Faith-based cost-sharing seemed like an alternative to health insurance, until the childbirth bills arrived
Faith-based cost-sharing seemed like an alternative to health insurance, until the childbirth bills arrived
Health care sharing ministries advertise reimbursements for members’ medical bills. But they are largely unregulated, and most have restrictions on maternity coverage.
So, it's a plan where everyone pays a small amount on a regular basis, and everyone's health costs get covered by the plan instead of out of pocket.
Man, I wonder if you could somehow scale that up to, say, a national scale? But like, better regulated. Maybe run by the government to ensure everyone has equal access and all conditions are covered.
I wonder what that would look like?
120Right but then someone who doesn't share your cult might try to get medical care you disagree with or something.
24But then the mexicans will just hurt themselves and take all the healthcare instead of stealing our jobs!
11M4A, BB
6Literally Medicare for all.
1
Yeah, can't help but feel nothing for these faith based idiots.
I didn't particularly like US health insurance companies but this is a special type of unregulated conjob. Live by the grift get fucked by the grift.
73Doesn't change the fact that the people running these sketchy scams should be brought to justice and the whole thing should either be regulated or outlawed.
53I mean I would think so too but legally they haven't done a damn thing wrong and since we're lead by idiots who believe in Christian theocracy that doesn't understand the whole parable of Jesus and the moneylenders, they won't ever be prosecuted or regulated because they think grifting people for money in the name of the Lord is perfectly fine.
9
At one point it appeared cheaper than conventional insurance; dome people might have been chasing that instead of religious kookery.
When I worked for a firm too small to offer insurance, and there was still a mandate with teeth, a broker I visited suggested it because it was ~$250 per month compared with 400 for real insurance.
11When I had my first full time job it didn't come with benefits so I seriously considered one of these programs. In the end it seemed like it was just as risky as avoiding hospitals and going into medical debt when absolutely necessary.
1
If only there was a way to safely and efficiently spread the financial risk of health care costs across the nation instead of relying on scammers.
OH WELL
44Unfortunately there are wayyyy too many people trained in this country to lose their minds over it - they don't want "socialized medicine" or "Communism" or "government death panels" and so on.
12
I know people who use these type of cost sharing insurance plans, and it works just fine except that there are restrictions like no tobacco users, no drinking alcohol, and you need to do a bit more work to get reimbursed.
1I don't doubt that it works for some, but there's a lot of uncertainty around whether or not they might reimburse. It's literally up to them and there are no set rules. If they find that you violated their religious code, you're out of luck.
1
Same people who pitch into these scam places, will blow up in your face when you mention Medicare for all
We basically gave Sedera our money and received nothing in return
Yeah, we know, all insurance companies do that already and Sedera is another insurance company but covered with the "god" name. Same bullshit. Fuck this country.
35From the people who value “every child” and want to regulate your ability to get an abortion….
31How the hell does Sedera (the "health group") they were using even afford to pay anything out?
Correct my math if I'm wrong, but using their data, call it 35000 paying members. The family in question paid about 150 a month. Let's be generous and say 200 per month for each member. That equals 84 million a year of revenue. Taking no other expenses out for running Sedera, that allows each member to only receive 2400 a year in reimbursement. Most of these members are probably families. They also have to pay a deductible, just like regular insurance. So what the hell would Sedera even be able to afford to cover for their "members"?
Religious organizations really know how to grift, don't they.
15Taking no other expenses out for running Sedera, that allows each member to only receive 2400 a year in reimbursement.
That assumes everyone is filing claims. Insurance companies gamble on you not filing claims.
7Or denying your claims until you stop trying.
9
if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck... these are scams that must be regulated like the insurance provider they're pretending to be.
20insurance providers are regulated? how? in how many claims they can deny to still make the fat profits?
9Well, for example by prohibiting denial of services for pre-existing conditions, such as pregnancy. Even if insurers create pretexts for breaking those rules, these organizations are acting like they aren't even subject to the rules.
5
Yeah dude, because everyone knows, the more homogeneous the risk pool, the cheaper it is for everyone!
Wait.. that's not right...
17Organized religion is a scam.
13" But to the couple’s shock, they said, Sedera told them they were ineligible, citing a policy near the end of the group’s member guidelines: Within the first year of membership, medical bills for childbirth “are not shareable.”
“We basically gave Sedera our money and received nothing in return,” Kaplan said. “The rug was pulled out from underneath us.”"
I mean ...... yeah, this is a shitty practice, and being completely unregulated (not that actual insurance companies are regulated to the point of choosing patient health and life over profit) needs to be exposed, so others don't fall into this, but if you're signing up for "health insurance" of any kind, and plan to get pregnant with your spouse/partner, you're gonna have to check whether or not you're covered, so I'm not buying they didn't know going in, and that this was a complete surprise, lol. They're claiming they didn't know because it makes a good story, and they want to get paid back (or compensated through sympathetic donations from those that read this story)
10@GiddyGap There’s a company with a big bird mascot and “only what you need” slogan that uses a similar scam. They use bridge policies originally designed to cover short term gaps in health coverage which do not conform to key ACA requirements (“only what you need”). This makes them cheap and easy to market to people who don’t realize how little coverage they have til their claims are denied. Trump relaxed the limitations on such policies and screwed millions. https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/issue-brief/understanding-short-term-limited-duration-health-insurance/
10Their doctor suggested it to them. Fine print says you’re not eligible for claims until after you’ve been paying in for a year.
8Yes, I'm not sure why the doctor, who was aware of the pregnancy, either didn't know it wouldn't be covered or just wanted to push the plan and didn't care. I'm guessing they're a member themselves and a member of the religious group as well. Maybe their pregnancy was covered because it had been more than a year since they'd enrolled. That would be the most benign explanation.
4There a lot of shitty lazy doctors out there. There’s a big overlap with the ones that lean into faith instead of science.
2Kickbacks would be the less benign explanation.
2
Imagine health insurance that doesn't negotiate prices down
5The current and regulated healthcare system in the US doesn't work for a lot of folks. It's not crazy to want to start one with the same idea but less corporate profit taking.
4Absolutely. It's just infuriating that there are so many great, efficient, and equitable healthcare systems out there in other countries, but the United States refuses to look at any of it because that's "socialism" or "communism" or whatever propaganda label the politicians want to put on it. Meanwhile, the people suffer, go bankrupt because they got sick or even die when they didn't go get treatment because they were afraid of the bill. Crazy.
6Except these assholes are essentially worse than the current system and they are wrapping it around "Christianity" to skirt regulation.
3