The growth we saw throughout 2017 confirms that Liberty HealthShare continues to attract record numbers of households to our ministry. As we look ahead to what promises to be an equally exciting 2018, we want to take a few minutes to reflect on and give thanks for everything God has done this past year.
Liberty HealthShare is not an insurance company. We are a ministry that facilitates the sharing of medical costs among the people who participate in this voluntary community. The funds come from our members, not corporate coffers. For this reason, we often remind our members to join us in doing everything they can to reduce the often outrageous costs associated with healthcare.
A string of hurricanes and wildfires devastated large areas across the nation this summer. Wildfires in California continue to leave destruction in their wake. Thousands of Liberty HealthShare member families live within the declared disaster areas, with many facing a daunting recovery process as they consider how best to move forward. As members of a Christian community, we are compelled to step up.
Pregnancy is a time of joy, but it can also be one of mixed emotions for some mothers-to-be. While there are, of course, many things to look forward to, stresses such as doctors appointments, morning sickness, and financial realities (to name a few) can dampen even the most optimistic of spirits. Here at Liberty HealthShare, we are invested in helping our members navigate the process of paying for their medical costs with as little confusion and stress as possible.
Liberty HealthShare memberships take all shapes and sizes. Some members are enrolled as a single, some as a couple, and some as family units. What constitutes these various types of enrollments is fairly easy to understand, however, it gets a little more complicated with dependent children, especially as they approach legal adulthood.
If you meet or will soon meet the requirements for Medicare, you might be curious as to how Medicare enrollment will impact your membership with Liberty HealthShare. Since Liberty HealthShare is not insurance, you might wonder how, or even if, we share medical costs with members who are also enrolled in Medicare.
At some point in your membership with Liberty HealthShare, you might find yourself dealing with what is known as a balance bill. In short, balance billing is what happens when a bill has already been paid and the physician or provider attempts to get more money directly from their patient. It's important to note that balance bills represent only a fraction of the costs that are submitted to Liberty, however, we want to give you the information and steps you will need to properly respond if you find yourself in this situation.
This past week, the following message was distributed to Liberty HealthShare members by e-mail. Each year, we invite Liberty HealthShare members to cast their vote on possible changes to our Sharing Guidelines. On March 1st, we distributed information and instructions for this year's annual member vote. If you took the time to voice your opinion on the three potential amendments to our Sharing Guidelines, thank you. We are grateful for you, our members, and we value your opinion on the future direction of our ministry.
If you have been a Liberty HealthShare member for a while, you might already know how to submit a bill or receipt through your online ShareBox. You also may or may not have encountered an issue with what's known as "balance billing." For those of you who are new to Liberty, or if you simply are not familiar with these two topics, here’s a quick refresher:
By now, you’ve probably heard about the skyrocketing price of Epi-Pens (epinephrine injection). If you need to keep epinephrine nearby to treat a severe allergic reaction, you know why recent developments are financially burdensome and could even be devastating for some. Epi-pens, or at least some form of injectable adrenaline, are not a luxury for those who need them. For this reason, we are thrilled to be bringing you good news about how SavNet can assist our Liberty Complete and Liberty Plus members in obtaining their Epi-Pens at greatly reduced prices or in many cases, for free.
At Liberty HealthShare, our goal is for our members to have an experience they want to share with others. That’s why it is so rewarding for us when we find out a new enrollee has been referred to us by a friend or family member. Knowing your experience as a Liberty HealthShare member has led you to tell others about us confirms our hard work is having an impact.
Prescription Drug Program available in all 50 states Health Savings Discount Program not available in AK, UT, VT, WA. Managing prescriptions can be confusing and costly, and we know this is a concern for our members. In an effort to make the process more price-transparent and easy to understand, we are proud to welcome SavNet Health Savings program to the Liberty HealthShare family. SavNet will save members 15% to 50% off prescription medication, as well as offering discounted dental, chiropractic and alternative medicine, vision, and hearing services.
Liberty HealthShare's Sharing Guidelines document helps us to steward the resources of all our members while ensuring that each member has the full opportunity to understand and be aware of the standards by which sharing is determined. It is essential that you take the time to review and understand our Sharing Guidelines as often as you need to. Doing so will ensure that your expectations are appropriate.
One of the most rewarding things we learned in September’s member survey was that 30% of our members were referred by a friend or family member. We work every day to serve our members, so this was great news to us. Knowing you are so satisfied with your membership that you will refer people to Liberty HealthShare confirms we are on the right track.
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:
