Latest / Bill of Health / What If Your Doctor Worked for You Instead of Your Insurance? (Bill of Health Ep.6)

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What If Your Doctor Worked for You Instead of Your Insurance? (Bill of Health Ep.6) · Bill of Health

0:05
How many subscriptions do you have?
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This is not an advertisement for that app that helps you track and
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delete unwanted subscriptions, but just think for a minute, how
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many subscriptions do you have?
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Subscriptions have changed the game in consumerism from helpful and
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convenient to the downright ridiculous.
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For example, and this is real, there is a pickle of the month
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club, and I'm not even kidding.
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It's a thing you can look up.
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Subscriptions are everywhere in our lives from what we watch on our
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phones and our TVs, what we read, what we buy, how we consume things.
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They are everywhere.
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But did you know that subscriptions are changing the game in healthcare as well?
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Direct primary care is a healthcare delivery and payment model where
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patients pay a direct, predictable monthly membership fee to a physician
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for comprehensive, personalized primary care services, and it doesn't involve
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your traditional insurance billing.
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It's estimated to be approximately a seventy-five billion dollar
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industry, and it's growing by big double digits every year
1:12
Hi, friends.
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Welcome back to the Bill of Health.
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I'm your host, Bill Feigh, the health insurance guy, and today I wanna spend
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just a little bit of time talking about direct primary care and how it
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is literally changing the game, for real, when it comes to how primary
1:24
healthcare is received in this country and how you can take advantage of it.
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I will say it's very important for me that this podcast be a place to come for
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information and not an extended sales pitch, but I'm gonna have a very difficult
1:37
time maintaining that neutrality today.
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I am a, if you will, a consumer of direct primary care.
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My wife is a consumer of direct primary care, a lot of my clients are, and it
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really is something that I believe should be of interest to a lot of our listeners.
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Now, the mission of Bill of Health Podcast here is to help individuals
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become smarter healthcare consumers.
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Too often we tend to think only our option is in the network primary care
2:02
doctor that accepts our insurance, right?
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We have to go who our insurance accepts, and we've always gone
2:06
to the same practice, and so that's where we have to go.
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But in fact, we're just so habituated to that model of what they call fee
2:12
for service care, that as healthcare consumers, we are absolutely
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unaware that other options exist.
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So that's what today is about, talking to someone who's disrupting the status
2:21
quo and helping patients become smarter healthcare consumers in the process.
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Now, I have said this before and I will keep saying it, I've always been
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client-facing in every work that I've ever done since I got out of college,
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meaning I'm across the table from an employer or from an employee helping
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them make some tough decisions, and one non-negotiable for me I will repeat
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it over and over, is that I insist on having the smartest, most ethical, and
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trustworthy people I can find in the background helping me bring that to life.
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Consequently, I love, love, love talking to smart people, and we certainly have
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a smart person today as our guest.
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Hailing all the way from Wichita, Kansas, Melinda Lacey is one of
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three practitioners in direct primary health in Harrisonville, Missouri.
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She graduated from KU Medical Center with her BN in nursing back in 2001.
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We're gonna overlook the KU part today, Melinda.
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Once she graduated, she served in pediatric intensive care units.
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She served in ICU u- units as a float staff for KU Medical Center,
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we're gonna skip that, too, and also some other HCA hospitals.
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She was a manager of the case management department at Cass Regional.
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She's got a ton of very practical experience.
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Also, in 2001, she completed her master's in nursing with an emphasis
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in rural practice, and she earned her family nurse practitioner designation.
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She has four grown children, three grandchildren, and has been married
3:37
to Mr. Donnie for more years than she's willing to say out loud.
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Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a big Bill of Health welcome to Melinda Lacey.
3:44
Welcome, Ms. Melinda.
3:45
Thank you.
3:46
Thank you.
3:46
Wow, quite the introduction, minus the KU part.
3:49
Yes, minus the KU part.
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That's okay, we're gonna keep that going.
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Melinda, my audience is primarily made up of employees and healthcare
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consumers, they're looking to navigate their benefits, and also made up
4:00
of employers seeking alternatives to traditional broker-dictated
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sort of health insurance solutions.
4:06
Okay?
