Medi-Share

[Greenman]

Is anyone here a member of medi-share? I'm looking for alternatives to the absolutely insane premiums I'm paying now. $1600 a month with a combined deductible for the wife and I of $12k. Medi-share would be around half those premiums, with the same deductible.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Where the hell has your life led you that resulted in a $1600/mo medical insurance bill? For that cost you could just foot the bill for most things in a reasonable amount of time.

 

[Captante]

Is anyone here a member of medi-share? I'm looking for alternatives to the absolutely insane premiums I'm paying now. $1600 a month with a combined deductible for the wife and I of $12k. Medi-share would be around half those premiums, with the same deductible.

Be careful ... a buddy of mine was diagnosed with liver-cancer a couple years ago. (he has since passed - RIP) On advice from a broker he had switched to a "medi-share" plan that looked really attractive on paper.

They fought him nearly every step of the way when it came to actually paying for treatment and because its not legally "insurance" there's not much recourse available. If he hadn't had wealthy family members pay out of pocket for treatment IDK what would have happened.

Not saying he died because of the delays in treatment this unfortunately led to but it sure didn't help. Connecticut is supposedly going to make them illegal.

 

[BoomerD]

Is anyone here a member of medi-share? I'm looking for alternatives to the absolutely insane premiums I'm paying now. $1600 a month with a combined deductible for the wife and I of $12k. Medi-share would be around half those premiums, with the same deductible.

Before we left CA in 2012, health insurance for pretty crappy coverage (high deductibles, high co-pays) ranged from $1200-$1500/mo. The COBRA coverage from my union was $1400 in 2004-2005.

 

[highland145]

2021 ACA $1350/mo, $17k deductible, 50% copay after that.

Thanks Bush.

 

[highland145]

@Captante why wouldn't the fight a pre existing or was it not that?

 

[Captante]

@Captante why wouldn't the fight a pre existing or was it not that?

Some of the treatments were not on the plans list of "acceptable" options was the way they worded it ... I never heard further explanation from them.



However my buddys lawyer phrased it this way: "the cheap bastard's don't care if you live or die as long as they make money and they do this to everyone with a large claim".

 

[highland145]

Some of the treatments were not on the plans list of "acceptable" options was the way they worded it ... I never heard further explanation from them.



However my buddys lawyer phrased it this way: "the cheap bastard's don't care if you live or die as long as they make money and they do this to everyone with a large claim".

Insurance in general...

So not pre existing?

 

[Captante]

Insurance in general...

So not pre existing?

Not far as I'm aware... they just looked for any tiny excuse to not pay and when then finally DID agree to pay had to be hounded and took forever.

So yeah pretty typical I'm afraid....

I can tell you this much though ... the issue with these "share" plans is that unlike actual insurance they are mostly unregulated so it's a total crap-shoot as to being covered. Hence CT moving to ban them... they're at least partially a scam.

I'll be talking to my deceased buddy's brother in a few days I'll try to remember to ask him.

 

[brianmanahan]

Not saying he died because of the delays in treatment this unfortunately led to but it sure didn't help. Connecticut is supposedly going to make them illegal.

my parents were considering one of those medical share groups

but because nothing is guaranteed they chose to buy regular insurance even though it was more expensive

 

[Greenman]

my parents were considering one of those medical share groups

but because nothing is guaranteed they chose to buy regular insurance even though it was more expensive

Regular insurance isn't more expensive, it's absolutely fucking absurd.

 

[Captante]

Regular insurance isn't more expensive, it's absolutely fucking absurd.

The few wealthy people who can actually afford real quality insurance and the mega-profitable insurance companies lobbiests are to thank for that.

Some things like required health-care just don't work as a "for-profit" business.

 

[Gardener]

Medi-share isn't insurance. They define themselves as "a Christian healthcare sharing ministry" which should give you a clue about their legal and tax status. Washington state AG has filed cease and desist letter against two of these "ministries".

The Christian groups can offer low rates because they are not classified as insurance, and are under no legal obligation to pay medical claims.

Healthcare ministry scam

 

[Captante]

Medi-share isn't insurance. They define themselves as "a Christian healthcare sharing ministry" which should give you a clue about their legal and tax status. Washington state AG has filed cease and desist letter against two of these "ministries".

The Christian groups can offer low rates because they are not classified as insurance, and are under no legal obligation to pay medical claims.

Healthcare ministry scam

Nailed it ... as I mentioned Connecticut is doing the same thing.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Where the hell has your life led you that resulted in a $1600/mo medical insurance bill? For that cost you could just foot the bill for most things in a reasonable amount of time.

Yar.

With medical though there is the "sticker price" vs. "negotiated insurance price"... which is often times $20,000 vs. $2,000 - and I'm not joking about that - it is that drastic.

