Everyone deserves affordable and reliable healthcare. Everyone deserves to have their health issues and worries taken care of without paying an exorbitant fee. Imagine a group of people that don’t take care of just your medical bill but also offer counsel, prayers, and care to those in need. This is Medi-Share.
Medi-Share is a healthcare community program that enables Christians to come together with their financial resources to aid and help each other pay and cover medical expenses. Its vision is to transform society through the biblical models of sharing. It’s the whole package! You don’t only get to have your medical bills and costs covered, but you get to relate with a community of Christians who are ready to listen, talk and pray with you.
What is Medi-Share and how does it work?
A non-profit medical expense-sharing scheme with a Christian foundation, Medi-share requires its members to look out for each other by making financial donations and praying for one another. It is also known as an affordable alternative to health insurance and boasts over 400,000+ members and about $50 million+ shared per month. Its services are completely and thoroughly biblical-based.
Aside from paying for medical bills and expenses, members get to know each other personally, which helps to identify the points of concern for each member.
How does it work?
Medi-Share negotiates reductions and arranges for direct payment to providers on behalf of its members. Members of Medi-Share meet an Annual Household Portion and pay a monthly share rather than meeting a deductible and paying monthly premiums to a corporate entity. Members who additionally support and care for one another split eligible medical bills.
With attributes and qualities similar to traditional insurance, Medi-Share operates on a monthly share amount (deductible and premium). A $50 application fee is required to join Medi-Share, and the first monthly payment includes a $120 one-time membership fee.
Now, Medi-Share is not insurance. Members exchange resources directly with one another. Also, unlike insurance groups or organizations, Medi-Share does not engage in the pooling of money. The Medi-Share program is also not licensed or registered under any insurance organization and doesn’t need to be. No premiums are demanded, and there is no promise to cover your medical expenses. The sharing of medical costs/bills is entirely optional.
Rising cost of prescription drugs
Everyone deserves access to good healthcare services and products. However, not many people can afford it. The high cost of prescription medications also threatens medical expenses and reduces financing for other areas that require public investment. Due to prohibitive out-of-pocket expenses for individual patients in nations without universal healthcare, the high cost of prescription medications creates an additional challenge.
Most Americans report having trouble paying for prescription medications because of high out-of-pocket expenses. Medicine manufacturers point to high drug costs as a necessity for maintaining innovation. However, the ability to set high pricing for each new treatment may slow down innovation. Instead of spending money on truly novel therapies with a higher risk of failure, it is less hazardous to create modest variations of already-approved medications and demonstrate incremental improvements in efficacy or safety. This has become a significant issue in the healthcare sector, but what really causes the rising costs of prescription drugs?
Causes of the rising costs of prescription drugs.
Monopoly
Monopolies are the primary cause of the high price of prescription medications. There are no substitutes for a lot of new medications. For example, because most tumors are incurable and each therapy must be administered sequentially for a given patient, there is no genuine price competition in treating cancer, even when numerous drugs are available for a given illness.
Monopolies should only last a short time because as patents expire, generic competition should eventually take over. Unfortunately, this frequently does not occur with malignancies and other chronic, life-threatening conditions. Medicine is already regarded as outdated (planned obsolescence) and is no longer the standard of care when its patent expires. With a new patent life and monopoly protection, a “new and improved version” has already entered the scene. Biologic drug approval and laborious manufacturing procedures are additional barriers that severely restrict the number of rivals that can enter the market.
The majority of the industrialized world utilizes some regulation to restrict the launch costs of new prescription pharmaceuticals because it is evident that all monopolies need to be regulated to safeguard citizens. Unchecked monopolies provide serious issues. An uncontrolled monopoly over a necessary good can result in excessive pricing that endangers people’s lives. This is true in the US, where there are no laws governing the cost of prescription drugs and no systems to enforce value-based pricing.
