Health insurance

Good discussion and timely for me as I begin to look at retirement plans and how to cover the health insurance gap between employer group coverage and Medicare. I've looked at co-op programs before and will look again, as they fit my belief system.

I was self-employed for 25 years before my current employment, so I have experience in both sides of providing and acquiring health care coverage.

Also looking into VA healthcare, but that doesn't help with spousal coverage and even though I have a good friend who is currently a doctor in the VA, navigating the paperwork mountain isn't easy.

When United pulled out of Kansas it only left BCBS. I had United for decade's. If there was some competition in the insurance companies I would be willing to bet the prices would come down. ACA gave insurance companies a monopoly. The other thing about insurance companies is the out of area penalty. I find that not conducive to RV travel.

At some point, you have to make the determination as to who and/or what you're going to trust. Testimonials can be impactful to a certain extent. Virtually every RV related comment on this website is a form of a testimonial. Amazon has a zillion of them (many of which are very fake). And our health co-op provides them too. Based on my personal experiences with this co-op and the overriding faith-base that I subscribe to, I choose to believe that the program is truly effective. I've honestly seen more people get run through the ringer with their traditional insurance plan than I can even remember. Some of that is due to a lack of understanding of the policy parameters, but some is just because insurance companies can be an absolute pain to deal with. An "english-challenged" phone screener in Inida is a not what I want to hear when I have to make a call regarding my insurance policy.

FWIW, in this day and age, I don't think thre's any significant risk involved in choosing a health cost sharing co-op. If I learned that I had cancer and needed treatment, if there was any inclination I had that my co-op might give me trouble, I could switch to traditional insurance and not miss a beat. Even if there was a minor waiting period prior to coverage, I could figure out how to minimize cost during the wait (hopefully). Everything is a hypothetical. Even if I had traditional insurance, there's no guarantee they would provide coverage for the particular specialist that I may need at that given moment.

Really, though, much of this boils down to the availability of a competitive insurance market. There are only 2 health insurance companies available to me in my market. Note that I could choose from literally hundreds of insurers for auto, home, liability, etc. But United and BCBS are my only options. BCBS wouldn't write a policy for my company. So I'm stuck with United. Fortunately, they've been good to work with, but I can only imagine how costs might be more competitive if I could choose from more than 2 companies.

At the end of the day, making the choice to use a faith-based health cost sharing co-op is heavily philosophical in nature. For those who don't share the same beliefs, that concept may not make as much sense. Topics and discussion of religion are prohibited on this forum, but there is a Bible verse which explains exactly what I'm talking about that I'd be happy to share with any member via the PM function.

Unless a testimony appears with contact information that I can contact myself I don't believe in them. Any company can write their own testimonies. In time of true need of medical insurance I'd want a company that I could rely on paying and not have to worry about it.

WTP-GC wrote:

winnietrey wrote:


You sound young, having a kid or a broken leg, is nothing, and for you, at this time in your life, cost sharing may be a great deal. But at my age when the costs can run into the many hundred of thousands, for cancer etc it would not be. ( and why I would not want my care subject to a non regulated entity) And why I would suggest folks read the fine print.

I initially wondered about how truly major medical events (cancer, cardiac, transplants, etc.) would be handled. As an admittedly healthy young buck, I don't worry too much about these things. But every monthly newsletter contains testimonials actual participants sharing their stories on just that...truly major events. Even for them, the system is working. There are others who came into the program with non-covered pre-existing conditions, and they share their stories of how members chip in a little extra to help cover those needs too.

It would be a little unfair for me to say that this is the only program I particpate in. We've seen a number of "concierge" type service providers pop up in our area. So we do pay a modest monthly fee for us and our children to participate in those programs too. I highly encourage folks to look into those programs. They can be very affordable, provide excellent care, and be far more personal.

