I had intended to continue my saga of the drunken elephant (the hyper-specialization of medicine), but I wanted to pause and say a few words regarding the healthcare sharing ministries which are offered as alternatives to health insurance. A new addition to the ones listed further below has been launched for Catholics who were not always comfortable with the statements of faith required by the four faith based options. Christ Medicus Foundation CURO provides catholics with a faith based option consistent with their beliefs.
This organizattion joins Samaritan Ministries, Christian Care Ministry (which may be better known as Medishare), Christian Healthcare Ministries, and Altrua HealthShare as the best choices for Christians either tired for the rising costs of health insurance or looking for something more consistent with their faith. Liberty HealthShare offers similar benefits without requiring a common statement of faith.
I am thankful for those people who started these ministries and pray that they continue to grow. My hope is that I can reach members of these groups and provide Biblically Wholistic care to them in an affordable manner.
For those already a part of these ministries, some will find my name on their providers lists and others will not. I can explain why. I will work with members of any of these ministries, but some have chosen to “administer” their payments through a “plan administrator” such as PHCS or Multiplan.
In order to be on their list of providers, I have to sign an agreement with a business that functions as an insurance company. As a “direct pay care” physician, I refuse to sign any agreement which I believe hinders my ability to care for my patients. I will not choose to sacrifice my freedom to offer what is best for my patients. I hope many patients within these groups choose me despite this and maybe even because of this as they are looking for trust.
To leave a comment, click on the title.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
Hi, I am the administrative director of an HCSM (not listed above). I find the concept of direct pay primary care to be very intriguing. I wish you and others like you the best in developing business models like this. Wish there were more of you out there. Everywhere. God bless!
Thanks for the encouragement. Which HCSM are you with? I would gladly add it to the list as I want to encourage more of that payment model.
Blessings.