The point being is if you are ever uninsured, call them out and negotiate the price down... then after that say I'll pay half take it or leave it... negotiate from there further, etc.. etc.. heh. As annoying as that is - I would do that over paying $1,600 /month.... And that doesn't take into account of deductibles, co-pays, coinsurance if you actually DO use the insurance.

 

[brianmanahan]

Where the hell has your life led you that resulted in a $1600/mo medical insurance bill? For that cost you could just foot the bill for most things in a reasonable amount of time.

friend of mine thought the same thing and decided to skip insurance even though he could afford the 7-800$/month price tag for a single person

a few months after his health insurance lapses, he gets a crazy stomach problem and ends up in the ER for days

they got it all straightened out but he ended up owing close to 6 figs

 

[Gardener]

Greenman would be better off bumping up his deductible or getting a catastrophic plan, and eat the out of pocket costs.

The only reason these Medi-share products exist is because there was an exemption written into the ACA that allowed this product to fulfill the coverage requirement, but now that the requirement is gone, they are imploding.

Everyone should be aware of this scam. Make sure your family doesn't get duped as it is being pushed in the evangelical community as a christian product.

 

[Gardener]

Regular insurance isn't more expensive, it's absolutely fucking absurd.

If only some country could figure out a better, more cost effective way to provide health insurance coverage...and that provides coverage for everyone.

 

[Captante]

friend of mine thought the same thing and decided to skip insurance even though he could afford the 7-800$/month price tag for a single person

a few months after his health insurance lapses, he gets a crazy stomach problem and ends up in the ER for days

they got it all straightened out but he ended up owing close to 6 figs

I hate to say it but that's what bankruptcy is for.

Too bad the doc's/hospital would end up getting screwed but the American medical/insurance system as-is deserves all the "screwing" they get.

Nobody should be getting rich taking advantage of sick people.

 

[brianmanahan]

If only some country could figure out a better, more cost effective way to provide health insurance coverage...and that provides coverage for everyone.

b-b-but communism

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

b-b-but communism

Medical care via government is literally pointless if the government is within the pockets of big-pharma and healthcare industry in general.

See image below - Just our government provided healthcare (Medicare/Medicaid/VA I presume) are already at the levels of comparing countries.

In yet, were also the country that Canada and other countries outsource their care to because they are too inept to have our technologies.

 

[Captante]

I would take Canadian or British state-funding healthcare in a nano-second over the expensive garbage I have now.

The plan I have now with its massive deductible is effectively "catastrophic" health-insurance at the price of an all-inclusive HMO and I can't even afford to get routine medical care.

Crazy thing is my plan isn't even close to the worst out there. Healthcare in America is a complete disgrace.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I would take Canadian or British state-funding healthcare in a nano-second over the expensive garbage I have now.

The plan I have now with its massive deductible is effectively "catastrophic" health-insurance at the price of an all-inclusive HMO and I can't even afford to get routine medical care.

Crazy thing is my plan isn't even close to the worst out there. Healthcare in America is a complete disgrace.

Catastrophic healthcare (basically translates to "high deductible" healthcare) to me - requires someone that is smart enough to know the value of a Health Savings Account (HSA). Goodluck with that.

An HSA - by the way - is fucking awesome. Everyone here should be investing in it.

 

[Captante]

Catastrophic healthcare (basically translates to "high deductible" healthcare) to me - requires someone that is smart enough to know the value of a Health Savings Account (HSA). Goodluck with that.

An HSA - by the way - is fucking awesome. Everyone here should be investing in it.

The only problem is that if you do get sick and have to actually use that plan your "HSA" account will go POOF in a heartbeat unless you've been investing very successfully for a long time.

Unless you believe that folks who get plans with sky-high absurd deductibles are doing it just for kicks and actually have extra cash to put in the bank too instead of just getting a better plan?

An HSA account works fine if you could afford expensive insurance anyway since in that case it can save significant money on rates (and some on tax) IF you end up not using it.

Otherwise all it really protects is insurance company profit margins.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

The only problem is that if you do get sick and have to actually use that plan your "HSA" account will go POOF in a heartbeat unless you've been investing very successfully for a long time.

Unless you believe that folks who get plans with sky-high absurd deductibles are doing it just for kicks and actually have extra cash to put in the bank too instead of just getting a better plan?

An HSA account works fine if you could afford expensive insurance anyway since in that case it can save significant money on rates (and some on tax) IF you end up not using it.

Otherwise all it really protects is insurance company profit margins.

I'm not going to entirely disagree with you....

But I still think the root of the problem is that if someone goes from a $2,000/mo healthcare plan to a $1,500/mo healthcare plan - no one would actually take that difference and save it for a rainy day.

It's basically an American requirement that they spend it, regardless of emergencies, and regardless of economic or job status. Learning to save is required for anyone to pull their head out of their ass - and plenty just don't have that cognitive ability (as sad as that is).