Affordable Health Insurance that Isn’t Insurance: Florida Plans from CrowdHealth

Could health insurance in Florida be any more complicated? Many employers offer several medical plans to choose from, and you’re expected to lock yourself into a plan as a new hire while still familiarizing yourself with a company’s procedures. After that, you need to wait for an open enrollment period to choose a new plan, bearing in mind that plans can change and you might not be able to find the coverage you need in Florida. If your employer doesn’t offer health insurance, you’ll have even more plans to choose from on a Healthcare.gov marketplace. 

Waiting for an enrollment period wouldn’t be so bad if there weren’t a myriad of variables to consider, but you have to shop around for a low monthly premium, coverage area suiting your needs, in-network physicians, and workable deductibles and co-pays. Many find that simple, affordable health plans are nothing more than a pipe dream as they struggle to find the care they need for their family. 

CrowdHealth embraces a different view of health insurance because we’re not health insurance. We don’t think Florida health care consumers should be forced to pay whatever healthcare facilities feel like charging, so we shop around to find a better deal for our Members. We don’t think local residents should be burdened with an onerous monthly premium, so we’ve innovated a fresh business model that doesn’t involve them. We also leverage the purchasing power of many to facilitate affordable care for all. Please continue reading to learn more about what CrowdHealth plans look like and how we plan to disrupt the entire health insurance industry.

How much does health insurance cost in Florida?

The cost of health insurance in Florida depends on several variables such as an individual’s age, history of tobacco use, any preexisting health conditions, and the company chosen. It all averaged out to about $457 for an individual per month in 2021, a figure that held steady at $456 in 2022. Both figures were higher than the national average, making it harder for Floridians to find the care they need at prices they can afford. 

Of course, the actual cost of health insurance is more than just a premium. The average male American in his 30s has a $4,500 deductible on their policy, forcing them to pay that amount out of pocket before their plan covers anything. They may also be responsible for co-pays even after their deductible is met, and a new year forces consumers to meet their deductible all over again. Did we mention the cost of prescription drugs in Florida? Many consumers would love information on how to save on their healthcare needs without compromising the quality of their care.

How does your crowdfunded plan work in Florida?

CrowdHealth sees changing the existing health insurance paradigm as a noble mission, and our Members find that we do things very differently. Our plans provide health coverage with no networks, no premiums, no deductibles, and maximal transparency.

First, new Members pledge to make a monthly contribution to our service. CrowdHealth only retains $30 of these pledges to cover administrative costs, with the rest placed in each Member’s savings account for future use. You can use your money on your care or voluntarily fund services for other Members at your discretion to boost your generosity score. Should you ever decide to leave CrowdHealth, your money is refunded to you minus a small cancellation fee. 

When you go to a doctor, ask for the cash price of your visit. All doctors offer a cash price even if it isn’t published anywhere because it saves them the hassle of filing health insurance claims, fighting about prior authorizations, and waiting up to four months to get paid. If the quote is $500 or less, you take care of the bill. If it’s more than $500, you pay $500 and then submit a funding request to CrowdHealth for the rest. 

While many Florida health insurance companies make submitting claims seem impossible, CrowdHealth makes it easy. All you have to do is download our mobile app, snap pictures of your bills, and click on the “Submit” button. 

CrowdHealth facilitates every funding request, so other Members will see your bill and transfer funds directly from their accounts to yours for maximal convenience. If possible, we also ask that you tell us beforehand whenever you need expensive care. Our expert negotiators can frequently get the cost down 30-60% from the initial quote you receive, saving our Members a lot of money. We can negotiate the cost of emergency care after the fact as well. 

The best part is that we negotiate a long-term payment plan to make big bills less onerous for our Members. For instance, a $240,000 bill isn’t that bad when 5,000 community Members are contributing $2 per month for 24 months.

Do crowdfunding plans provide more affordable health coverage in Florida?

Whereas health insurance companies try to charge as much as possible, we try to keep things simple and cheap. Our base rate is $175 per month for an individual and is available to any qualified individual between the ages of 6 and 54. We also provide coverage for the whole family. We offer a group rate for 4-8 eligible individuals at $695 per month. Our plans have no deductibles, and there is no cap on how much money you can ask the community for. 

