Thumb Your Nose at the System: Choose Consumer Driven Health.
(Consumer driven health) The cost of healthcare in America has skyrocketed. In fact between 2000 and 2005, health benefits coverage fees rose a whopping 73 percent (vs. the aggregate increase in worker wages of 15 percent).
Leaving many of the self employed and entrepreneurs to ponder whether shelling out hundreds and thousands of dollars in monthly fees and deductibles is worth it. Or whether they should thumb their noses at the system, and let their luck ride on current good health, skipping health coverage altogether and reinvest in that small fortune in their business model.
Not the best bet, I assure you, however tempting.
Consider that half of all personal bankruptcies are caused by illness or medical bills – a sum that has increased 2200 percent since 1981, according to Health Affairs Report in Feb. 2005. Your health is a funny thing, and not to be taken likely. Regular visits to the dentist to keep gum disease and cavities at bay, annual check ups with your MD to make sure your ticker is still ticking in time with your wrist watch, key to PREVENTING the kind of prolonged illness or injury that could crush your business, with or without medical coverage, are good investments in your business and in your long life.
But you don’t have to be a victim of health benefits providers who continue to raise fees and deductibles while reducing annual payouts and your selection of health services (hint: if you haven’t checked your coverage plan lately, check it. What you get for what you pay may be a lot less than you remember).
Consumer Drive Health Programs
Consumer Driven Health is not new, but the idea is so un-American-healthcare-ish that it might be new to you. The philosophy behind CDH is as American as it gets. It is all about fair market competition. In essence, doctors, dentists, podiatrists and even pharmaceutical companies compete for your business. And as you well know, capitalism has a way of increasing quality while lowering prices. That is just what Consumer Driven Health programs do for you. For an incredibly small fee per month – costs usually range between $12.95/month to $49.95 – you have access to all health services at prices 50 to 80 percent below what you would get on your own.
In addition, with CDH networks there are no:
- No waiting periods
- No deductibles
- No claims forms
- No age limits
- No ongoing medical problems exclusions
- No hassles
So if you are considering thumbing your nose at existing health benefits systems, go ahead. And then checkout a Consumer Driven Health network.
About the author
Jim Martinez is a National Sales Director with Ameriplan USA ®. Offering discount dental and health plans for individuals or households. Any age or preexisting conditions are accepted and plans start at only $12.95 per month. Be sure to visit the section on health articles for more quality information. You are free to reproduce this article as long as you reprint the entire article including this resource box and all links.