4:07
First off, describe direct primary care to our listeners.
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Tell us how it differs from the traditional in-network primary care
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doc and what they might be used to and how they get their primary care.
4:17
Sure.
4:18
I think everyone is pretty familiar with the fee for service type model.
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You go in with an expectation of, I am asking for advice or medication,
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this is the cost, it's billed to my insurance, and then there's not a
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lot of transparency in it somewhat.
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However, we know that there's this cost involved.
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I want this specific service, I want this specific medication, this
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diagnosis managed, then you leave.
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It's sometimes has a continuity of care with providers, sometimes not.
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There are some places where you just see the most available whomever,
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whether that's in an urgent care and anymore, a lot of times even in
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family practice, you just see the next person that you're on the roll call
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and that's who was available that day.
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So there's not a lot of continuity in that.
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How that differs greatly from direct primary care is we are
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membership-based, like a subscription model as you kind of mentioned.
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It's a monthly fee that you pay, and then those services can
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incorporate all of your healthcare.
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It's not just well care.
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It includes preventative care, whether you have insurance or don't insurance.
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If you have insurance, we can help you navigate what that looks
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like, high deductible plan, no insurance, just regular insurance.
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That still a lot of times requires pre-authorizations, understanding
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how to get the most out of your benefits per year, what type of
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preventative services are covered, what's not covered, and then helping
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you navigate that as an individual.
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You have this individual membership, and so what I like to tell my
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patients is, "I would love for you to come as often as you want.
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I'm here every day.
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Probably you won't need to see me every day, at least I hope.
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But I'm here and I'm available, not 24/7, within reason obviously,
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but we are here seven days a week.
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We are here to answer your questions and be there, you know,
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as part of your healthcare team."
6:10
Okay, great.
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And that access, if you will, not the 24-hour access, but certainly a lot
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of times same-day appointments, a lot of times next day appointments, and
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certainly by text or by email we can ask questions, those kind of things.
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Does that dictate your practice size?
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I just often think of these primary fee-for-service care providers having
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literally thousands of clients.
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I can't imagine how you could ever do what we're doing with thousands of patients.
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I came from that type of a model of traditional care where I literally
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had 3,000-plus patients that considered me their, quote-unquote,
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"primary care provider."
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Some I saw truly a couple times a month, if not more.
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However, you can only answer so many of those questions.
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You know, there's only one of you in that kind of a situation.
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So yes, the numbers in direct primary care are much lower.
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I'm not sure the average, I think 4 to 700, something like that, 400 to 700.
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That would be a very busy practice per provider, and so
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it makes a huge difference.
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Yeah.
7:08
Absolutely.
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It would.
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Now, you've said something that's interesting to me.
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You've talked about working alongside of regular traditional insurance
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People who may not have insurance at all, or cash pay kind of clients.
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And you mentioned price transparency.
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We've had episodes on this pod about the potential savings using sort of
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the careful site of care selection and paying cash for imaging in labs.
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Tell me how your practice helps patients navigate that space.
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Can you give us some examples about how somebody maybe could save a little bit
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of money, especially if they have a high deductible plan or no insurance at all?
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How could they save some money by maybe cutting that insurance company
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out of the loop in this transaction?
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I think this is one of the things I'm probably the most excited about what I do.
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I truly felt like in traditional care that many times my hands were truly tied.
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The patient came in, and I would know in my gut, I would know even from a
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very medical or scientific, this is what this patient needs to have done.
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But truly, I remember a gal one time sitting in my exam room the entire
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day in excruciating abdominal pain simply because we were waiting to get
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an authorization for a test that she absolutely needed, and I didn't feel
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comfortable sending her home, whereas now I can meet each person individually.
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So probably one of the biggest surprises from traditional care when I came here
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was I just thought we would have a lot of patients that had no insurance
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or only had high deductible plans.
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That's not always the case.
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Mm. We do have patients that have traditional healthcare as well, as you
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would say, but they just don't know how to navigate the system, or they
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just want more time spent with them.
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But that's the awesome thing is we can take each one of those
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on a case-by-case basis and say, "Okay, what is the plan of care?
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What is it that you need to have done?" Then we can look at all of our options.
