I think the biggest scam in the insurance world and the ACA is the theory that preventative care is now free on insurance plans. Nothing could be further from the truth. Going to the doctor is not free. Ever. Someone is paying for that. If you go for a checkup and pay nothing, insurance pays for you. But you paid for that checkup through your premiums. Did you notice that your premiums went up a LOT? I’m not counting subsidies, just regular premium. For most people those went up a significant amount. Our Obamacare policy went up $230/month. $230/mo x 12 mo = $2760/yr. Am I going to spend $2760 in preventative visits in a year (for the whole family?) Pretty unlikely for us. A doctor visit is about $100. Mammograms about $300. Complete physicals no more than $200. I’m not getting anywhere close to $2760. So for the privilege of getting “free” checkups and a mammogram I get to pay about $2000 per year more than necessary. Gee thanks.
Unfortunately our society is blinded by free. It didn’t come out of our pocket at that moment, so it must be free. Wake up everyone, nothing is free, especially when it comes to health care.
What about those people getting subsidies? Yup, their monthly cost may be lower and they are getting “free” checkups. Who is paying for those subsidies? Oh that’s right, American taxpayers are! So even though you’re not paying, you’re still paying! How that’s for a bait and switch of massive proportions? What a con game and millions are falling for it! You don’t make enough to pay taxes? What about your neighbors? Anyone who is paying taxes is paying for Obamacare and paying for everyone’s “free” checkups. Nothing is free in healthcare.
Health care sharing ministries typically do not pay for preventative care. They abide by a set of guidelines which believe that small burdens like taking care of ourselves on a routine basis should be ours to bear. But if something big happens then these ministries step in to get those needs paid. America has been so taken up with the idea of “free” that hearing those checkups will be ours to pay for as members of an HCSM, at first we rebel. But when you sit down and think about, and do the math, you will soon realize the truth. And that truth can lead to a new realization of how Americans are getting scammed. It’s better to stand on our own two feet than to let someone else do for us what we should be doing ourselves.