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I watched the John Oliver show. I thought the funniest thing was that his outrage seemed to come from some expectation or desire that HS ministries would be or should be exactly like insurance. That is like being outraged that trucks are not the same as cars, or that annuities are not the same as IRAs. Why would or should HSMs be the same as insurance? They are two similar but different things.
Until we have some sort of universal health care, I'm glad there are still choices such as HS ministries for those of us who may want or need an alternative to for-profit, conflict-of-interest insurance.
Since I posted above, I have had to use my Christian Healthcare Sharing Ministry. Had a bad fall out of state, ended up in the hospital 4 days, long surgery. Bill was over $300,000. No insurance company making decisions for me, I got to decide.
I informed all the providers that I had no health insurance and I needed the self pay rate. Once I had the adjusted bills (which was hard to get in some cases, they are not used to sending bills to patients), I sent them to CHM and they sent me a check. I then paid the providers.
I am extremely happy with how it worked. We get the bronze plan which only covers hospitalization, which is what we wanted. We pay for everything else (always asking for the self pay rate). For example, my physical therapy charges $571 but the self pay rate was $120 per visit.
Now, CHM is a faith based group. We pray for each other and we donate to others within the group, outside of our monthly regular giving. I'm extremely thankful that this ministry exists and we are giving more because they gave us so much.
There is no loss to the providers. They do not process any of the paperwork, hence there is no added overhead cost to them (unlike with insurance).
The patients are self-pay since they pay upfront for the services provided. They then submit the paperwork to the HSMs, who then essentially crowd-source the funding from the members of the ministry.
I have had similar good experience with Liberty HealthShare. Once my deductible was satisfied, my bills were shared and I received a check a few months later.
Since I posted above, I have had to use my Christian Healthcare Sharing Ministry. Had a bad fall out of state, ended up in the hospital 4 days, long surgery. Bill was over $300,000. No insurance company making decisions for me, I got to decide.
I informed all the providers that I had no health insurance and I needed the self pay rate. Once I had the adjusted bills (which was hard to get in some cases, they are not used to sending bills to patients), I sent them to CHM and they sent me a check. I then paid the providers.
I am extremely happy with how it worked. We get the bronze plan which only covers hospitalization, which is what we wanted. We pay for everything else (always asking for the self pay rate). For example, my physical therapy charges $571 but the self pay rate was $120 per visit.
So, it appears self-pay on therapy was 20% of the billed rate. That's a really steep reduction. I know we wouldn't get that accommodation around here from any provider. My son/dil who had no insurance for a while tried to negotiate rates years back with a major hospital and got nowhere.
What were the actual numbers? Hospitalization was reduced from what to what? You then sent that bill to CHM. Did they pay it in full?
Also, if you policy covers only hospitalization, did that mean surgery and rehab costs were on you? Or was surgery included in hospital?
Just trying to get a sense of the exposure someone might have should they have your experience and your coverage.
Thanks.
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