Finding the right provider can help you stay healthier and support you in sharing your medical expenses with your community.
Choose providers who support you and encourage your healthsharing journey
Healthsharing relies greatly on freedom. Our members aren't limited by a network, yet they make thoughtful and cost-conscious decisions when choosing a provider for themselves and their families. To get the most from your healthsharing program, it is important that you choose providers that understand your healthsharing membership and values. Your healthcare team should be open to discussing pricing, planning for your care, and medical expenses.
Plan before a medical need arises
The best time to prepare for your care is before you have a medical need. For instance, we should each have a primary care doctor for preventive care or common medical needs. Consider the other types of providers you will see. Will you need a physician or nurse practitioner? Do you have an ongoing medical condition that you need a specialty provider to help you manage? Will you need a pediatrician? Thoughtful planning creates more margin so you can better plan your care and any upcoming medical services.
Research providers and prices
Members can use our online provider directory to look for providers in their area who support healthsharing. Recommendations from friends, checking a provider's website, along with medical credentials and philosophy of care, is a good start. Before receiving services, healthsharing members need to know that their provider will offer the appropriate discounts and transparent pricing. By choosing a provider who understands the concept of healthsharing, you will have an improved sharing process and help to conserve your community’s SharePower.
You should be an informed healthcare patient. For example, your sharing community supports preventative visits, but do you know how much a reasonably-priced routine office appointment should cost? What about an ER visit or prenatal and delivery costs if you are planning a family?
Liberty Healthshare members can gain clarity on the quality and price of their healthcare with tools such as HealthCare Bluebook to research and compare prices, proactively stewarding their healthcare costs.
Develop open communication before you schedule
Before scheduling an appointment, develop an open line of communication with your provider. Ask questions, be an informed patient, explore your options, and state your needs and it will pave the way for a positive sharing experience.
Conversation starters for your next doctor’s appointment
We are here to help you to talk with your provider. Use these common conversation starters for sharing members to start a conversation with your provider:
Ask: Do you support healthsharing?
Explain: I'd love to share more about it. I'm a member of a community that shares eligible medical costs. I can share a letter to help explain this.
Ask: Do you accept self-pay patients?
Explain: Health sharing members are health-conscious and proactive in working with their provider to plan their care. It looks like your office may be a good fit for me.
Ask: Will I be able to receive an itemized billing statement after my appointment?
Explain: An itemized statement includes diagnoses codes and CPT codes that most medical professionals are familiar with. This helps me to submit an expense for consideration of eligibility to my sharing community.
Ask: Can we discuss ways that we can work together to manage and reduce my healthcare expenses?
Explain: I submit fairly priced eligible expenses to my sharing community and decide how to manage these with my provider, which may include self-pay discounts and payment arrangements.
Ask: What types of medical services do I need now and what services should I consider later?
Explain: Sharing members are proactive and decide with their provider what tests, procedures and non-urgent services will benefit them, and plan for them in various ways.