Since we want to keep our health plans as affordable as possible, we encourage prospective members to take care of their health and become better candidates for enrollment. Don’t worry, we won’t make you jump through a bunch of unnecessary hoops. If you maintain a healthy lifestyle, you and your family would be welcome additions to our vibrant community of members looking to take back control over their health. 

If you’re an individual with an existing medical condition, you’re eligible for our health plans. However, any costs related to those conditions are ineligible for crowdfunding for the first year and subject to maximums thereafter: $25,000 in year 2, $50,000 in year 3, and $100,000 in each subsequent year. Funding is available for eligible prescriptions even in the first year but counts toward the maximum thresholds outlined above. 

CrowdHealth is interested in providing an alternative to health insurance to as many Members as possible, and we hope to remove some of these enrollment restrictions in the future.

Can I choose my preferred Florida doctor?

CrowdHealth plans don’t have any networks, allowing you to choose any physician or healthcare facility you like in Florida. The one exception to this rule is if you’re quoted a high price and we shop around and find something much cheaper in another state. For example, if a gastrointestinal procedure and associated hospital stay would cost $80,000 in Florida and we find comparable or better care in Alabama for $40,000, we’ll encourage you to take the trip to Alabama.

Do you offer any unique benefits that go beyond Florida health insurance?

Every CrowdHealth plan includes unlimited access to talk therapy sessions and virtual health appointments where a licensed physician can prescribe any medications you might need online. We also provide personal care advocacy services and can help you negotiate any medical bill even if you never plan on submitting a formal funding request. 

Every Member also receives access to our discount pharmacy partner to save up to 60% on drug costs. Long-term prescriptions lasting more than 120 days are not currently eligible for crowdfunding, but you can still use our partner to get a more affordable price than you would with health insurance or on the open marketplace. 

Perhaps most importantly, every CrowdHealth Member gets a dedicated Care Advocate who can provide personalized information for your family. If you expect the worst when it comes to customer service in the insurance industry, you’ll love the experience CrowdHealth provides.

Do you provide health insurance?

Technically, the answer is no. CrowdHealth makes no guarantee thatmedical bills will be paid and therefore doesn’t qualify as health insurance inFlorida. However, we would argue that this semantic detail allows us to offersuperior health coverage. Here are three of the biggest problems with mosthealth insurance companies and how CrowdHealth gets around them:

       1. Putting profits before people

The Affordable Care Act (sometimes called ACA or Obamacare) cappedhow much money health insurance companies could make from premiums. This soundsgood in theory but ends up making healthcare more expensive in practice. Ifyour monthly premium is $1,000, the insurer can only make a $150 profit onthat. If they want to make a higher profit (and they always do), the onlyoption is to increase your premium at every opportunity. CrowdHealth doesn’teven have premiums, so this is never a problem with our health coverage. 

       2. The downside ofhealthcare networks in Florida

Many health insurance companies in Florida market themselves onthe size of their networks since nobody wants a plan they won’t be able to use.While logical, this gives insurance companies every incentive to cave whenevera provider asks for more money, maintaining the relationship while using thehigher costs to justify the premium increases discussed above. CrowdHealthdoesn’t have networks and the only ways we can increase revenues are throughenrollment and negotiating better deals for our Members. Our interests arealigned.

       3. Insurance is a fake guarantee

While health insurance companies like to claimthat their coverage is guaranteed, research indicates that many patients aresimply out of luck. According to a 2019 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 40 million in-networkclaims were denied by insurance companies that year. Every plan in the study was purchased on the publicmarketplace, so these were the plans you’re supposed to rely on for coverage.CrowdHealth doesn’t guarantee anything, but our Members know they can rely onus when it counts.

What are the limitations of your health plans in Florida?

There is a ton of fine print associated with every health insurance contract, and CrowdHealth plans have a few exclusions too. Members are not permitted to submit funding requests for vision and dental care, fertility treatments, cosmetic procedures, or alternative therapies. Similarly, CrowdHealth doesn’t help Members with bills under $500 or the initial $500 payment for bills over that amount. 

