“United We Save” is a good motto. Because it’s true, you do save a lot with United Refuah. But beyond the savings, you receive great care as well. This is my experience.
Have questions? Register for United Refuah’s Webinar taking place Sunday, December 6th.
More than two years ago, in the summer of 2018, when United Refuah launched, I wrote in this post about my decision to forego traditional insurance and join. Like many of you, traditional insurance had me very frustrated. I felt like my choices were between evil and more evil: pay a lot and get nothing OR pay more and get a little less nothing.
I wanted more control, and I wanted value. And United Refuah seemed to be the answer.
I was lucky. Because I’m a journalist/writer and was writing two articles about the health share (both in the Between Carpools post and in Ami Magazine), I had the privilege of interviewing all the people behind the launch of United Refuah, so I was able to obtain a first-hand, behind-the-scenes comprehensive education. I was able to ask the founders and the Director all of my questions and receive a lot of their time and attention. I had all the tools I needed to make an informed decision.
It was so worth it.
First of all, we saved a ton of money. I always had that “icky” feeling when paying for insurance, like someone was stealing from me. Now, as a self-pay patient, I felt empowered. I go to the doctor’s office, I pay for the care I get. It felt right. Then, I submit the receipts with the right billing codes to United Refuah, I get reimbursed.
During my first year on United Refuah, my only out-of-pocket expenses outside of the low monthly payment (it was about $600 for my family, click here to see what the rate would be for your family size) were a few hundred dollars for a few sick visits, as well-checkups are fully reimbursed.
Sure, there was a little bit of a learning curve. I had become familiar with the basic concepts of how medical billing works. I had to get accustomed to making sure each doctor’s office provided me with the information I needed, including the “diagnosis code” and “CPT code.” And, yes, I also needed to take the time here and there to scan and email or upload my claims for reimbursement or for payment to my doctor. There was always someone available at URHS to help me figure it out.
My second year with United Refuah was a little more eventful.
First, my 4-year-old ate a kug. Not a kugel, a kug. As in kugelach. When we asked her what possessed her to take kugs out of my son’s backpack and eat them, she just smiled and put her hands up in that cute ‘I don’t know’ gesture. She had to go to the emergency room on erev Shabbat for x-Rays (these things alwwwwaaays happen on erev Shabbat). Baruch Hashem, x-Rays showed that the kug was passing through her safely. I had expected to receive a huge hospital bill, but I didn’t. I received a small bill because I’m uninsured. (Health share members are legally uninsured even though they are exempt from the insurance mandates).
Did you know that United Refuah members usually pay way less for “not covered” events?
It just goes to show how crazy the world is. If I had insurance, insurance would not have paid (I would have had a large deductible), but I would have gotten a huge bill. Now that I was uninsured, I received a normal bill. I met my low “pre-share” amount of $1500 for the year for my family (like a deductible), allowing everything else that year to be 80% shared.
Then I had a baby. My baby was born in October. I received such personal care and attention from United Refuah throughout the pregnancy and the process. The hospital didn’t bill me until December. Yes, there was paperwork to do. United Refuah had to negotiate one ridiculous bill from the anesthesiologist. But by the beginning of January, I received checks from United Refuah equaling 80% of my expenses. In the end, my out-of-pocket for the baby was about $2,000, much less than I would have paid with traditional insurance (and don’t forget…my monthly payments were only about $600 a month for the entire family). Obviously these rates depend on which doctor and hospital you choose, but everything was so much more affordable.
So, yes, I have been completely happy with my family’s decision to join United Refuah and I wholeheartedly recommend it.If you call their office, they won’t push you into joining. One of their very friendly team members will have a candid conversation with you to help you figure out if it is the right choice for your family.
It is reassuring to know that if a family has significant medical expenses (above $40,000 for their family one year), sharing becomes 100%. No matter how you do the math, you come out significantly ahead.
I know that every family has different health concerns and different questions when determining if United Refuah would be right for them. That’s why they’re inviting you to join a Webinar, this coming December 6th to learn how United Refuah works. You will hear all you need to hear and you will subsequently be able to ask the questions you want to ask.
Click here to register for the Webinar taking place on Sunday, December 6th.
Here’s a summary of the program so you can see what your health expenses would be. Visit the website to learn more.
UNITED REFUAH MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM
| UNITED REFUAH PROGRAM TYPE |
Electronic Bank |
CREDIT CARD |
| SINGLE |
$199 |
$209 |
| COUPLE |
$349 |
$359 |
| FAMILY (MAXIMUM OF 6 FAMILY MEMBERS) $50 monthly for each additional member |
$499 |
$519 |
Annual Membership Dues: At Signup: $125, Recurring thereafter: $75
Annual PreShare Amount: $500 for an individual | $1000 for a couple | $1500 for a family
After you have met your Annual PreShare Amount, United Refuah will share 80% of eligible medical expenses up to your Maximum Annual Co-Share Amount (Single $2000; Couple $4000; and Family $8000). After this amount is met, URHS shares 100% up to $1 Million per incident. Eligibility of medical conditions is subject to the Sharing Guidelines.
Thank you Victoria for sharing such a personal experience. Your clear and fun presentation certainly has helped make it easier to understand the new world of healthsharing. I think that within the next couple of years United Refuah will be the mainstream healthcare choice for Jews nationwide.
I have used URHS for the past year for my family. The reimbursement process can be annoying at times and sometimes it seems like I’m paying more (doctor’s office does not always bill correctly etc.) but overall we saved THOUSANDS of dollars as compared to typical insurance. Think $15,000 vs $6,500 in “premiums.” It’s not for everyone but definitely works for many so it’s worth a call or visit to their website.
