Let’s talk about money. And health care insurance. When the two are combined, they can be cringeworthy!
It’s no joke that health care costs are rising quickly each year. There is expected to be a 15-20% increase in premium costs within the next year for all traditional health insurance plans. That means if you’re paying $1000 a month for coverage, you’ll likely be paying upwards of $1,800-$2,400 more per year. Yikes. Many times, even with an insurance plan, you still pay for many medical procedures out of pocket and/or have a high deductible before insurance kicks in.
On the flip side, as some of my long-time readers know, we are members of Samaritan Ministries, which is a medical sharing group, not considered traditional insurance but exempt from the fine on non-insured people. This has been an incredibly significant cost savings for us, however Samaritan Ministries requires you to pay out of pocketfor well checks and certain conditions are not covered.
So, whether you have traditional insurance or belong to a medical sharing group, there are often times where you need an extra “boost” when paying medical bills, or need help negotiating large bills down to a more reasonable price (like our fourth pregnancy which we emptied our savings account to pay for up front).
This is where groups like HealthValues come in to play. I recently discovered HealthValues when I was approached by a wonderful lady from their company asking if I’d share their vision and purpose with my readers.
Not being someone to agree to things easily (and a natural skeptic), I wanted to learn more about this company and see how they could help Christian families, as we pursue good stewardship with our money.
HealthValues was founded by a group of Christian health insurance professionals who wanted to help other Christian families save on rising health care costs.
Recognizing that health insurance is getting more expensive every year, but pays fewer bills than ever before, the HealthValues team put together a membership program for with three different levels of benefits to help Christian families save money on theirmedical expenses.
Some features and highlights of joining HealthValues
- FREE and unlimited doctor consultations over the phone or via video chat, 24/7! This is the most popular benefit. Telemedicine doctors are board-certified and based in the United States. They can treat 18 of the 20 typical reasons parents take their kids to Urgent Care, and the doctors can send prescriptions to a family’s favorite pharmacy. It’s a great way to skip the waiting room and get treatment quickly, for absolutely zero cost. Parents who love this benefit typically have to pay a copay for a doctor visit, have a high deductible health plan, or like Samaritan Ministries members, may need to pay for much of the visit out of pocket. The national average for an Urgent Care visit is $155.Where we used to live, it was $225 (!) many times with no treatment involved. For a family with two or more children, this benefit can save them at least $500 a year.
- HealthValues provides discounts on X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds, mammograms and more in the member’s local area.
- Medical bill negotiation assistance from a health care attorney at no charge (this often is not provided by insurance companies).
- Monthly cost is $9.99, and higher level tiers that include supplemental insurance for accidents and critical illnesses start at $29.99 a month.
If you want to dig deeper, here’s how HealthValues explains what their supplemental coverage does for you and how it differs from other supplemental companies.
Supplemental insurance is best thought of as “insurance for your insurance.” So many families have to pay thousands of dollars for medical care before they meet their medical deductible and their health insurance company starts to pick up the bill. If they experience an accident or are suddenly diagnosed with a critical illness, it can wipe out their savings. With supplemental insurance, families receive cash to pay for the medical bills or the mortgage – it is up to them how they use the money (coverage is for $2,500 or $5,000). Unlike supplemental insurance plans that just pay for one thing – accidents or cancer, for example – HealthValues offers an umbrella policy that will cover anything from little Emma’s broken arm to mom’s sudden breast cancer diagnosis. The supplemental plan helps take care of their medical deductible and “bridges the gap” in their insurance coverage.
I really am liking what I’ve experienced so far from HealthValues. They are friendly, helpful and seem to truly care about their clients (you and I!).
We are generallyhealthy but for anyone in our family of six that could honestly change at any moment. Dave Ramsey explains insurance as protecting yourself against disaster. And while disaster may seem far away, he also says that “some insurance you simply can’t afford to go without.”
Is HealthValues a good choice for yourfamily?
HealthValues is a great choice for you and your family if:
- You have a high deductible plan and must pay large amounts of money out of pocket before being covered by insurance.
- You have “gaps” in your insurance, such as conditions that aren’t coveredas they should be
- You belong to a medical sharing program such as Samaritan Ministries or Christian MediShare and must pay out-of-pocket for certain expenses
- You visit the UrgentCare more than once a year. Paying $9.99 a month for HealthValues, giving you the benefit of phone doctor consultations, still can save you at least $100 even if you only visit UrgentCare or the ER once. And chances are, if you have children, that will happen more than one time a year!
- You need imaging services (MRI, mammograms, etc) that aren’t sufficiently covered by your insurance. HealthValues can negotiate for you and save you up to 45% on these services
HealthValues may be something to keep in mind if:
- You currently have a great insurance plan that covers all expenses well and has a very low deductible ($500 or less for a family). Since we haven’t been on traditional insurance for 3 years, I’m not sure if those exist anymore, but you may have that advantage!
Here are some real life stories of families that have used the benefits of HealthValues.
Have any questions? Want to check out their benefits and/or try the program free for 30 days? Visit their website, which has a lot more detailed information!
You can also download this short and helpful pdf with some quick facts about HealthValues.
I’m so thankful that there are Christian companies who desire to help like-minded families manage their costs so that we can care for our families without out-of-controlworrying and emptying our savings accounts!
The Two Ways we Save Thousands Each Year on Medical Costs
Through use of Samaritan Ministries and HealthValues, we are savings thousands on health care each year for our family of six. We currently pay $405 per month for coverage from Samaritan Ministries and the gaps can befilled in with the services HealthValues offers.
If you’d like to know more details about our experience, please leave me a question in the comments or read this post for more info on a specific situation where we navigated some of the quirks ofSamaritan Ministries.
WANT TO SPEAK WITH GRACE TO YOUR KIDS INSTEAD OF YELLING?