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Imaging, for example, can be truly thousands of dollars.
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Just this last month, I had a patient that she had seen a rheumatologist.
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She does not have healthcare insurance.
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She'd seen a rheumatologist that had recommended to clearly
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define and diagnose what type of autoimmune disorder that she had.
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He wanted an MRI of her hand and an MRI of her brain, and he had set it
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up for her, and her out-of-pocket cost was gonna be $2,700, $2,600.
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I said, "Whoa. I can get that for you. Let's see what we can figure out." So
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we have contracts with some of the local imaging places here in Kansas City,
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as well do almost every direct primary care, no matter what city you're in.
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They work with their local providers.
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And so I was able to get an MRI with contrast of her hand and an
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MRI with contrast- Of her brain and upper neck area for $1,400.
9:44
Yeah.
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So it saved her well over $1,000- Yes … you know, to be able to do that.
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And so it went from, "I'm not sure we can afford even to do this, even
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though I know I need to do this," to, "I think we can make that happen."
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And so I always tell patients the best plan is the plan that's the doable plan.
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You know, there's always the textbook, this is what your
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instructor tells you, the very best medicine, the very best whatever.
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But a lot of times it's the plan that you can afford.
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It's the one that meets your need and truly gets to the bottom
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of what's going on with you.
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Sometimes it takes some creativity, but we can get you there most of the time.
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And I think one of the things I'm pretty quick to say is that if your traditional
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primary care physician sends you to their regional medical center for an X-ray or
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an endoscopy or a colonoscopy or some kind of procedure, they're not trying
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to hurt you, they're not trying to break you, they're not doing anything unethical.
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It's just that they are typically affiliated and tied with that
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organization, whereas you are literally, as a practitioner that's
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independent, you can farm that out.
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You can quarterback the play and send them where they need to go
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for the right possible price.
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Plus, the other thing I've been mentioning, Melinda, is that we're
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not talking about fly-by-night, back of a stranger's white
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van kind of X-ray machine- No
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right?
10:59
Thankfully, no.
10:59
No.
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Thankfully,
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no.
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These are legitimate medical providers.
11:04
These are… Absolutely.
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You
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had said something to me, and I thought it was so interesting that I wanted to
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bring it up, 'cause we were talking about I had some imaging done, and it was a
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black-and-white X-ray, and I don't know what it would've cost at the hospital,
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if you will, but I got it for 35 bucks.
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Right.
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I was like- Right … "Yeah, okay." Yeah.
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But then you said- Yeah … something to me that was really interesting.
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You said also you like this current imaging center because
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their reporting is so detailed and thorough- Yes … and good.
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Yes.
11:28
And so we're not talking about sacrificing quality of care.
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Absolutely not.
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We're just talking about changing where you get that care.
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Absolutely, and I think you don't ask what you don't know.
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Yeah.
11:38
For another example, as, as far as just pricing transparency, we found ourselves
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in this healthcare situation when I left that traditional care, didn't
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have that same insurance provider.
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With his permission, I'll say my husband's a Type 1 diabetic.
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You know, very clearly, that comes with some healthcare very built-in costs for
11:55
the entire rest of his life since he was- Yeah … early, or late teen or
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early 20s, and so that was a big concern.
12:02
But what we found is as I looked back over my EOBs, the insurance explanation of
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things, I realized that he's very healthy and takes very good care of himself,
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so every year we were just paying it out of pocket anyway because our entire
12:15
original cost was going to the deductible.
12:17
Yeah.
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So then when I turned around and called the company where he gets his pump
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supplies and got some of these supplies and I offered to pay cash price without
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insurance, I'm actually paying less now than I did when I had insurance.
12:28
Yeah.
12:28
And so we find that story just over and over happens, and that's a good point.
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I am not one of those bashers of traditional healthcare.
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Yeah.
12:36
I think, in all transparency, I still work in a hospital.
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Hmm.
12:40
I am very thankful for the care that that provides.
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They are part of a system that makes things go round, to make- Yes … the
12:47
insurers, which is a big piece, the middleman piece, of where a lot of
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the issue lies, but there's a lot of regulations and things, and I'm thankful
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that I live in a country and live in an area where we do have access to those
12:59
type of specialists and providers and hospital services, but I do think there
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is some pricing transparency and just some pricing, cash pay pricing and pricing
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that people just are unaware about.
