Truly Affordable Health Care

[Commercialfarmer]

In case that other thread goes poof, this is something if you pay for your own, you really should look into.

I pay through my employer, it is $1100 a month for our family. Rediculous. Was about $600 3 years ago.

Anyway, a guy I work with has been using this:

http://samaritanministries.org/


They pay something around $400 a month for whole family. Said there may be a request at the end of the year for an additional $300, but have not had to pay that yet.

They had a baby in the NICU for 1 week. Paid $0 extra. Just their normal monthly payment. Thats huge! No deductable to meet.


I've been looking into this and we will be changing this next opt out period.

 

[Commercialfarmer]

Forgot to add, we also paid an additional 10 to 11k in deductables and copays.

So our total medical was about 24k to his ~5k.

We both had a child. We both had and extended hospital stay for someone in the house.


There is affordable care, it's just not being advertised.

 

[slick4591]

There are also others like this one. I came really close to signing with one last year.

 

[littletom]

I pay 1200 for family of 4 was 700 3 years ago, got letter going up to 1500 first of year.

 

[boondocks]

I think these types of "non-insurance" groups/plans grew out of the Amish folks, who have a long history of "taking care of their own" so were exempted out of mandatory health care (and, I think, SS and maybe workers' comp on their Amish employees).

It's an intriguing idea, but I'd check the fine print. My understanding is that they rely on the kindness/largess/economic stability of others in the group to pay for your family's bills, but that there is no legal requirement that compels them to do so, if push comes to shove. That's just my understanding...

 

[Commercialfarmer]

Ill take my chances on the financial well being of the people paying a 1/4 of what i am for equal or better care. ;-)

If you make a monthly payment every month, then you are covered by shared agreement. If you fail to make that payment, you aren't covered- which sure seems a lot like insurance in America used to work.

What someone told you is true, you are dependent on others participation. Just like every other form of insurance/shared costs. It's how they all function.

If my bills are not being covered/shared, then it would mean that all others have opted out of the arrangement. If they opted out, then their bills will not be covered either.

That is a failed argument by someone wanting to direct people away and into obamacare.

Which system is currently failing to attract participants? Hint, it's not this type. There are states that are down to only 2 choices of providers and they are at outrageous costs to the poor souls.


Here's something really scary, do you know who penned the majority of obamacare?

"Robert Creamer, a federal felon. He's the husband of Marxist Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who still demands a "single payer" healthcare delivery system. Creamer wrote much of Obamacare while he was in prison, having been convicted of 16 counts involving bank fraud and income fraud."

It was penned to fail, and shift us in the direction of a government controlled health system.

The man has been to the white house 342 times in the past 8 years.

 

[Commercialfarmer]

There are also others like this one. I came really close to signing with one last year.

Thanks for adding that, i meant to say so originally. This is just the one i've personally known someone using. Like i say, they've really been happy with it. Said that when you have something you have to pay, you get all kinds of well wishes from people. Said that was something unexpected and nice.


He said his wife cut her foot while he was out of town. She went to the er to have it sutured. Total bill was something like $250. The group has people that negotiate the bill down. Of course, they were only out their normal monthly payment.

My daughter fell in the sidewalk and busted her lip open. The er visit for the dr to do nothing more than refer her to the plastic surgeon at another hospital was $1200. I haven't seen the surgeon's bill yet. And we're out however many thousand until our deductible is met again this year.

This stuff is out of hand.

 

[boondocks]

Ill take my chances on the financial well being of the people paying a 1/4 of what i am for equal or better care. ;-)

If you make a monthly payment every month, then you are covered by shared agreement. If you fail to make that payment, you aren't covered- which sure seems a lot like insurance in America used to work.

.....
That is a failed argument by someone wanting to direct people away and into obamacare.
.....

I think the ACA has its good and bad points. The fundamental problem (that no one, myself included, knows how to fix) is that we all want great care for ourselves and our loved ones; and most of us also want others to be personally responsible for themselves and not overuse/abuse the "system." I do like a few things about the ACA (health care for young adults up to age 26 on their parents' plan; insuring those with prior-existing conditions; etc). I'm not sure but think it also expanded mental health benefits. That's a big problem in our rural area; people with untreated mental conditions cost our county a ton of money (in ER visits, crime, psych episodes, etc).

The problem with the ACA is that it worked as advertised to insure the poor people (the working poor) who did not have insurance. But the penalties were too low, so the young and healthy opted out, which led to a higher claims rate, and, now, increased premiums. At any rate, I'm equally troubled by the number of obese people, many of whom who like their cigs and hooch, but pay the same premiums as I do (for my employer-provided plan). If we are going to knock the ACA, and health care premiums/costs, we also have to admit that we Americans are in lousy shape but want medicine to cure us.

My dad just had a blocked artery and a stent put in. He reported that the dr said it didn't have anything to do with (his diet, smoking, or sedentary lifestyle). (I'd bet the dr said no such thing). He's a retired steel worker. The poor "kids" now making half of what he did at the plant are expected to keep profits high enough to cover their own costs and help out with the retirees' costs. I think it's surprising the young folk haven't rebelled more....

 

[farmerjan]

If anyone is looking for the faith based or health care sharing plans, do an internet search for healthcaresharing. You will find several and there is one or maybe two that are not strictly faith based. There is an article by some guy, can't remember Sean someone, about the 5 health sharing plans available. Gives you sites to go to to check them out.