For those of you who want health care coverage, but don’t want to be subject to socialized medicine of ObamaCARE, there are eight ways you can avoid ObamaCARE. Sean Parnell (The Self-Pay Patient), told Breitbart News. “People who want to opt out should be looking at alternatives to conventional health insurance, such as joining a health care sharing ministry or purchasing a fixed benefits policy.”
- Join a health care sharing ministry. These are voluntary, charitable membership organizations that agree to share medical bills among the membership. They function similar to insurance, and are probably the best alternative to conventional health insurance. There are four of them, at least that I know of. Three are open only to practicing Christians (Samaritan Ministries, Christian Healthcare Ministries, and Christian Care Ministry***) while a fourth, Liberty HealthShare, is open to anyone who agrees with their ethical commitment to religious liberty. They operate entirely outside of Obamacare’s regulations, and typically offer benefits for about half the cost of similar health insurance. Members are also exempt from having to pay the tax for being uninsured.
- Buy a short-term health insurance policy. These policies usually last between 1 and 11 months (6 months seem to be standard) and are not regulated under Obamacare, and therefore don’t offer the same high level of benefits that can drive up costs. Deductibles are available that are higher than what is allowed with Obamacare-compliant health insurance, leading to further savings. They can typically be renewed at the end of the policy, although it is a new policy that won’t cover any conditions that occurred under the previous short-term policy. Another limitation is that they often can’t be renewed over and over again, it looks like 3 years of coverage is about the maximum. But they are much less expensive than conventional health insurance, and can be a good option for covering major medical expenses.
- Buy alternative insurance products like fixed-benefit, critical illness, or accident insurance. These policies pay cash in the event you are diagnosed with cancer, spend a night in the hospital, or need some other medical treatment. They cost a fraction of what health insurance costs under Obamacare, and by giving you cash directly you aren’t locked in to any particular provider network. Another thing to do is to max out your medical and uninsured/underinsured driver coverage amounts under your auto insurance policy, which can pay medical bills if you are hurt in a car accident.
There are a handful of other options for funding major medical expenses, things like charity care, medical fundraising, or personal savings, retirement accounts and home equity loans. But none of these should be anyone’s first choice unless they’re a multi-millionaire who doesn’t mind dipping into their bank account to pay for needed treatment.
Once somebody opting out of Obamacare has gotten their alternative coverage arranged, it’s time to shop for health care providers and medical treatment in the event you need it. The first thing to remember is that nearly every price in health care is essentially fake. Insurance companies don’t pay ‘list’ prices, and neither should the self-pay patient. Here are the leading ways to find affordable health care at real prices:
- For primary care, visit cash-only doctors and retail health clinics. These offer up-front pricing that is usually the same or even less than the discounted rates that insurers pay when their customers visit the doctor. If you expect to need to visit a doctor more than a few times a year, you might want to consider joining a direct primary care practice, which for a modest monthly fee will give you nearly unlimited access to a primary care physician.
- Sign up for a telemedicine service. These are low-cost options that provide doctors who can treat relatively simple medical needs by talking with patients over the phone, exchanging e-mails, or visiting via a video connection. They are great for common injuries, conditions, and illnesses, providing convenient care at a low cost.
- For prescription drugs, use generics whenever you can, and be sure to compare prices between different pharmacies. Several of the large chain pharmacies (Walmart, CVS, Target, etc.) offer 1-month supplies for $4 for thousands of common generic drugs, and a couple of online sites (GoodRx.com, WeRx.org) allow you to see which pharmacy in your area offers the best deals for your medications.
- For more significant medical needs, such as surgical care, go to a facility that provides up-front ‘package’ pricing for patients paying in cash, like the Surgery Center of Oklahoma and Regency Healthcare. These facilities offer real prices that are typically much less than what most hospitals charge. You can also use a service like MediBid, where doctors bid on providing your treatment, or become a medical tourist.
- In the event you need to go to your local hospital for an emergency or a scheduled treatment, work with a medical bill negotiation service to get the best price possible. Hospitals typically charge wildly inflated ‘chargemaster’ prices to people without conventional health insurance, usually between three and five times more than what an insurer would pay for the exact same service. You can also try to negotiate on your own by using a service like Healthcare Blue Book or Pricing Healthcare to find out what insurers are paying, but be prepared to put a lot of time and effort into it if you do.