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We are touching on something that I'm gonna get up on a soapbox and
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we're never gonna get out of here.
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But the situation is that over and over again, year after year, people keep
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feeding their deductible and keep feeding their deductible- Yes … and keep
13:19
feeding their deductible and never hit it.
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Yeah, 'cause it keeps getting higher and higher.
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It keeps getting higher and higher.
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They're worried that if I don't go get this medical care where I'm
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supposed to or where I'm told to, I'll never reach my deductible.
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And my thought is, well, look back at how often have you hit your deductible?
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Right.
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And one significant critical illness, one significant accident,
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you're gonna hit that within the first hour in the ER probably-
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Oh, yes.
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Anyway, so quit- Yes … feeding your deductible.
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That is so important, and some advice that immediately, immediately everyone
13:49
could put into action because you don't have to have a PhD in medical
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billing, you don't have to be an expert.
13:54
Yeah.
13:54
You just have to ask a question, what's the cash
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price?
13:56
Absolutely.
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Yeah.
13:57
Yes, absolutely.
13:59
A lot of times providers are very willing to work with people who,
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again, I think people get nervous about asking those kind of questions.
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And again, where I think we can step in and help kind of bridge that gap
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a little bit and try to find some of those resources for you and figure
14:13
out the cost that you know before you have the procedure, not this
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nebulous, "I sure hope I haven't met my deductible," or, "I sure hope I'm not
14:21
over, you know, my max or whatever."
14:23
Yes.
14:23
Now it's like, "No, I know what it's gonna be. I know what this X-ray
14:27
or this MRI is gonna cost before I ever get there and have it done."
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Yep, I love that.
14:31
I love that.
14:31
Now we've been talking primarily about the employee or the
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self-employed or the person.
14:36
Briefly before we change gears, I wanna talk about employers, because
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one of the biggest trends in direct primary care is direct primary
14:44
care facilities are contracting or negotiating directly with employers.
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What does that provide that employer?
14:50
What does that do for the employees?
14:51
That also is really fun to start working with employers.
14:55
I think what it provides sometimes is it gets employees in to see a provider.
15:01
Let's say you're employing a large number of people.
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Sometimes there's incentives, and they do that on purpose.
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They'll do health screenings and that type of thing.
15:08
Yeah.
15:08
The whole bottom line of that is that they're trying to catch
15:11
things before they get bad.
15:13
Right.
15:13
Whereas when you have a smaller business and you have, say, 50 or less employees,
15:17
and you provide them some coverage, you know, or some obviously primary
15:22
care through a direct primary care, you can really encourage them to go.
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And what it does is it meets those needs individually, I feel like, at a
15:30
very much more of a, not a macro level.
15:32
There's this very micro level of making sure employees are healthy
15:36
and that they access the care that's being provided for them.
15:39
So for instance, let's say someone is sick.
15:41
Instead of have to make an appointment, maybe get in with somebody, use my
15:45
insurance, whatever, we can usually get you in same day, if not next day, and
15:50
get that employee back to work quicker.
15:52
We already know these people.
15:53
We've established a relationship with them.
15:55
And so I think that individualized care that you can provide for your
15:59
employees, to me, would be a huge selling point for an employer, that
16:04
with this premium price that we're gonna pay, the membership price for you,
16:09
but here's what they can do for you.
16:11
And I've had several employees that have come in and said, you know, "My employer,"
16:15
whatever- Yeah … "said I better get in.
16:17
They said your labs are pretty reasonable, and I've never had a mammogram, but
16:21
they said you know how to help me get that." And those screening things,
16:24
that's gonna keep your employees with you years, if not decades, you know?
16:28
Yeah.
16:28
So yeah.
16:29
Yeah.
16:30
It's something, I don't wanna get too far in the weeds, but some
16:33
employers have self-funded plans.
16:35
Right.
16:36
Yes.
16:36
Yes.
16:36
And they can't afford to wait until something goes from bad to
16:41
worse when it comes to your health.
16:42
And the prevention and trying to find things early and treat those
16:45
conditions and have that ability is key.
