Before we get into insurance alternatives, you first need to understand how typical insurance plans work. This will help highlight the differences between alternative plans and the traditional insurance industry. 

Typical health insurance plans in the United States are regulated by the Affordable Care Act, a set of laws that is also sometimes referred to as “Obamacare.” When you shop for normal health insurance plans, you typically do so on a federally regulated ACA insurance marketplace. Each state may handle its insurance marketplace slightly differently, but the same general rules apply. Insurance policies must follow a number of guidelines when creating and selling plans within this federal-regulated insurance marketplace, including:

• Coverage of the 10 essential benefits
• Employers must cover their workers
• Expanded Medicaid for low-income individuals
• Lifetime monetary caps on insurance coverage
• Annual caps are limited
• Premium increases must be reviewed by a state regulatory body
• Insurers cannot deny you coverage due to pre-existing conditions
• Insurers cannot charge you more due to pre-existing conditions
• Young adults can remain on their parents’ policies until the age of 26
• Insurance plans must include coverage for preventative care

Typical health insurance plans under the ACA involve many fees for policyholders. First of all, you must pay monthly fees to remain covered. These fees are known as “premiums,” and they can increase from one year to the next. In addition, policyholders must pay additional fees whenever they need medical treatment. These fees are known as “deductibles,” and their amounts can vary depending on what kinds of plans you choose and the cost of the specific service you’re receiving. Often, policyholders are asked to pay thousands of dollars per year in deductibles. Finally, patients with traditional health insurance plans must also hand over “copayments” every time they visit a doctor or receive medical services. These are essentially just additional deductibles that usually cost about $20 to $30 per visit. These fees can quickly add up, especially for low-income families.

Despite the fact that there are notable issues with traditional health insurance, the ACA insurance marketplace does offer a number of important benefits for policyholders. The most obvious of these are the 10 essential benefits that all insurance plans must cover under the ACA. These include:

• Ambulatory patient services
• Emergency services
• Hospitalization
• Pregnancy, maternity, and newborn care
• Prescription drugs
• Mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment
• Rehabilitative/habilitative services
• Laboratory services
• Preventative care
• Pediatric services

On a more general note, it can be argued that ACA plans are beneficial because they are accessible to a wider range of people. Many policyholders also appreciate the fact that the insurance premiums on their plans cannot be increased to an unreasonable level under the ACA. Some might also argue that by making coverage for preventative care coverage mandatory for plans in the insurance marketplace, the ACA can reduce things like chronic disease – thereby making insurance cheaper for everyone.

You should know that the people who designed the Affordable Care Act were wealthy politicians and medical professionals. Major medical corporations are well-known for donating to political campaigns with various lobbying groups. Initially, the ACA made it mandatory for U.S. citizens to get health insurance. This obviously represented a massive source of guaranteed profits for the same medical and insurance corporations that were donating money to the political campaigns of U.S. politicians. You can draw your own conclusions from these connections. In addition, these wealthy individuals did not have to worry about the affordability of health insurance or how the ACA might affect their ability to pay their bills. 

It’s worth pointing out that the United States already adhered to a strict sense of medical ethics before the ACA was enacted. While it’s true that some expensive treatments were unaffordable for low-income individuals, no one was ever refused emergency treatment. In fact, doctors take oaths that prevent them from refusing treatment if that refusal will cause serious harm to the patient. Even without the ACA, Medicare and Medicaid have existed since 1965. These programs provide affordable coverage to low-income and elderly individuals, and they ensured that the most vulnerable Americans were getting the care they needed. 

On a deeper level, the ACA feeds into the notion that cures are more profitable than preventable care. After all, exercise and healthy diets cost patients virtually nothing. But these preventative measures also mean that major medical corporations don’t make any money. It is more profitable to gear the medical industry towards expensive drugs and surgeries rather than dealing with issues early for a tiny fraction of the price. 

The ACA incentivizes this approach because those with pre-existing conditions are not denied coverage. If they were denied coverage, Americans might feel encouraged to deal with issues like obesity, chronic disease, and unhealthy diets before they spiraled out of control. As it stands, there is no “reward” for pursuing a healthy lifestyle. In fact, you will be penalized with higher premiums and less affordable insurance in order to pay for those with unhealthy lifestyles. 

While it’s true that the ACA covers preventative medicine, the statistics clearly show that Americans are becoming increasingly obese and laden with chronic diseases. If the ACA was intended to encourage preventative care, it has clearly failed to do so.

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One of the most popular alternatives to health insurance plans today is a health sharing plan. Health sharing plans are not the same as health insurance – and not just because they exist outside of the ACA marketplace. Sharing plans operate with a completely different system that involves members pooling their resources together and funding each other’s medical bills in times of need. 

This health coverage system dates back to America’s early history with Christian health sharing ministries established by Mormons and Mennonites. Today, these health sharing plans have evolved to include those from any religious group or walk of life. In addition, new technology has made it even easier to facilitate cost sharing processes. For example, some of the newest health sharing plans use crowdfunding technology and mobile apps.

While health sharing plans do not have monthly premiums, there are monthly subscription fees to consider. These fees can vary based on a number of factors, but they are typically more affordable than your premiums on typical health insurance plans. For example, CrowdHealth offers monthly fees as low as $175 per month. This is a fraction of the average premium for someone with the same level of health. 

There are no deductibles to speak of, but you may need to pay a certain amount of money before requesting that your medical bills be crowdfunded. For example, CrowdHealth plans require you to cover the first $500 of your health bill. There are also no copayments to worry about, and CrowdHealth will even negotiate with providers on your behalf to push your medical bills down even further.

It’s important to note that health sharing plans are not the same as health insurance plans. The major difference is that these plans are not regulated under the ACA or any other insurance regulatory body for that matter. That being said, many health sharing plans are offered by reputable companies with solid track records. While these two systems are different, health sharing plans offer many of the same general benefits as typical health insurance plans.

Can CrowdHealth help me pay my medical bills?

CrowdHealth can help you pay your medical bills if you’ve been searching for a reliable, affordable alternative to traditional health insurance plans. To learn more about CrowdHealth and its various benefits, reach out to one of our team members today. CrowdHealth offers unlimited talk therapy, unlimited virtual health, discounted prescriptions, personal care advocacy, and much more. We can explain more about the crowdfunding process and guide you toward a more affordable healthcare coverage solution. You might just find that joining CrowdHealth lifts a significant financial burden from your shoulders.