If you have a health savings account (or HSA), you cannot use it for your monthly contribution to CrowdHealth. However, you will be able to use it for your $500 payments and any bills that don’t go through CrowdHealth. 

Overall, Crowdhealth plans have far fewer restrictions than traditional insurance coverage. Our Members like having reliable coverage they understand and we’re confident that you will too.

Is CrowdHealth better than traditional health insurance in Florida?

If you like meeting high deductibles and paying large premiums for a minimum level of coverage, traditional health insurance in Florida is for you. If you want to wait for “open enrollment” to choose a new plan and enjoy being limited in where you can receive care, the public marketplace is likely adequate for your needs. Bonus points if you want to shop around for hours.

Most aren’t willing to jump through those hurdles. If you just want to find a plan that provides the coverage your family needs, CrowdHealth offers a fresh alternative to Florida health insurance. If you would like more information on how our crowdfunding plans work, please contact us today!

Talk to a CrowdHealth Specialist

People Love CrowdHealth

As a physician in practice for over a decade, I'm immersed in the problems we face in healthcare. CrowdHealth is the most impactful solution to restoring the doctor patient relationship that I've seen.
Dr. Maryanna Barrett, MD
Owner of Thrive OBGYN 
Healthcare desperately needs viable alternative payment approaches. I am thrilled to see CrowdHealth leading the way.
Dr. Tanya Stewart, MD, MBA
Former Chief Clinical Transformation Officer, United Health Group
The vast majority of people in this country are enjoined in an insurance contract they never wanted. CrowdHealth aims to change the terms of this spectacularly bad contract.
Dr. Mark Napoli, MD, FACC
CEO, Cor Medical, Inc.
Everyone should have affordable healthcare options. I’m thrilled to see Crowdhealth partner with real estate agents as this is a huge obstacle in our industry.
Mallory Mundy
Team Leader, Keller Williams Southwest Market Center
I've never understood why Realtors have to pay more for quality health care just because we are entrepreneurs. CrowdHealth is providing a true solution to our community combating the high costs of traditional health insurance.
Natalie Hengel
Broker / Partner, 8z Real Estate
I am excited to see CrowdHealth help today’s and tomorrow’s entrepreneurs who now have the freedom to pursue a dream without giving up an important safety net.
Mark Strub
Broker/Owner, Strüb Residential, Compass
Healthcare desperately needs viable alternative payment approaches. I am thrilled to see CrowdHealth leading the way.
A photo of the author of the quote
Dr. Tanya Stewart, MD, MBA
Former Chief Clinical Transformation Officer, United Health Group
As a physician in practice for over a decade, I'm immersed in the problems we face in healthcare. CrowdHealth is the most impactful solution to restoring the doctor patient relationship that I've seen.
A photo of the author of the quote
Dr. Maryanna Barrett, MD
Owner of Thrive OBGYN
The vast majority of people in this country are enjoined in an insurance contract they never wanted. CrowdHealth aims to change the terms of this spectacularly bad contract.
A photo of the author of the quote
Dr. Mark Napoli, MD, FACC
CEO, Cor Medical, Inc.
As a physician in practice for over a decade, I'm immersed in the problems we face in healthcare. CrowdHealth is the most impactful solution to restoring the doctor patient relationship that I've seen.
A photo of the author of the quote

Dr. Maryanna Barrett, MD

Owner of Thrive OBGYN

Healthcare desperately needs viable alternative payment approaches. I am thrilled to see CrowdHealth leading the way.
A photo of the author of the quote

Dr. Tanya Stewart, MD, MBA

Former Chief Clinical Transformation Officer, United Health Group

As a physician in practice for over a decade, I'm immersed in the problems we face in healthcare. CrowdHealth is the most impactful solution to restoring the doctor patient relationship that I've seen.
A photo of the author of the quote

Dr. Maryanna Barrett, MD

Owner of Thrive OBGYN

ON

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