A healthshare doesn’t function like traditional insurance, but it still keeps you healthy and safe. Instead of a premium and deductible, you become a member of the “community” that shares the cost in medical needs.
Healthshares are in place for the expenses you know are coming, but will also provide peace of mind for those unexpected moments that happen to us all. Each healthshare can function a little differently and may offer different services, but the goal is the same: they leverage a concierge or care team to help guide you, ensuring your receive the best care at the right cost.
A typical saving for health-conscious individuals is around 40%. For families, it can be as high as 70%. Healthshares can be utilized by anyone, but are very popular with entrepreneurs, contractors, freelancers, and the self-employed to receive cost-effective medical coverage.
Healthshares operate on members paying a monthly contribution, which goes to a membership pool. This pool is then utilized by the healthshare members to pay their medical bills.
Healthshares have an Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA) and/or a Member Responsibility Amount (MRA) that varies from plan to plan. The IUA and/or MRA are your responsibility to pay per incident before you can ask your community (the health share organization) to share in your medical expenses.
For example, if you need surgery, your IUA or MRA will determine how much you have to pay out of pocket before the bill is shared with the community. If surgery is $10,000 and your IUA or MRA is $1,000, then you would have to pay $10,00 while the community pool would pay the rest of the $9,000.
The most significant difference between health insurance and healthshares are that healthshares aren’t governed by the Affordable Care Act (ACA.) (though there are indipop plans that meet the ACA criteria)
Because of that, the terms a healthshare uses are different than insurance.
So, a “premium” becomes a “contribution” or “membership.”
A “deductible” becomes a “member responsibility or unshareable amount.”
A “covered” medical expense becomes a “shared expense” with the community.
And a “claim” becomes a “need.”
Where the difference really matters is in what “needs” can be “shared” with the community vs. what is “covered” by an insurance company. The ACA mandates health insurance companies to cover all kinds of things that not everyone needs. That means that you often wind up paying for things you never use.
Healthshares are different. Because they aren’t insurance and aren’t regulated by the ACA, they are free to tailor their plans to meet members’ needs.
Here’s a great example: let’s say you have seasonal allergies and you need a prescription once a year so you can get some relief. With an insurance plan, you’ll go into an office, speak with a receptionist, who will then put you in an exam room so you can see a medical assistant, and then, finally, your physician.
Your healthshare will connect you with a provider either by phone or virtually. You won’t pay for the office, receptionist, exam room or nurse. You’ll only see the provider– who will write you the same prescription.
Yes, they are legitimate healthcare coverage. Healthshares have been around for more than 40 years and millions of people have opted to choose a healthshare over a traditional medical insurance company.
Healthshares are a different approach to healthcare and managing medical needs. It is a membership that offers concierge care, lower rates, and fair pricing. The membership or contribution goes toward a community pool which is then used to pay medical bills. Healthshare perks like telehealth and concierge services dramatically reduce the cost of everyday & preventative medical care. That means there’s a lot leftover in the pool for major medical expenses and emergencies, so your monthly contribution remains small and affordable.
Anyone can join a healthshare, but the best way to know if a healthshare is a good alternative to traditional health insurance is by asking yourself the following questions:
Once you add it all up, this is your starting point. Then visit our healthshare plans to explore what an indipop membership would cost. If the savings are there, a plan with indipop may make smarter financial sense versus your traditional insurance.
There are many benefits of healthshares that traditional medical insurance lacks, such as:
With monthly rates lower than traditional insurance ( an average savings of 20%-70%) plus added discounts like dental/vision and mental health, we’ve heard people say “it is too good to be true.” Healthshares leverage a concierge or a care team and in many cases, telemedicine can be leveraged, helping reduce expenses but not sacrificing care.
Plans start as low as $45 and an average individual plan is $250, which includes major medical coverage/hospitalization, 24/7 telehealth services, and mental health services.
Instead of having to search dozens of healthshares for the right one, indipop has curated the best plans with unique features to fit your budget and needs. Each healthshare plan has it’s pros and cons, so it really depends on the kind of healthcare services you need. You can take a look at the plans we offer here. We personally review dozens of plans and ensure quality!
Some healthshare plans are affiliated with different religious groups. However, indipop plans do not have a statement of faith or are tied to a specific religion.
With all healthcare plans, it’s important to review the details, which include what providers accept the coverage. Each plan is structured differently, but most use a network called PHCS, or Private Healthcare System network. You may also nominate your provider to be part of this network if they currently don’t participate in PHCS and you would like to keep their services.
With an indipop plan, you may continue to see the provider of your choosing. Plan guidelines for each healthshare determine if it is an open network. Other indipop plans utilize the PHCS network which provides deep discounts and you may even nominate your provider if they are not part of this network.
Check plan benefits to see if they leverage the PHCS network for deep discounts or if your primary care is included in the monthly fee.
Joining a healthshare is easy! indipop curates High-Value Healthshares and puts them in one place. We make sure the healthshare is simple, affordable, other great services, and has no lifetime sharing or annual sharing caps. indipop’s staff is another resource for you while you are on the plan at no additional fee!
All indipop Healthshare Plans Have…