10. Free 24/7 Doctors Appointments. This is a tremendous perk of membership. Even if you pay less than $50 a month as a member,  you still get access to free online phone/webcam doctor appointments that are available almost instantly.

So, for example, if you need antibiotics on a Saturday night for your toddler, you can easily and conveniently make an appointment to get this prescription called in to your pharmacy at no cost.

9. Discounts on Bills. Even if you're below your AHP (the Annual Household Portion works like a deductible), so long as you're in-network, Medi-Share will negotiate the largest discount they can on your bills -- which I can tell you from experience is often 70% or more.

8. Customer Service. Calling in and want to speak to a human? You can usually reach a member of Medi-Share's customer service team within a minute or two of dialing. They're also almost always both friendly and knowledgeable.

For slightly more detail on how they accomplish these short wait times, take a look here.

7. No Preliminary Approval. An under-rated benefit of Medi-Share membership is that you don't need prior approval for a procedure to have it eligible for sharing. In our case, saving these weeks of delay was vital for treating our daughter's plagiocephaly.

6. Vision and Dental. Discounts are now available for both as part of membership. Here is a short post with more on vision, dental and prescriptions.

5. The Vast Number of In-Network Doctors and Specialists. The PHCS Network of doctors and specialists is mammoth. The vast majority of doctors accept it, and it's almost always easy to find the type of doctor you're looking for in your area.

4. Online Portal. You can see recently submitted medical bills, book an online doctor's appointment, find a close-by in-network doctor, or do almost anything else just by logging in to the excellently designed Member's Center.

To see a live look in the Member's Center, take a look at our Medi-Share Review Video.

3. Mobile App. Related, download the Medi-Share App for your iPhone or Android phone and do almost all of these things directly from your mobile device.

2. Christian Values. Rather than supply the profits to a large, impersonal insurance company, you can share medical bills with fellow Christians who decide together what medical expenses are eligible for sharing. 

1. The Monthly Savings. We're all looking to make the best possible financial decision for our families, so for that reason, I have to make the 65% average monthly savings relative to traditional insurance the top reason to join Medi-Share. 

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What we need instead is a free market in medicine and healthcare, instead of an artificially limited supply of doctors who bill overly-regulated insurance companies. Doctors should be incentivized to care about their patients, and provide transparent and competitive prices. Higher taxes and subsidies will not solve this problem. 

In the meanwhile, Medi-Share continues to offer a health insurance alternative with lower cost, greater flexibility, and a wider array of doctors and specialists. It opts you out of penalties and the bureaucratic health insurance labyrinths. Until we have genuine change to the system, that's about as good as we can hope for. 
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Enter the election of Donald Trump. The President-Elect has stated that he will repeal Obamacare. Whether he will actually do that, and eliminate compulsory insurance, remains to be seen. While we certainly hope that happens, Mr. Trump has previously stated that he is in favor of universal healthcare, and subsequent to being elected, has begun praising aspects of ObamaCare -- such as the “prohibition against insurers denying coverage because of patients' existing conditions.”

As discussed in the Chicago Tribune article mentioned in the first paragraph, measures such as requiring insurers to grant full coverage to those with existing conditions, and limiting how much the elderly can be charged, may sound both positive and charitable. But unfortunately someone has to bear the cost, and the average person pays significantly more for insurance as a result ... often a completely unaffordable amount for hard-working middle class families.

What do we advocate instead?

The one true solution is a free market with transparent pricing where doctors and hospitals compete for our business with better service and lower prices. We should know how much we'll be paying in advance, and have control over our own healthcare. Let us also all contribute to charities we like that help provide medical care to those who can't afford it for themselves. But such contributions should be voluntary.

We will see in the coming months exactly what President Elect Trump intends to do. We hope that in addition to ending any form of compulsory health insurance, he also works toward a freer market in healthcare and lower prices.

If you do not want to pay the skyrocketing costs of conventional insurance, or potentially thousands of dollars per year in penalties to the government, consider healthcare sharing. See what you would pay with Medi-Share compared to conventional insurance. Call them up and see how easy it is to talk with an actual human who wants to answer your questions and help you.

Christians can opt out of the failed system like so many others want to do, but without paying the high and increasing Obamacare penalty. And in the process, we can have significantly more flexibility, pay much less each month, and become part of a system that genuinely cares about its members.



(Blog Image Credit to Gage Skidmore)

A recent article on health insurance becoming more expensive is titled: "More than Meets the Eye in Health Insurance Price Hikes."  I would suggest that such price hikes are exactly what meets the eye.

In a discussion of these substantial price increases, they quote Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri:

The article goes on to state that such price increases are not a significant concern because they may be reservered, and because other healthcare plans have price increases of only 6-10%.

I believe the lesson is instead that Obamacare has taken already high-priced insurance and increased the cost even further.  Coupled with the planned penalty increase for 2016, those without employer-provided health insurance will face a larger and larger burden unless they enroll in a healthcare sharing ministry.

At a recent July 4 family gathering, we got on the topic of why health care is so expensive.  It's a little off-topic from the focus of this blog, but I'll share my opinion on this.

The simple answer I would give is too much government intervention.  

First, doctors have increasingly high costs imposed on them through frivolous lawsuits.  Almost half of lawsuits brought against doctors are estimated to be frivolous.  Doctors have been sued for health problems in patients they've never seen; making (successful) life-saving decisions during surgery without the patient's consent; and for a variety of discrimination-related claims lacking any evidence. 

As a result, doctors have to pay increasingly high malpractice insurance premiums, sometimes 6 figures per year.  These costs are passed on to the patients.

Second, doctors and hospitals face a tremendous regulatory burden.  This article estimates doctors spend 22% of their time on paperwork not directly to their patients' medical care.  The alternative to working at a lower hourly rate is to charge patients more.  Apart from necessary medical records, doctors should be able to focus their efforts in the care of patients.

Third, there is a government-granted monopoly on the provision of healthcare.  To practice medicine, you must be a member of the AMA and a graduate from an accredited medical school.  Of course, we want our doctors to be of the highest quality, and current requirements make it likely that only good candidates get through.  

However, any monopoly will tend to result in much higher prices, as well as lower quality in the form of worsened customer service.  How long do you normally wait for a doctor or hospital visit?  How easy is it to contact your doctor at other times with questions?  How much time are they willing to give you when you're there?  

The alternative to our increasingly socialized healthcare system is to lower or eliminate government intervention in health care.  Allow competing medical certifications, with the free market deciding the cost of care based on the qualifications and reviews of the doctor.  End the regulatory burden that doctors face.  Eliminate frivolous lawsuits, with liability only extending to medical error.  

I believe the result would be a much wider array of choices for health care, including many significantly less expensive options, as well as doctors who actually have time for their patients.  


Please feel free to chime in with your opinion.  I'm always happy to hear from my readers.