Medical Discount Network, a Viable Alternative

Author: Barbara Lewis, Founder & CEO of Choice Living and Wellness

Obamacare is a frightening word for employers and many Americans.  Whether that is a fair assessment or not, a massive change in the way that we budget for our homes, our lives is about to take effect, and the frustrating thing for many people is that it is going to take place whether we want it or not.  Moreover, a lot of us just feel more vulnerable than we ever have.

Many of us felt that this downturn in the economy would be a tough one, one that might last two or three years.  Well, here we are, four years into an economic contraction unlike anything anyone has seen in our lifetimes with no end in sight and potentially devastating new insurance costs are at our doorstep.  When a business is clinging to life it may not take much to finish it; no matter how effective that business has been for clients, no matter how economical, no matter how smart, no matter how important they are to the community and their customers.  Many of us are wondering whether the changes in health care that were meant to help, may prove to be the body blow that proves fatal to our businesses.

I don’t know how much Health Care Reform is going to cost my business.  I have yet to hear a single business person say with certainty that they know with any degree of accuracy how much health care reform is going to cost them but I can promise you this; our segment of the industry, the discount health network, can add a degree of flexibility and make the changes in Health Care Reform substantially less costly for a large number of patients.

In 2010, it may very well be that, with increases in the cost of a company’s health insurance plans, top executives may respond by electing to reduce their costs by opting for a higher deductible policy.  If that is the case, the medical discount card industry can take the sting out of those increased deductibles.

In America in 2010, anyone who is unemployed is facing a meltdown if they get sick or face any emergency health care need.  Americans are losing homes, life savings, college funds they have scrimped for and saved over decades when they become ill.  By using a medical discount group, the unemployed and their family members do have a way to immediately get discounted heath care, whether they are on an expensive COBRA or are simply uninsured.

As for the rest of us, the portion of the public that has health care, but finds that we want procedures or options that our policies simply will not cover, you are going to see that our approach can support you especially with Vision and Dental services.  When it comes to elective procedures such as cosmetic surgery, we offer a negotiated rate.  When it comes to cutting-edge procedures not covered by insurers, we offer a negotiated rate.  Bariatric procedures are among the most successful approaches for weight loss, which is America’s biggest health care challenge.  In some cases, patients will be covered by their insurance, many will not.  For those members who will not be provided coverage by their traditional insurance, we offer a fixed, negotiated lower cost for the exact same procedure.  The savings can amount to thousands of dollars.

Finally, health care has some exciting developments in the area of wellness.  As an example, we now can “drill down” to analyze the microscopic lives in our bloodstream that course through our veins ‘up close and personal,’ in their own neighborhood.  Live blood scans allow physicians to determine the quality of your blood, the relative aging of white blood cells as well as check for early signs of disease.  These types of screenings are typically denied coverage, but spending a few dollars now to determine the relative health of a patient’s blood could motivate them to change their diet or exercise regimen.  It could protect their health and save a significant number of financial headaches, and health expense in the near and long term.  The same goes for a long list of other procedures, such as life scans which look at the flow through the carotid artery to determine the risk of heart attack and stroke.

The old saying that ‘what is old is new and what is new is old’ rings true here.  Medical discount cards have traditionally been the approach for the uninsured or underinsured to try to cope with increasing health care costs.  With some fundamental changes and billing procedures that are far more predictable and attractive for members and providers alike, a Medical Discount Network may be one of the few viable alternatives to dealing with the expected constraints and cost increases of President Obama’s Health Care Reform.

About The Author

Barbara Lewis, Founder and CEO of Choice Living Health & Wellness, has turned her focus to providing new products and solutions for the health care industry.  With the launch of Choice Living, Lewis' efforts to build an industry-changing network of health care providers founded on mutually beneficial relationships between doctors and patients have come to fruition through her strategic relationships with major employers, unions, associations and brokers.  Visit www.ChoiceLiving.com to learn more.