Thank you for this article. I don’t mean to be skeptical, but I just want to point out the other side. Having been on Liberty Healtshare (and having a baby while on the plan), I saw first hand what can happen to a healthshare after a number of years. As people get older, they are more likely to have higher medical bills and the premiums the healthshare charges is just not enough to cover everyone expenses.. (and they keep raising it) It look them a year to finally pay all of my bills and that was after spending hours on the phone with them.
Another thing to consider, if chas v’shalom there are sudden medical expenses one year (that just happened to me a few months after I switched back to traditional insurance BH), you would need to lay out all of the money in order for any doctor to see you. I was very happy not to have the added stress of not having insurance – even if it meant paying $7,000 in out of pocket fees.
Like mentioned in the article, it can work for some people but for others, it is worth it to pay more money and be able to budget what the max amount of money is that you may need to pay cv”s/
Hi Esti,
Thank you for sharing your experience with **** Healthshare.
As you have mentioned several important considerations, we would like to address them one by one.
1) The structure of every healthsharing organization is unique and must be designed to withstand the tests of time. Certain financial safeguards such as Co-Sharing – which creates member responsiblity in healthcare spending – are crucial to the success of a sharing organization, and those without these safeguards are very exposed to financial difficulties. United Refuah is not an insurance company, and does not issue policies of coverage. It empowers the Jewish community nationwide to make healthcare affordable through sharing. After two and a half years of operation, United Refuah has LOWERED its cost structure. The claims payout ratio since inception is at a very low percentage of contributions, most likely by far the lowest in the industry. Obviously no one can predict the future, but if there was ever a trend of increased medical costs, an increase is possible, but is the opposite of the direction that we have been following.
2) United Refuah currently processes claims for payment to providers or reimbursement to our members WITHIN 24 HOURS of receipt. Claims can be uploaded on our website, emailed, faxed, or mailed. A claim that is submitted with all necessary information in the morning can have payment in the mail the same or next day.
3) For any significant medical episode such as births, hospitalizations, or serious illnesses r”l, United Refuah assigns a dedicated case manager as a single point of contact. This case manager is empowered to assist the member in provider negotiation, as well as facilitaing ADVANCE PAYMENT for significant care when appropriate. Payment can be wired to a provider within one hour WORLDWIDE. Our average phone answer time across the organization for the past month was under 20 seconds. You can pick up the phone now and see for yourself (440-772-0700). You won’t be sent in circles for the help that you need.
Although it is great that you raise your concerns, it would be very wrong to use those concerns as a stereotype for all healthsharing organizations.
Thank you
Thank you for clarifying these points. I do hope that you can continue to do your vital work and save our community hundreds of thousands of dollars in healthcare. I myself am now left with 1000’s of dollars in out of pocket expenses. With the proper management and hashgacha you will succeed in helping many families.
Hi, I have been on Refuah healthshare for 2 years. My experience has been great bh!
I also had a baby this year but with an additional complication than my previous pregnancies. It was not considered a preexisting conditions since it was only present in this pregnancy. United Refuah paid for 80% of all my medical bills after I met my preshare
I did have to make sure that all bills are billed on the non insurance rate which is significantly lower. That took one phone call to the company. No big deal, at all!
In addition, the staff at United Refuah was super helpful and available.
I highly recommend them!!
I just wanted to share my experience. My very regular family had private insurance for years one day my husband woke up paralyzed and was rushed to a top hospital in Manhattan. There, teams of doctors came in to treat him and try to figure out what was wrong. He recovered and insurance paid out close to $1 million for his hospital stay. Someone we know had a very similar situation with very different results. They were on a not such great insurance, and we’re barely looked at in the hospital. Sadly their family member passed away. While the financial savings may be great, in case of true emergency, you can not compare the care of the privately insured to the uninsured.
Thank you Miri for sharing your experience and your comparison between a good insurance policy and a poor insurance policy. That is truly one of the areas that healthsharing shines. Members are not restricted to any network of doctors or hospitals. They can use any doctor or any hospital anywhere in the world. Maximum reimbursement rates are very generous. 150% Medicare for Doctors, 160% for hospitals, and 170% for outpatient facilites. We have members that join us alongside their insurance for this flexibility alone. We received a phone call from someone with a great New York insurance policy that needed a $30,000 cancer treatment and was told by the facility that it is not elible for coverage under ANY insurance plan. They were advised that the only ones that would help pay for such treatment is a healthsharing organization because of their flexibility.
Thank you all for your comments as I consider my health care options. Please keep them coming.
I would like to know what situations would Refuah not work for?
Pre-existing conditions are the crux. If you are suffering from some illness or had a cancer diagnosis in he past, URHS will exclude this condition (temporarily or permanently). This is the old fashioned “medical underwriting” that the ACA did away with for health insurance, it’s greatest achievement. For this reason, if you are considering URHS, sign up now while you’re health (I assume). If you have a pre-existing condition, there are situations where its useful to add URHS coverage to your health insurance: to cover high deductibles/ out-of-pocket maximums or to access out-of network providers.
Does pregnancy count as a pre-existing condition?
SOUNDS GOOD, L.H.S. IS FOR SURE NOT A OPTION, THEY ARE RUNNING INTO BIG PROBLEMS GETTING REIMBURSED OR PAYING DR. LET ME GIVE U A TRY BEZRAS HASHEM