Fiscal Anxiety and Medical Care
So this cancer journey isn’t cheap. As it stands, UTSW has roughly $60,000 in outstanding medical bills which I am sure are being “negotiated”. Radiation, I understand costs roughly $3500-$4000 PER SESSION. I will be having thirty. That’s an estimated cost of $180,000-$200,,000 SO FAR.
Needless to say, I have been feeling a bit anxious about the fiscal part of this journey.
We don’t carry regular insurance, we use a “medical sharing” program called “Christian Medishare” which is pretty much off the grid when it comes to regular insurance. In fact, they make a point of saying it’s NOT insurance. The way it works is members’ medical bills that meet the guidelines for “sharing” are shared across the community. With almost 300,000 members, it’s a pretty powerful sharing pool.
That said, there’s no real contract which says they MUST share, and the rules are a bit confusing and things like pre-existing conditions do come into play. So, needless to say, until last week, it was still undetermined whether or not I would be fully “shared”.
I had received a call from a “Case Worker”, who had asked a lot of questions which really made me nervous, but all in all, they were being really supportive. She asked if I would be OK if they “negotiated” with my providers. Of course.
A few days later, I get the call from the “VP of Cost Management” or something like that. My first reaction is this is not good. I could not have been more wrong.
This guy proceeds to tell me that not only have I been 100% covered/shared but asked my permission to “Pre-pay” all 30 treatments. This I am assuming is a way they help control costs and a strong negotiation card to play. I’m speechless and thankful.
For all the people who criticize Medishare, I can’t say enough. These people are amazing. I’m a member for life or as long as they’ll have me.
Here’s a link to sign up for Medi-share. Full disclosure, if you sign up, I get $100, which I will promptly donate. If you have a request, just let me know. This is a very real and very effective alternative to traditional insurance.
All I can say is one word.
Gratitude.
