I’ve just started to look into Medicare + insurance.
I have no experience in how or if they pay claims, but here’s a disclaimer in the Liberty HealthShare documentation that I find a tad spooky:
“ATTENTION: This program is not an insurance company nor is it offered through an insurance company. This program does not guarantee or promise that your medical bills will be paid or assigned to others for payment. Whether anyone chooses to pay your medical bills will be totally voluntary. As such, this program should never be considered as a substitute for an insurance policy. Whether you receive any payments for medical expenses and whether or not this program continues to operate, you are always liable for any unpaid bills.”
https://www.libertyhealthshare.org/content/Sharing-Guidelines.pdf
I have read the same thing and it puts me off as well. Contracts mean what they say.
It’s NOT insurance.
Every state has a regulatory board/entity FOR insurance.
IF this was insurance, it would HAVE to be regulated.
The disclaimer is there to dispose of the regulators...
FWIW: My plan has a monthly newsletter that has a section for ‘additional needs’ - needs that are outside of the ‘sharing group’ (often a new member with a preexisting condition or a member who did not opt for the unlimited plan - $20 per month extra - or an expensive ambulance ride).
Last December the group sent out an email which stated that if every member gave $25 extra this month (one time deal) ALL of the additional needs would be met. We gave our contribution and in February the newsletter posted that all additional needs had been met and included a thank you to the members.
It’s NOT insurance but it does seem to work.