Healthcare Sharing Networks - Have You Used One?
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We actually choose to not be insured at all. It is MUCH cheaper for us to not be insured than to be insured. That includes us having to pay the Tax on not being insured. Yes there is a risk that we could having be paying hospital bills for ever in the event of a accident but, generally they will work out a payment plan for you if you are paying cash.
Example why it's cheaper: Insurance for us (we don't qualify for subsidies). $1,400/month with a $3,600 deductible each year. Co Pay for Dr's appt.s $75, My medications each month $50 each (3 of them), Blood work: $150 deductible, xray's MRI's etc. 50% (was about $350 if I remember right that I had to pay last time).
Yearly cost with Insurance: $21,000/year minimum
I have learned that there are all kinds of discounts if you pay cash on the spot.
Paying cash: Dr.'s appts: $100 if paid in cash. Blood work if paid in cash $75. MRI $275 cash, medications $35 total a month for all 3 cash.
Yearly cost no Insurance: tax $3,000 + $3,200= $6,200ish a year.
No contest why we chose to go without insurance.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@JaredBusch said:
@scottalanmiller said:
Ours went down dramatically. We pay like 25% what we used to pay. It's definitely not more expensive for everyone. They had unlimited power to potentially extort you before. Now that is more limited.
Not a single person I know that buys insurance personally, pays less than what they paid prior to the ACA.
Well the difference there is that we weren't eligible to buy in personally before. We literally were uninsurable if we didn't get it through work. We spent months working with every insurer we could find and even brokers. The brokers told us there was no hope. And we never found anything. So to me, the difference there is "the US now has insurance versus, it didn't have universal insurance before."
Maybe the prices went up for most people because the few of us that were being really extorted got some protection.
I'm going to pry and ask what conditions did/do you have that caused the insurance companies to deny you? This is the only reason I can think of currently that would have them telling you no (or a rate that was so high as to make it worthless).
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@JaredBusch said:
@scottalanmiller said:
Ours went down dramatically. We pay like 25% what we used to pay. It's definitely not more expensive for everyone. They had unlimited power to potentially extort you before. Now that is more limited.
Not a single person I know that buys insurance personally, pays less than what they paid prior to the ACA.
Like you, I know no one (save for Scott - though since he didn't actually have insurance I don't think he really counts) who's insurance went down.
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@Dashrender said:
I'm going to pry and ask what conditions did/do you have that caused the insurance companies to deny you? This is the only reason I can think of currently that would have them telling you no (or a rate that was so high as to make it worthless).
I snore and need a CPAP, that was enough. No one offered us any rate, simply denied.
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@Minion-Queen said:
Paying cash: Dr.'s appts: $100 if paid in cash. Blood work if paid in cash $75. MRI $275 cash, medications $35 total a month for all 3 cash.
Depending on the Doc, where I live a normal appointment costs around $125. It's pretty easy for them to discount you to $100 if you are paying cash on the spot, no risk of collections, they have the money right now - total win for them.
Wow - an MRI for $275? The meds I could see this being the case depending on which meds, but I'd consider your situation to be a rare case. Did you find someone to buy your meds through other than say Target/walmart/local pharmacy, or was this a deal you worked out with one of them?
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
I'm going to pry and ask what conditions did/do you have that caused the insurance companies to deny you? This is the only reason I can think of currently that would have them telling you no (or a rate that was so high as to make it worthless).
I snore and need a CPAP, that was enough. No one offered us any rate, simply denied.
Aww, yes I've heard that sleep apnea (FYI, apnea is missing from FF dictionary) is a major strike against you for insurance purposes. What I don't know is, what are the chances of death and other complications assuming you get on a CPAP? And how ridiculously overpriced are CPAP supplies?
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@Dashrender said:
@Minion-Queen said:
Paying cash: Dr.'s appts: $100 if paid in cash. Blood work if paid in cash $75. MRI $275 cash, medications $35 total a month for all 3 cash.
Depending on the Doc, where I live a normal appointment costs around $125. It's pretty easy for them to discount you to $100 if you are paying cash on the spot, no risk of collections, they have the money right now - total win for them.
Wow - an MRI for $275? The meds I could see this being the case depending on which meds, but I'd consider your situation to be a rare case. Did you find someone to buy your meds through other than say Target/walmart/local pharmacy, or was this a deal you worked out with one of them?
Most everywhere will give you a Massive discount if paying cash. It takes them up to a year to get paid from an insurance company. My MRI was 75% off if paying cash. My meds are all Thyroid based and I get them at our local grocery store Wegmans. Again takes them months to get paid so they are happy to have cash on the spot. If I went to Walmart it was $20 more a month (still less than I was paying with insurance).
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I wonder if I have any exemptions from the mandatory insurance during the times that I am living outside of the country since the insurance would not cover us anyway.
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@scottalanmiller said:
I wonder if I have any exemptions from the mandatory insurance during the times that I am living outside of the country since the insurance would not cover us anyway.
I have wondered how that works - If you get sick while outside of the USA, are you just on the hook for a cash payment?
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I know when we were outside of the US we had to pay cash for everything. But it was SO MUCH cheaper than here in the US. That it no one cared.
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@Minion-Queen said:
I know when we were outside of the US we had to pay cash for everything. But it was SO MUCH cheaper than here in the US. That it no one cared.
I'm not worried about a cold or some normal over the counter illness as it were, I'm more worried about a car accident or other major injury. Though don't ask me why I'm worried (really only a little worried) about it.
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Well I was in Africa so might be a little different. I had a broken bone in my foot. Total cost for X-ray's and meds etc. $20. That was what us American's paid actually cost is more like $1 for all the supplies and the dr. etc. Again this is Africa so ....
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@Minion-Queen said:
Well I was in Africa so might be a little different. I had a broken bone in my foot. Total cost for X-ray's and meds etc. $20. That was what us American's paid actually cost is more like $1 for all the supplies and the dr. etc. Again this is Africa so ....
Damn, was the machine 30 years old?
Actual cost $1? I know that Drs aren't paid diddily there, but wow.
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The machine was from like 1975 or something so yeah
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@Minion-Queen said:
The machine was from like 1975 or something so yeah
LOL I was actually kidding, but at the same time not surprised at all.
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Art had to fix it like 10 times when he was there.... It was so old. Yeah Africa doesn't exactly get nice new stuff.
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@Dashrender
I'm curious to see how it turns out the first time you have a need - will the checks start pouring in?
From my understanding of the program, when your need is submitted it is then published the following month to a set amount of people who are assigned to your need. They are then to send their check to you, the recipient with the need.Also not thrilled with a set of strangers having my access (so they can send the funds).
Maybe? But then again I've been pretty successful in the past at finding out anyone's address I needed by googling enough. I did hunt down Nick's birth father through the internet, after all.Also, how does the central body know who did or didn't send money to those in need?
As the recipient of the need, you are sent a checklist of the households assigned to your need. As you receive those checks, you are to mark your list and report to the office any who do not send their funds in the allotted amount of time. So there is a system of checks and balances. -
Also I think someone asked about the tax thing - yes, we are covered as far as not having to pay the penalty tax. HCSN are allowed under ACA. We have a tax form that we will submit at tax time.
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This whole thread top to bottom blows my mind
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