Testimonials are not worth the paper (or the digital ink) they are printed on. I could put together entirely true testimonials from people who will tell you the best way to plan for retirement is to buy a winning lottery ticket. Trouble is, it leaves out all the people who buy losing lottery tickets.
I don't doubt that your plan (or Medi Share, or any other similar plan) is currently paying claims. But what happens if they get into financial trouble and stop paying all or part of the claims? True insurance plans have re-insurance spread across the insurance market through companies with hundreds of billions of assets. They are also regulated and backed by state governments. Your valid claims are going to be paid. Nothing similar backs the Medi Share type programs.
As a previous poster pointed out, the fine print in these cost sharing programs are scary. Mandatory arbitration with their in house arbitrator, behavior clauses, and certain exclusions make these type of plans untenable to me. What I also don't like is the fact that certain of these plans sell themselves as substitution for actual insurance, wrap it up in religious mumbo jumbo, and then relegate the differences and deficiencies to the fine print.

WTP-GC wrote:

winnietrey wrote:


You sound young, having a kid or a broken leg, is nothing, and for you, at this time in your life, cost sharing may be a great deal. But at my age when the costs can run into the many hundred of thousands, for cancer etc it would not be. ( and why I would not want my care subject to a non regulated entity) And why I would suggest folks read the fine print.

I initially wondered about how truly major medical events (cancer, cardiac, transplants, etc.) would be handled. As an admittedly healthy young buck, I don't worry too much about these things. But every monthly newsletter contains testimonials actual participants sharing their stories on just that...truly major events. Even for them, the system is working. There are others who came into the program with non-covered pre-existing conditions, and they share their stories of how members chip in a little extra to help cover those needs too.

It would be a little unfair for me to say that this is the only program I particpate in. We've seen a number of "concierge" type service providers pop up in our area. So we do pay a modest monthly fee for us and our children to particpate in those programs too. I highly encourage folks to look into those programs. They can be very affordable, provide excellent care, and be far more personal.

yeah Wtp, I am probable old senile and jaded, but I have been in the health care biz for a very long time..

My take, unless it is carved in stone, with 72 lawyers to back it up, don't believe the hype.

Seems like you are a smart guy, and on top of this. My only advise, poor as it maybe is, CYA, don't bet the family farm on what others say

I did get a bit of a chuckle out of your reference, to the news letter. It would kind of be poor PR on their part, to publish the not so good stuff, I trust the news letter, as far as I can through a Buick.

This is the big thing IMHO, you have no recourse or course of action if things go bad. If one accepts and knows what they are getting into, I say go for it.

On the flip side, I do not want to hear, and will have no compassion for someone who is just trying to be cheap and gets burned, because they did not do due diligence

msmith1199 wrote:
Is that for a single person or for your and your spouse? If it makes you feel any better, I was able to keep a plan from my former employer. It is a Cadillac plan with no deductible and just small co-pays. My annual expense is more than your annual premium and your deductible.

That is a single person amount. I could only keep my former employer insurance for one year.

Another thing to remember is their is a one year exclusion for cancer at Health share.

winnietrey wrote:


You sound young, having a kid or a broken leg, is nothing, and for you, at this time in your life, cost sharing may be a great deal. But at my age when the costs can run into the many hundred of thousands, for cancer etc it would not be. ( and why I would not want my care subject to a non regulated entity) And why I would suggest folks read the fine print.

I initially wondered about how truly major medical events (cancer, cardiac, transplants, etc.) would be handled. As an admittedly healthy young buck, I don't worry too much about these things. But every monthly newsletter contains testimonials actual participants sharing their stories on just that...truly major events. Even for them, the system is working. There are others who came into the program with non-covered pre-existing conditions, and they share their stories of how members chip in a little extra to help cover those needs too.

It would be a little unfair for me to say that this is the only program I particpate in. We've seen a number of "concierge" type service providers pop up in our area. So we do pay a modest monthly fee for us and our children to particpate in those programs too. I highly encourage folks to look into those programs. They can be very affordable, provide excellent care, and be far more personal.

Is that for a single person or for your and your spouse? If it makes you feel any better, I was able to keep a plan from my former employer. It is a Cadillac plan with no deductible and just small co-pays. My annual expense is more than your annual premium and your deductible.