In 2012, the International Federation of Health Plans cited healthcare in the US as the most expensive in the world. That would be alright if the patient pays a high price for the best healthcare service. But the report by Reuters is even more alarming: the quality of healthcare service in the US is the worst among the most advanced countries in the world.
Since Obamacare made it mandatory to get a healthcare coverage, there are options that the healthcare insurance industry would not want the public to know: that there are cheaper alternatives that carry benefits that are as good as the ones in the current system.
The Self-Pay Patient Model is an option is available for patients who want or need to pay their healthcare needs directly. Sean Parnell, author of the book The Self Pay Patient, explains that other options with the self-pay patient scenario is the Christian healthcare sharing scheme. This is the ministry to some non-profit organizations that help people share the medical bills of other patients - similar to how healthcare insurance operates.
Despite the good intentions of the self-pay patient model, this option is not advisable for the following:
- patients who suffer from chronic diseases;
- low-income patients who are privileged with Obamacare premium subsidy;
- patients who cannot spare long hours with waiting for doctors;
- patients who don’t care if their medical records are scrutinized by hundreds of bureaucrats;
- patients who don’t possess high deductible healthcare plans from their employers.
It is not clear how the mandatory provisions of Obamacare can help the Americans. Many people have opted for high-deductible plans to keep the premium payments low and affordable. Those who choose this scheme can continue to pay their medical bills in the “normal” (cash) basis.