How Can Healthshare Members Manage Their Medical Expenses Efficiently?

Health share members of any healthcare sharing plans program should be excellent health-sharing members so that they can become wise custodians of the resources available within their sharing community. Healthcare sharing plans are combined contributions of the members who work together to protect and do their part in reducing healthcare costs for the community. 

 

Self-pay patients can protect the shared resources by receiving adequate medical care. However, medical costs continue to rise, due to which it is expected that most providers and other healthcare facilities can initially hand self-pay patients a bill higher than the fair price. Therefore, the healthcare sharing plans program members should stop this unfair and high medical bill practice, know their options against such systems, understand their responsibility before taking scheduled medical services, and know the steps they can take to negotiate the high costs with the medical providers. Here is how you can efficiently manage your personal medical expenses so that there is a balance between the sharing costs.

 

What Does It Mean To Be A Healthsharing Member?

 

You should know that health-sharing members are self-pay patients as they don't have any health insurance. This gives the members the right and responsibility to ask for self-pay discounts. If you are hesitant to ask for this, remember that health insurance companies always do this and often only pay the negotiated rate for medical expenses. This means you have a right to advocate for yourself and ask for the same discounts and fair pricing.

 

Communicate With Various Providers And Medical Facilities

 

Also, know that it is your right to ask every medical center, hospital, and healthcare provider, and this can be done in any of the following ways:

 

• Ask for a self-pay discount before scheduling a medical service.
• To ensure that you have received this discount, review your invoices.
• Ask the provider if they could bill the health sharing community on your behalf.
• Ask the provider if you can make small payments on your bills while waiting for the sharing to take place in your healthshare community.
• Identify how your provider can handle the expenses while you have submitted the medical expense to your healthshare community.
• Let your provider know that your healthshare community shares hundreds of medical expenses each month to build their confidence in your sharing community.
• Learn about your rights. Remember that you have the right to negotiate, even if the provider needs the payment in advance.
• Know that some medical facilities will ask for payment before the service is provided. In such cases, the members can choose to pay the amount of your AUA as a kind offering of early payment.
• Determine if you will be paying in cash for the medical services at the time of the appointment.
• Also, decide how you will be handling smaller healthcare costs. Whether you will be paying at the time of service or not submitting the expenses that are under a specific amount, it is always recommended that you manage minor healthcare expenses to protect the resources of your sharing community. 

 

Explain The Benefits Of Working With Healthcare Members To Your Providers

 

Although many medical providers recognize the advantage of working with health sharing members, many still need to be introduced to the benefits. So explain to them the various advantages of partnering with health sharing members. They will be happy to hear that their patients engaged in medical cost-sharing programs are committed to a healthy lifestyle, and living actively, thus, improving patient outcomes for providers. The members of a health-sharing community also take care of the administrative burdens that may take up time within a provider's busy schedule. Let them know how these communities care for themselves and others by sharing monthly medical expenses.

Plan For Your Healthcare

 

We know medical issues are unpredictable, and you cannot entirely plan for unexpected medical needs. But you can still consider how you will primarily manage your medical needs. You can plan when to schedule yearly medical care and how you will handle the billing with the healthcare providers. Decide if you will put your savings for unexpected medical needs or wait to schedule a non-urgent medical service. Also, make sure that you compare your medical service and providers for fair pricing. These elements will help you care for your health while also saving on medical costs and protecting the resources of your cost-sharing community. If you need surgery, ensure that you know the steps to take before the surgery regarding your cost-sharing community guidelines, as it will help you be proactive and plan early on for a successful surgery.

 

To Wrap Up

 

Most importantly, make sure that you have a caring and powerful cost-sharing community whose members care for themselves as well as others. Enquire with the team if you have any questions about their resources that can help you manage your medical expenses.