16:47
It's critical.
16:48
It's critical.
16:48
Oh, yeah.
16:49
They understand that cost ratio benefit.
16:52
They absolutely understand that.
16:53
Again, they're not paying for all these people to get screening
16:56
labs and those types of things.
16:58
I mean, maybe they do love you that much, but it's because the
17:02
bottom line is they know it will save them cost in the long run.
17:05
If you pick up some type of an abnormality early on, whether that's
17:09
diabetes, hypertension, not just the health benefits, but the quality
17:13
of life benefits- Yeah … is just immeasurable that you can provide
17:17
your employers and their families.
17:19
It just, yeah, absolutely.
17:22
I love it.
17:22
Last question for you here.
17:23
Looking down the road five to 10 years, how do you see
17:26
direct primary care evolving?
17:28
I know we're moving towards a world where direct primary care becomes the
17:31
default front door American healthcare working alongside insurance wrappers.
17:34
What do you see?
17:35
What's gonna happen, do you think, if you look into your crystal ball?
17:38
I have lots of thoughts that rapidly is changing our medical world.
17:42
It just is changing by the moment.
17:45
We no longer have the doctor carrying around the black bag with all the answers.
17:49
Healthcare and healthcare knowledge, medical knowledge is out there
17:53
and it's accessible to everyone.
17:56
Now, that does not mean it's always the best information.
17:59
It doesn't mean that it's always the right information that is individualized
18:02
to you, but it's out there.
18:04
And so how I see, again, direct primary care shining in that is even if AI, you
18:10
know, takes all of our jobs and that kind of thing, as some are predicting,
18:14
I really think that fits very well into this model of now I have all this medical
18:18
information, I have this specific, say, diagnosis, but I still want somebody
18:23
to sit down with me and talk it over.
18:25
I still have that.
18:26
I'll send a patient to a specialist.
18:28
They'll bring back the specialist information.
18:31
Hmm.
18:31
"Hey, Melinda, can you go over this with me?
18:32
I'm not sure exactly what this means for me," or, "How practically do I
18:36
do this?" And again, I think having that individualized time to be
18:40
able to spend with patients in this world of technology and information
18:45
that quite frankly is overwhelming.
18:47
I used to have patients very sheepishly come in maybe 10 years ago and say, "I
18:52
know I shouldn't consult Google or WebMD, but I did." You know, so embarrassed.
18:56
Now they don't make any bones about it.
18:58
They come in and they say, "I absolutely have looked all this up. Here's what
19:02
I need. This is what you're gonna do."
19:04
It's just a different world, truly.
19:06
But I think the direct primary care model where we can sit down with a
19:10
patient and say, "That's awesome.
19:12
I'm glad you've started this process and you're taking
19:14
ownership of your own health.
19:15
How can I come alongside you to support you in that?" Whether it's finding
19:20
the right diagnosis, finding the right specialist, whatever that looks like,
19:23
I think is so important to be able to make sure that the information
19:27
you're getting isn't just information, but that it's safe information and
19:31
actually improving your overall health.
19:33
Yeah, I remember the Wild West days of early WebMD where You either
19:37
had a benign freckle or Ebola or something that- … was gonna kill
19:41
you within a day or something.
19:43
Yeah, it was- Yes … one
19:43
of
19:43
the two.
19:44
You're either gonna live forever- Yes … or you're gonna
19:46
die tomorrow kind of thing.
19:47
Yeah.
19:47
Oh, for sure.
19:48
Yes.
19:48
I'm glad we're better there.
19:49
Melinda, thank you.
19:50
I want you to hold tight for me here, 'cause we're gonna bring
19:51
you back here in just a second.
19:53
I know in the show notes, my crack production team, they're gonna put
19:56
Melinda's contact information in there if you guys have questions.
19:58
She's based out of Harrisonville, Missouri, which is just on the
20:00
doorstep of Kansas City proper.
20:02
Uh, hopefully we've got thousands of listeners all over the place, so they
20:06
may not necessarily be in your footprint, but if you have questions on direct
20:09
primary care, you have questions on what it can mean for you, your family,
20:12
whatever, please give Melinda a call.
