One of the most challenging things when going from a 9 to 5 job is losing health benefits. Now before I go any further I want all to know this is not for everyone, but it is working well for me and my family. Theses plans, as with all health plans, don't fit everyone, having worked in healthcare for 15 years I have learned a few things on how the system works, so I hope everyone can benefit from the tips in this post.
We use Samaritain Ministries another simular one is Medi-Share These are still legal under Obama Care which is good news. I won't go into depth as to how they work as you can click on the link and read that for yourself. I have found them to be as advertised. A couple of points, you don't have a deductible. Anything below $300.00 comes out of your pocket and anything over $300.00 is usually covered 100%. Now and then they have to pro-rate between 80 to 100%. Thats really not a big deal and here is why. If you walk into a hospital and say you don't have insurance there is almost a 50% deduction on the cost of your procedure some places can be even more. Now since this is not quotes "Insurance" that is what you do. Now lets say you have a regular insurance plan with a $1500.00 deductible and you are covered to 80%. You just paid $1500.00 plus you owe the 20% on your whopping bill. Under my old BlueCross plan I had my gallbladder taken out. With the deductible and 20% my bill was a bit over 5k. With Samaritan Ministries I would have paid $300.00 and maybe another $1000.00. So if you take the difference I would have saved $3700.00! My whole family is covered for $350.00 per month which I find is affordable.
Now what about those meds! yes medicine can cost you a lot of cash. I am a Sam's Club business member which gives you a 40% discount on most meds. I needed antibiotics for a sinus infection so with the discount it cost me $13.00. Now be aware that you have to ask for the discount, it is not automatic! Now for more expensive meds we use GetCanadianDrugs My child needed Prevacid which for a three month supply was going to cost me $400.00. I ordered a three month supply from the Canadian store for $80.00. I checked the medication when it arrived to be sure it was what they said it was and all was good. This site can cover those expensive meds you may need. There are a lot of other decent discount prescription cards on the market you can use, just Google it. You can check medications with this smartphone app and I highly recommend this app for your general health knowledge! Don't be afraid to ask for discounts! people and especially your doctor will usually want to help you. Look for free health screenings in your area in the news paper and check your local hospital website for them. Of course try to stay healthy. If at all possible Do Not go to the emergency room for minor things! This will cost you a fortune. If it can wait until you can see your family doctor then you need to wait. If you feel your bill is to high then challenge it. Most hospitals will work with you on this matter.
Be a smart consumer, when getting anything done for health reasons treat it as if you are trying to get the best deal on a car, just try to be a little nicer. I know of people who fly to Costa Rica for dental work and have saved thousands plus got a vacation out of it. I have been to Costa Rica and would not hesitate to do the same! Be smart and don't let health cost take all of your income! One last late tip here, sorry its out of order. While at Sam's I was picking up a med that the doctor said was on their $4.00 list, well it was $22.00. The assistant said a lot of doctors assume if it is a generic med it is automatically on the list. They provide the list at the counter so you can see what the $4 and $10 meds are. She suggested taking this list with you if you go to the doctor or take you children to the doctor. There is a %90 chance they will find something that works from the list. Here is what the list looks like.
If you have any further tips please leave them in the comments I am not affiliated with any of these sites but if you want to sign up with Samaritan Ministries I would appreciate you letting them know I sent you. I think I get something for that. Please pass this information along to anyone who it may help. I am grateful that other people shared this with me!!
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