High development costs
Preclinical testing to final approval of medicine takes roughly 12 years, making drug development time-consuming and expensive. Considering the high failure rate, where only 10–20% of tested medications are effective and reach the market, the cost of developing a new drug is projected to be around $3 billion. Although the high price of drug research is a significant issue that requires attention, other experts believe these estimates are greatly exaggerated. Additionally, since it requires more studies with a larger sample size and a more significant number of trials to obtain regulatory approval, the development costs are negatively correlated with the incremental benefit offered by the new treatment. More importantly, we cannot ignore the reality that most new drugs receive significant public financing for their scientific development and that the general public consequently has a right to demand that life-saving medications be priced appropriately.
The severity of the illness
Given that vulnerable people who want to improve their quality of life must have treatments for serious diseases, high prescription medicine prices are justified. Patients and their families are willing to pay any cost to improve their quality of life in the case of critical conditions.
Influence of pharmaceutical organizations
In the United States in 2018, lobbying by pharmaceutical firms and their trade associations cost about $220 million. Despite countries being aware of the serious issues raised by high prescription drug costs, little has been done in the way of regulatory or legislative reform due to the influence of the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.
Are Medi-Share prescriptions shared?
At Medi-Share, sharing is a crucial factor and is highly valued. Concerning prescriptions, they would be shared if they are related to a new injury or Illness (only for six months).
Prescription medications used to treat a recognized medical condition must be paid out-of-pocket before being reported on a reimbursement form. Once submitted, eligible prescription expenses will be deducted from your AHP (Annual Household Portion). Those costs/expenses will be only shareable as long as the conditions for your AHP have been met. So even if it’s a medication you currently use, as a member, you have access to prescription savings that can help you save an average of 40% on all your medications.
Note: Before their needs can be shared, a Member Household must pay a certain amount toward their Eligible Medical Bills over a year (AHP). The effective date marks the start of the 12-month AHP period.
Medi-Share prescription discounts
As a Medi-Share member, you are entitled to many exclusive benefits. One of these is the prescription discount. With this, you can save up to 40% on all your medications. So as long as you meet the conditions of AHP, you are entirely eligible for this discount offer.
Medi-Share and the Navitus Pharmacy Program
In 2020, Medi-Share teamed up with Navitus Health Solutions to offer members more significant discounts on prescription pharmaceuticals. With this partnership, members can access a team of pharmacy professionals who can take your call around the clock at 1.833.837.4306 and save money. After successfully creating a profile on the Navitus portal, you can be able to do the following:
- Lookup participating pharmacies
- Compare prices at several pharmacies in your neighborhood.
- Research has identified everyday medication interactions and adverse effects.
- Observe your medical history
- View your formulary (or preferred drug list) to see which medications are covered by your plan and are shareable
This is to mention a few. However, remember that Navitus must be notified in advance if you plan to take specialty medications for certain complex and rare diseases, including cancer. You can reach them at this number: 1.833.837.4306. This also includes injections and infusions administered at your house or in the clinic.
Medi-Share membership perks
Being a Medi-Share member, you are already aware of the benefits of membership, which include having access to high-quality medical care through a network of more than 900,000 doctors and facilities and being a part of a Christian community that encourages one another in prayer.
Nonetheless, there are additional, less covert benefits that come with membership. To benefit and save more money, be sure to be aware of all the following Medi-Share perks.
24/7 Video & telephone physician consultations
Emergencies are pretty unpredictable events. Whether it’s a sudden cold or your kid comes down with a fever, having a doctor or physician on standby can be very helpful and, in some cases, life-saving, as you might not have the means of seeing a doctor immediately.
However, as a member at Medi-Share, you have 24/7 on-demand access to affordable, high-quality healthcare as well as amazing discounts on dental, optical, and auditory services.
In more detail, these services consist of free video or phone consultations with doctors who can identify common health issues, including colds, strep throat, sinus infections, skin disorders, etc., and, if necessary, prescribe drugs.
All these are possible through a platform called MDLIVE. One of the country’s largest telehealth physician networks, it boasts on-call doctors with at least 15 years of clinical experience and holds valid licenses to show for it. So, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, you can have a doctor’s appointment from your home, workplace, or while traveling. Board Certified and state-licensed doctors can also help with non-emergency medical conditions over the phone or via secure video.
