When the Gardner family moved from Florida to Tennessee, they had traditional health insurance until they received notice that their insurance company was leaving the state.
Considering the needs of her family, Kimberly reviewed their healthcare options and decided to try healthsharing. She liked the transparency that Liberty HealthShare offered.
"I thought that I'd give being a member a try for a year," Kimberly said. Seven years later, she is still a member.
Because she wasn't familiar with healthsharing, she was initially worried that submitting an expense would be a “crazyexperience. However, she learned that the collaborative healthcare approach worked, and members shared her eligible medical bills.
"I would have a physical or a mammogram, and things would just get paid," said Kimberly.
“I love being a member. I tell all my friends," Kimberly said. "Each year when the Health Insurance Marketplace opens, I research my healthcare options to compare costs and determine that Liberty HealthShare will save the most on my healthcare," she noted. "With a family of four, I could pay $2,500 monthly on health insurance." Instead, her contributions are under $1,000 a month.
She and her husband, Charles, have used their sharing program sparingly but found they needed to use it this year. Recently, Charles had two surgeries: one on his rotator cuff and the other on his thumb.
"It took 5 minutes for the thumb surgery, and the bill was $11,000. The bill was reduced to a fair price of $1,700," she said. "The difference in those amounts is insane."
Members helped ease Kimberly's medical burdens after she broke her hip, requiring 6 weeks of non-weight bearing to heal.
"I had three ambulance rides, two CAT scans, and spent multiple days in the hospital," she said. "I thought I would have to pay $200 a month on these bills for the rest of my life, but wow. They've all been paid."
The Gardners appreciate that Liberty HealthShare members take accountability for their health and help make program choices to benefit themselves and their sharing community. "Being part of a healthsharing community makes you feel more responsible to care for your health, and I appreciate that we are included. They are always expanding and adding features to our membership,” Kimberly said.
She and Charles plan to review the cost of Liberty Dental, comparing the dental sharing program to their current dental plan, and determine if switching makes financial sense.
For now, they are budgeting for their healthcare and accessing the savings members receive from Careington. Charles recently received a lower cost for a root canal. "You can find some deals with Careington."