20:14
Mostly for information, I'm not a direct sales pitch.
20:16
I'm not trying to do that, but it is a pretty important trend.
20:19
So hang tight for us, 'cause we have something very important to do.
20:21
Now it is the time for the Jargon Jar.
20:26
Oh my.
20:27
Yeah.
20:27
The Jargon Jar is basically we're gonna open up the jar, we're gonna take a
20:31
confusing and intentionally muddy topic, and that's usually written in the language
20:35
of insurance, and we're gonna translate it into plain English for people.
20:38
And today-
20:39
Oh.
20:39
… that term is prior authorization.
20:42
So- A
20:42
dirty word.
20:43
Yes.
20:43
Prior authorization is the administrative hurdle where an insurance company forces
20:48
a doctor or a care provider to file a stack of paperwork and wait for permission
20:52
before a patient is allowed to get a specific medication, scan, or treatment.
20:55
And it's interesting, she had a story, uh, for the pod about prior
20:59
authorization, and we did not plan that, so this is just- Well … organic.
21:02
Yeah.
21:03
Basically, the danger and the headache, on paper, insurers claim it's a tool for
21:06
quality control and cost containment.
21:07
In reality, it's a bureaucratic bottleneck that puts desk jockey, basically, not
21:11
trying to be rude, but it puts a desk jockey at the insurance corporation
21:14
between a physician and a patient.
21:15
Doctors spend hours every week on hold or filling out redundant forms
21:19
while the patients basically deal with acute pain or chronic conditions,
21:22
or they just sort of have to wait.
21:23
Treatments are delayed, therapies are arbitrarily denied, or
21:26
they throw up roadblocks.
21:27
Patients suffer sometimes simply because a third party or the insurance company
21:31
just wants to gatekeep a little bit.
21:33
That's a prior authorization.
21:34
If we can avoid those, we love that.
21:36
Direct primary care sort of solves that problem, just like we talked about.
21:38
Prior authorizations just don't exist.
21:40
The practice operates outside of insurance or alongside of insurance.
21:44
There's no third-party gatekeepers to help you beg for permission for that
21:47
CAT scan or that MRI or the CT, right?
21:50
If a direct primary care physician determines that you need a test or
21:53
a lab or imaging, whatever it may be, they just simply order it and
21:57
you work with them to make sure you find the most reasonable price.
22:00
So prior authorization, it is a thing.
22:02
It's a thing- Yes … for those of you under 65.
22:04
Sometimes it's a thing for you over 65 and on Medicare even as well.
22:08
Mm-hmm.
22:08
But just know that nobody likes it.
22:11
I know the physicians don't, and I know the physician staff back
22:14
office don't, because they're the- Yeah … ones that have to deal with
22:16
that nonsense a lot too, by the way.
22:19
So yeah, that's the Jargon Jar for the day, pre-authorization.
22:22
We don't like that topic.
22:23
We don't like it at all.
22:24
So let's switch to something much more fun.
22:26
Melinda, it's time for a surprise.
22:28
It's called Five for Fighting.
22:32
Five for fighting.
22:33
I'm gonna ask you five rapid fire questions.
22:35
Don't think, you just answer.
22:36
All right.
22:36
And sometimes these questions and the answers are a little bit controversial.
22:40
Are you ready?
22:42
Sure
22:43
Chicago deep dish, New York thin, St. Louis cut up weird with the Provel cheese.
22:48
Melinda Lacy, who has the best pizza?
22:50
The thin cut up … What do they call that?
22:53
The- St. Louis style.
22:53
Yeah?
22:53
You're going- No, yes … for the St. Louis style.
22:55
Yes, yes.
22:55
You like that?
22:55
Okay.
22:56
I do.
22:56
All right.
22:56
That's the first one.
22:57
All right.
22:58
I like that.
22:59
Kansas City, North Carolina, Memphis, or Texas, Melinda Lacy, who has
23:02
the best barbecue, and secondly, why is it always Kansas City?
23:05
Oh, hands down, Kansas City.
23:07
I've actually lived in Texas, so I'm speaking from Texas, great barbecue,
23:12
the meat itself, but don't like the sauces that they put on it, all that
23:16
vinegary, weird stuff that- Mm-hmm
23:18
it's not barbecue.