Mental Health (Tele-Counseling)
For several years now, the issue of mental health has been in the spotlight. In 2020, when the COVID-19 virus hit, mental health took a massive downturn as the pandemic brought with it the need for isolation and a decline in social contact. The surge in the reported incidence of insomnia is an intriguing side effect of stress related to the pandemic.
Members approved the inclusion of Telemental Health Counseling appointments in the Medi-Share membership in 2020. Members can now schedule calls for mental health for up to 30 minutes. Members can also ask for an appointment with a licensed Christian counselor throughout the scheduling process. Marriage and family counseling sessions can accommodate several persons at once. All counseling calls are entirely private, and Medi-Share will remain completely unaware of any contact’s details or subject matter.
The member may ask to talk with a psychiatrist who can prescribe medicine even though the mental health counselors available to members cannot do so. For the psychiatrist therapy session, the member would need to pay the provider a charge (which is not refundable). Don’t wait if you or a member of your close family could profit from counseling!
Eye/Vision Care
The Superior Vision discount program offers members savings of 5% to 30% off the suggested retail price of recommended glasses. At more than 40,000 locations of participating providers, members are entitled to protection on tests, eyeglasses, contact lenses, and LASIK.
Also, symptoms of major medical problems like glaucoma, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol can be identified with thorough eye exams.
Dental Care
At Medi-share in partnership with Careington, one of the country’s biggest and most well-known professional dental networks, Dental treatment discounts ranging from 20% to 60% are available to members. Careington’s networks concentrate on neighborhood dentists and provide members with fair pricing and extensive fee schedules. Here are some of their services:
- 20% savings on orthodontic treatments, such as braces, and children and adult retainers.
- Cosmetic dentistry e.g., bonding and veneers
- All specialties included: endodontics, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, oral surgery, periodontics, and prosthodontics – a 20% reduction on standard fees where available
- 20% savings on orthodontics, including braces and retainers for both children and adults
- All dentists must meet the stringent credential requirements based on their training, experience, license status, and other criteria.
- Members may visit any dentist in the network and can switch at any point.
Auditory/Hearing Care
The importance of hearing/auditory care cannot be stressed, as hearing loss is a threat to everyone and should not be taken lightly.
At Medi-Share, over 5,000 network providers provide hearing aid discounts to members ranging from 30% to 60%. There are also the most recent innovations in hearing aids and accessories and wireless capabilities for televisions and mobile phones.
EPIC, a hearing healthcare platform in line with Medi-Share, offers a 45-day, risk-free trial period on all goods as part of its service satisfaction promise. Members will receive a refund of their money (minus a “Clinic Fee” for expert services) if they are unsatisfied.
Members can also get extra savings by completing four entertaining and informative tasks. They would also receive the following supplementary services at no additional cost:
- Standard hearing test
- A year’s supply worth of batteries for each instrument (per hearing aid)
- Three-year manufacturer’s warranty extension that covers loss or damage (standard is one to two years)
- One year’s worth of follow-up appointments ($439, assuming no more than six visits)
- Digital hearing aids from well-known brands start from $495. (including professional services)
For Diabetic Patients
Discounts are available on various healthcare goods and services, including home medical equipment, medical appliances, and supplies, with our Select Savings card. Look at some of the offered values:
- The first order comes with free shipping and your choice of gift.
- 20–30% off the suggested retail price for durable medical equipment
- 20% to 40% off the retail price of disposable medical supplies
- 20% to 25% off the retail price for nutritional supplements and daily living aids
- If you spend $100 or more, shipping is free. For purchases under $100, shipping is a fixed $7.95.
- The BLN care coordinators give a replacement notification before the supplies run out once BLN ships up to a 90-day supply.
- There are no time-consuming forms to complete or awkward pharmacy visits.
Conclusion
Medi-Share intends to provide affordable and reliable healthcare services. Alongside delivering these services, Medi-Share is committed to serving the Christian community and ensures its members feel welcome and comfortable. With the numerous perks and benefits of the membership, you’ll also enjoy the hospitality and care of fellow Christians who are always willing to listen to your needs and pray with you. It is sure to be a budget-friendly, wonderful healthcare experience.
