people who rarely need to see the doctor.
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Old 12-02-2014, 06:40 AM
 
264 posts, read 441,677 times
Reputation: 232
There is a group that went the concierge route headed by Dr. Rebecca Clearman. We saw an MD in this group over a dozen years ago before they used this format. At that time they used an hourly rate format. One of the best MD experiences we ever had. The MD that we saw left TX and I think went overseas.

You can Google them and inquire about their rates.
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