Late last month, Liberty HealthShare Executive Director Dale Bellis met with lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to a) update them on the growth of healthcare sharing households across America, b) inform them of the positive impact membership in a healthcare sharing ministry has on its members, and c) educate them on the value of making Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) accessible to members of healthcare sharing ministries.
We're happy to say that Congress is taking action on this issue.
You can just picture it, can't you? You're up to your elbows in tape and tissue paper, transforming your son into a spaceman for the school costume party, and you don't feel quite...right. Your back aches, you feel like your brain is slowing down, and...is it chilly in here? Two hours later, you have a temperature of 102º F and climbing, everything hurts, and you can't stop coughing. This is no ordinary cold. Most likely, you have influenza (the flu).
At some point in your membership with Liberty HealthShare, you might find yourself dealing with what is known as a balance bill. In short, balance billing is what happens when a bill has already been paid and the physician or provider attempts to get more money directly from their patient. It's important to note that balance bills represent only a fraction of the costs that are submitted to Liberty, however, we want to give you the information and steps you will need to properly respond if you find yourself in this situation.
It's the most magical time of year. Pumpkin-spice lattes are back, and that can only mean one thing: Open Enrollment is just around the corner. Okay, those two things aren't actually linked in any way, but they do both characterize the autumn months in the United States.
Starting on November 1st and ending on December 15th, Americans have a chance to join and make changes to the way they pay for healthcare costs. Keep in mind that Liberty HealthShare is not insurance, and we are not subject to the constraints of Open Enrollment; however, we do find that exponentially more members enroll during this time than at any other because many Americans take this time to evaluate how they are paying for their medical costs.
From time to time, our members find themselves wearing the educator's hat when interacting with physicians and other staff at their providers' offices. Despite its long history, healthcare sharing is still a new concept to many, even those within the healthcare profession.
Michigan member Yvonne M. enrolled with Liberty HealthShare along with her husband in late 2015. Last year, she and her husband found themselves facing outright antagonism about their Liberty membership not once but four separate times over the course of one medical incident.
Perhaps the most obvious characteristic of Christian healthcare sharing is right there in the name: we are a group of like-minded people sharing the costs of healthcare. What is less obvious on the surface, but no less important, is that our members often enjoy reduced costs simply by virtue of the fact that, in the eyes of the healthcare industry, we are self-pay patients, and with that status often comes a discount. Additionally, Liberty HealthShare partners with MedCost Solutions, a group that advocates on our members' behalf to negotiate and reduce the size of their bills, so our members' costs can be reduced even further, reflecting the actual price of care.
At Liberty HealthShare, we view misunderstandings as opportunities for education. For instance, some potential members don't understand the healthcare sharing mentality. Rather than seeing this purely as an obstacle to membership, we choose to see it as an opportunity for education about our unique, member-centered approach to paying for healthcare.
When we hear from members who truly understand healthcare sharing and want to see others learn more, we get excited. We can explain it all day long from our perspective, but the reality is members who share their experiences are exponentially more effective at educating others.
A great example of this is Brittany K. from Michigan, who along with her family joined Liberty HealthShare early last year.
Are you ready for some football? If your kids are athletes, odds are they started practice for their fall sports several weeks ago. If your children have been involved in sports for a while, you are no doubt familiar with the risks of injury inherent in any sport. You have probably heard the warnings about overuse injuries, concussions, and various other issues common to youth athletics. If, however, your child or children are new to sports, you may not be as familiar with the risks.
Have you ever noticed how making changes in one area of your life can cause you to reevaluate other, seemingly unrelated areas? Take health, for example. You make the commitment to start eating more healthily and, over time, you notice you have more energy. Greater energy translates into a desire to move more, so you join a gym and start attending classes. Then you recognize that your stress level is more manageable, and you feel so great that you start enjoying your hobbies again, further lowering your stress.
In the Health & Wellness Department, we are asked, “What is considered a pre-existing condition?” several times a day by both members and providers. The review and management of pre-existing conditions make up a large part of our work, so one of my goals is ensuring that our members have a good understanding of how we address these particular circumstances.