Health Insurance ≠ Health care
“I pay high monthly premiums for health insurance… shouldn’t it cover my health care costs?”
The reality is… it does not.
If you are like many, you are frustrated with the fact that you wait days to weeks to be seen and have additional out of pocket expenses every time you need to use your insurance card. These additional costs come in the form of copays and deductibles that can really add up quickly. Out of pocket expenses often approach thousands of dollars every year before your “insurance” will cover any costs. For example, if you need an MRI… you could end up paying thousands of dollars before your insurance will even start to cover any costs.
What is insurance for then?
Like any insurance product… it protects against catastrophe. If you have an accident or illness that causes you to be hospitalized, you will need to be covered. What coverage you choose… whether a high deductible plan or a health share plan or other options is something that you, as a savvy consumer, will want to take the time to understand.
Auto insurance is an illustrative example. You would not use it to fill up the gas tank or change the oil. Why? If you made an insurance claim every time you filled up the gas, your car insurance premiums would sky rocket. The health insurance industry is one of the most profitable industries in the world for this reason. They have sold America on the belief that they need to use their health insurance card to get health care and this allows them to increase the premiums every time you pull out that card.
Insurance has become unaffordable for many. The number one leading cause of bankruptcy in the US is medical bills. Think about that. If values were aligned to provide people with products that kept them healthy… would the “thing” that is supposed to keep them well cause them financial ruin?
The reality is that Health Insurance does not equal health care.
There are many ways to insure against catastrophe that do not cost an arm and a leg. Better health care does not need to be expensive. DPC provides a simple straightforward health care solution that aligns the incentives to keep you well and get you the care you need. The care is higher quality: a direct relationship with your physician without all the “go-betweens.” The care is convenient: you have care when you need it without waiting. The care creates significant savings on out of pocket costs: Labs, medications, and imaging are provided at discounted pricing with MRIs starting at $250.00 and basic labs under $5.00 each.