23:19
You have to have Kansas City barbecue, for sure.
23:21
Okay.
23:22
That's what I thought.
23:22
I like that.
23:23
Good answer.
23:23
Correct answer.
23:24
Melinda Lacy, if you were having the chance to speak with employees,
23:28
individuals- Yeah … what's a couple quick bullet points about
23:30
how they could benefit from a relationship with a DPC provider?
23:33
Oh, time is the biggest one, I think, to be able to not feel
23:37
rushed in your appointment.
23:38
My previous appointments were 10 to 15 minutes.
23:41
Mm. Our initial appointments are an hour, and our subsequent
23:45
appointments are 30 minutes to an hour, depending on what you need.
23:48
So I think the time piece, to have somebody sit down with you, is just
23:52
You can't really put that even into time or money, as that builds
23:56
a relationship, and I feel like that's what really leads to health
24:00
changes and good health outcomes.
24:02
I love that.
24:02
Question number four: Melinda Lacy, please name your favorite child and tell us why.
24:08
Well, I have one son, and all three of his sisters would definitely say it's him, and
24:13
I could easily say he's my favorite son.
24:15
So there you
24:16
go.
24:16
Okay.
24:17
Technicality.
24:18
She pulled a technicality out on us.
24:19
See?
24:19
That's what… Yeah.
24:20
Okay.
24:20
All right.
24:21
I've been asked this before.
24:22
Yeah.
24:22
Last question: Looking at the trends in the industry, thinking back on your
24:25
experience, if employers were shopping for health insurance, maybe a self-funded
24:29
plan or alternatives like health shares, what advice would you give them?
24:32
What would you want them to not overlook or not think about?
24:35
I do think it's important to not overlook a catastrophic plan.
24:39
We do encourage our families, our patients, if at all possible, to get a
24:44
safety net, if you will, if some type of, God forbid, medical bankruptcy
24:49
or just bankruptcy- Mm-hmm … due to medical bills is still a huge issue.
24:54
I personally have patients that have had to truly think about divorce, moving
24:59
out of someone's home, that kind of thing, simply to make the bills work-
25:02
Yeah … and to get paid for things.
25:04
And so I think that's just absolutely absurd.
25:06
So to have something that has that safety net, we do encourage our patients, if at
25:09
all possible, to get some type of that.
25:11
We can try and do the best we can.
25:13
We can send you to specialists and that type of thing, and
25:16
there's cash pay prices.
25:17
But- Right … I think it's important to work alongside, you're not paying
25:20
me to say this, but truly a good insurance broker that can help
25:22
you look at what's gonna best meet the needs of you and your family.
25:25
I do think that that's important.
25:27
I love it.
25:27
That's all the time that we have for today.
25:29
Special thanks to our guest, Ms. Melinda.
25:31
I love, love, love, love talking to smart people, and you clearly have expertise
25:35
worth sharing, so thank you for that.
25:36
If you are an employer or an employee and you've ever thought about
25:39
shopping for plans or for coverage or becoming a smarter healthcare
25:42
consumer, be sure to follow along with TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
25:46
It's Bill Phi, the health insurance guy.
25:47
Subscribe to the pod on Apple, Spotify.
25:49
Give us a review.
25:50
We'd love to have your thoughts.
25:52
If you need to personally explore your insurance options, I'm always available.
25:55
Please just head on over to core360benefitsgroup.com and let's
25:59
schedule a 30-minute consultation.
26:00
Remember, this pod is mostly for information.
26:03
I want you to have this information.
26:04
It's not a protracted sales pitch, but if I can help you or if Melinda
26:08
can help you, please check in with us.
26:09
We'd love to help.
26:11
I wanna thank you for listening to The Bill of Health.
26:13
Be smart, shop smart, and protect your wealth.
26:16
We will see you next time.
26:26
This podcast is provided for educational purposes only and
26:27
should not be considered legal, tax, investment, or insurance advice.
26:29
Individual circumstances vary, and the listener should consult qualified
26:31
professionals regarding their specific healthcare and financial situation.
26:33
Opinions expressed are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily
26:35
reflect the views of any insurance carrier or affiliated organization