Liberty HealthShare Official Blog

For diabetes awareness month, we’re taking a look at some of the symptoms, risks, support, and more for different types of diabetes.

As a Liberty HealthShare member, what are the steps you should take when seeing your health provider? What do I do when I go to the Doctor? This question is commonly asked by Liberty HealthShare members. For some, it’s your first time seeing a provider since joining. Others have been members for years but haven’t had a medical need in a long time. We want to be sure you understand what to do when visiting the doctor, from giving the receptionist your member ID card to how the medical bill submission process works, so you can feel at ease when going to your provider of choice.

One medical incident can cost thousands of dollars; a sum that doesn't fit into the most household budgets. However, rather than trying to manage these expenses alone, individuals can come together to take advantage of the law of large numbers, a mathematical principle that has significant implications for healthcare. The law of large numbers says that the more times a process is carried out, the closer to the expected average the results become. For example, when flipping a coin, the expected average is to get heads half the time and tails half the time, but in just 10 coin flips, it would not be too extraordinary to end up with 3 heads and 7 tails. However, if a coin was flipped 1,000 times, the result would be much closer to the 50/50 average that was expected. Where healthcare is concerned, the law of large numbers can be applied to the medical costs of people who come together as a group, such as the membership of Liberty HealthShare.

What Liberty HealthShare members should do if they find themselves in this predicament. The Liberty HealthShare payment schedule to medical providers has been shown to be a simple and fair system. However, even after accepting payment for service, some medical providers engage in what is called balance billing.

Making Liberty HealthShare cost sharing better and more efficient. To save our members on banking fees and to bring more efficiency to our sharing systems, we are moving to a single monthly debit/credit card transaction, rather than two per month.

In the town of Hutchison, Kansas there is a little known, exciting secret. And it's not just in Hutchinson. It may be in your town too. It could be a place you pass every day without realizing what it could be doing for you. What is it? A surgery center. Surgery centers are medical facilities that provide outpatient surgeries and other short-stay procedures. You may or may not be aware that most outpatient procedures can be performed in local surgery centers.

When Dorsee Bernat joined Liberty HealthShare, she was enrolled in the provisional program (now known as HealthTrac) for her high blood pressure. Working with one of Liberty's health coaches, she was able to set and achieve goals she never thought possible.

What if you could join a community that truly makes a difference? Be inspired to make your healthcare dollars go further, with purpose. There is an answer.

In this short video, Liberty HealthShare Executive Director Dale Bellis explains medical cost-sharing and why it restores healthcare freedom to members.

During 2012, the average health care spending per person in the United States was $8,895, which is among the highest rates of healthcare spending in the world. In general, the medical care available today is expensive because of all the training, research, administration, and technology involved in making the care possible. This can be further broken down into specific aspects of care and actions of patients and health care professionals that contribute to high overall medical costs in the United States. Here are a few:

Pre-existing conditions are medical conditions with symptoms, medication, or treatment in the past 36 months. Among the top three questions asked about Liberty HealthShare is this: "How do you handle pre-existing conditions?"

With the new Affordable Care Act (ACA) now passed into law and in full effect, people are wondering what options they have to pay for their medical costs. One approach that isn’t commonly talked about is healthcare sharing or medical cost sharing. It is acknowledged in the ACA, but many people do not know about it. Of those who have heard of medical cost sharing, many are confused as to what it really is and how it works. Let’s start by saying medical cost sharing it IS NOT insurance, it IS legal, and it has been around for quite some time in faith communities. In fact, it is a biblical approach to paying for unexpected and unaffordable healthcare costs.

The Liberty HealthShare relay team embarks on a new health challenge. The Liberty HealthShare "Run for Your Health" Team: Brandi Heim, Brandon Fabris, Peter Backer, Executive Director Dale Bellis, and Robyn Hughes. In keeping with our commitment to good health, Liberty HealthShare staff, members, and supporters formed a five-person relay team to run in the Akron Marathon on September 27, 2014.

...with goals, a time frame, and a push from Sue! Bill Downey, Provisional Member (L); Sue Rohr, Liberty HealthShare Health Coach (R) One of the options Liberty HealthShare offers to potential members is the Provisional Membership. Particularly when pre-existing conditions are responsive to lifestyle changes, prospective members have the option to enroll as a provisional member. The Provisional Member submits an additional $80 share amount per month, is assigned a health coach, and follows a personalized treatment plan agreed upon by the member to change and improve their condition. Many Provisional Members have experienced significant life changes and successes.

While members of Liberty HealthShare may not see themselves as self-pay patients, in the legal realm of medical payments, that is exactly how they are considered. Sean Parnell, author of the blog TheSelfPayPatient.com and the book The Self-Pay Patient: Affordable Healthcare Choices in the Age of Obamacare, lays out a field guide to the many options available to people who have decided to take the self-pay route.

Liberty HealthShare brings like-minded individuals together to share in each other’s medical expenses. It’s voluntary, cooperative, and supportive. The primary motivation that makes Liberty HealthShare succeed is compassion - people helping people!

Maryann Fitzpatrick recently shared her experience with submitting her Liberty HealthShare member ID card at a provider's office. Here are excerpts from her Facebook post: I used my membership card for the first time today, first at my new primary, and later at a specialist he referred me to. Neither office was familiar with the concept (of healthcare sharing), but both were intrigued.

Each year, we extend the opportunity for our members to make their voices heard through a member vote. Upon review of the results, the Liberty HealthShare Board of Directors then votes on whether to implement certain changes to the ministry's Sharing Guidelines. Here are the results of this year's vote:

In the fight for healthcare freedom, Dr. Elaina George takes a stand. Dr. Elaina George is a Board Certified Otolaryngologist, a solo practitioner in private practice, and a small business owner, so she understands the struggles associated with our changing healthcare system.

Members of recognized healthcare sharing ministries are exempt from the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate, which is the requirement that every American purchase health insurance or face penalties. Under the law, by March 31st, you must purchase health insurance, be exempt, or face a fine imposed and collected by the IRS.

When Liberty HealthShare members Matthew Bellis and Jessica Bird-Bellis decided it was time for their young son Davyd to get his shots, they consulted with their doctor. He recommended a round of seven vaccines and boosters, a dramatic procedure for which the Bellis' admit they were not ready.

The Affordable Care Act boasts one specific feature: that it is "affordable" to Americans. Yet according to an article from the National Journal, an overwhelming majority of individuals have reported an increase in costs. ("Obama's Affordable Care Act Looking a Bit Unaffordable" National Journal, 2013)

Liberty HealthShare has created a smoking cessation program that is now actively helping members. Fifty years after the release of the first Surgeon General's report on smoking and health, remarkable progress has been made.

During the winter months, diabetics may find they have higher HBA1c levels than during the warmer months. Here are some helpful tips for controlling glucose levels and maintaining your health during the winter months.