• Gerudo@lemm.ee
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    7 days ago

    How the hell does Sedera (the “health group”) they were using even afford to pay anything out?

    Correct my math if I’m wrong, but using their data, call it 35000 paying members. The family in question paid about 150 a month. Let’s be generous and say 200 per month for each member. That equals 84 million a year of revenue. Taking no other expenses out for running Sedera, that allows each member to only receive 2400 a year in reimbursement. Most of these members are probably families. They also have to pay a deductible, just like regular insurance. So what the hell would Sedera even be able to afford to cover for their “members”?

    Religious organizations really know how to grift, don’t they.

    • eccentric@lemm.ee
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      7 days ago

      Taking no other expenses out for running Sedera, that allows each member to only receive 2400 a year in reimbursement.

      That assumes everyone is filing claims. Insurance companies gamble on you not filing claims.

  • OccamsRazer@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    I know people who use these type of cost sharing insurance plans, and it works just fine except that there are restrictions like no tobacco users, no drinking alcohol, and you need to do a bit more work to get reimbursed.

    • GiddyGap@lemm.eeOP
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      5 days ago

      I don’t doubt that it works for some, but there’s a lot of uncertainty around whether or not they might reimburse. It’s literally up to them and there are no set rules. If they find that you violated their religious code, you’re out of luck.

  • Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works
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    7 days ago

    So, it’s a plan where everyone pays a small amount on a regular basis, and everyone’s health costs get covered by the plan instead of out of pocket.

    Man, I wonder if you could somehow scale that up to, say, a national scale? But like, better regulated. Maybe run by the government to ensure everyone has equal access and all conditions are covered.

    I wonder what that would look like?

  • inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    Yeah, can’t help but feel nothing for these faith based idiots.

    I didn’t particularly like US health insurance companies but this is a special type of unregulated conjob. Live by the grift get fucked by the grift.

    • bassomitron@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      Doesn’t change the fact that the people running these sketchy scams should be brought to justice and the whole thing should either be regulated or outlawed.

        • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
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          7 days ago

          I think you’re conflating things here — the faith bit is just that those running the scheme are flouting their religion. The scheme itself is designed to look like a cooperative, where everyone shares the costs, without it somehow being labeled gambling or socialism.

          The base concept is sound; it’s the window dressing and the actual operation of the scheme that’s twisted.

      • inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        I mean I would think so too but legally they haven’t done a damn thing wrong and since we’re lead by idiots who believe in Christian theocracy that doesn’t understand the whole parable of Jesus and the moneylenders, they won’t ever be prosecuted or regulated because they think grifting people for money in the name of the Lord is perfectly fine.

        • eccentric@lemm.ee
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          7 days ago

          they think grifting people for money in the name of the Lord is perfectly fine.

          That pretty much sums up most organized religion.

      • Warl0k3@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        I don’t know, maybe ensuring their flock cant afford to donate to political campaigns should be considered a public service.

    • HakFoo@lemmy.sdf.org
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      7 days ago

      At one point it appeared cheaper than conventional insurance; dome people might have been chasing that instead of religious kookery.

      When I worked for a firm too small to offer insurance, and there was still a mandate with teeth, a broker I visited suggested it because it was ~$250 per month compared with 400 for real insurance.

      • BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        When I had my first full time job it didn’t come with benefits so I seriously considered one of these programs. In the end it seemed like it was just as risky as avoiding hospitals and going into medical debt when absolutely necessary.

  • ATDA@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    If only there was a way to safely and efficiently spread the financial risk of health care costs across the nation instead of relying on scammers.

    OH WELL

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      Unfortunately there are wayyyy too many people trained in this country to lose their minds over it - they don’t want “socialized medicine” or “Communism” or “government death panels” and so on.

      • ATDA@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        It’s crazy. I know people that railed against Medicare their entire adult life, needed major surgery as soon as they were on it and thought “wow that was largely painless and I didn’t go bankrupt” then CONTUNUE TO THINK MEDICARE FOR ALL IS BAD

        it’s insanely infuriating.

        • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
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          6 days ago

          They PAID THEIR DUE in taxes and now they reap the benefit. Now that robots do all the hard jobs, people are just squeaking in and taking that Medicare money. Don’t even get me started on immigrants, they spent the first 40 years of their lives drinking some foreign cocktail called pina colada while they spent an hour a day pulling in nets full of crab and lobster. Now they want to come here and work for minimum wage so they can take my Medicare money. All I can say to that is if the government starts to administer my Medicare, there will be hell to pay!

  • penquin@lemm.ee
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    7 days ago

    Same people who pitch into these scam places, will blow up in your face when you mention Medicare for all

    We basically gave Sedera our money and received nothing in return

    Yeah, we know, all insurance companies do that already and Sedera is another insurance company but covered with the “god” name. Same bullshit. Fuck this country.

  • adarza@lemmy.ca
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    7 days ago

    if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck… these are scams that must be regulated like the insurance provider they’re pretending to be.

      • ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com
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        7 days ago

        Well, for example by prohibiting denial of services for pre-existing conditions, such as pregnancy. Even if insurers create pretexts for breaking those rules, these organizations are acting like they aren’t even subject to the rules.

  • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    7 days ago

    Yeah dude, because everyone knows, the more homogeneous the risk pool, the cheaper it is for everyone!

    Wait… that’s not right…

  • Mark@mastodon.world
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    7 days ago

    @GiddyGap There’s a company with a big bird mascot and “only what you need” slogan that uses a similar scam. They use bridge policies originally designed to cover short term gaps in health coverage which do not conform to key ACA requirements (“only what you need”). This makes them cheap and easy to market to people who don’t realize how little coverage they have til their claims are denied. Trump relaxed the limitations on such policies and screwed millions. https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/issue-brief/understanding-short-term-limited-duration-health-insurance/

  • shoulderoforion@fedia.io
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    7 days ago

    " But to the couple’s shock, they said, Sedera told them they were ineligible, citing a policy near the end of the group’s member guidelines: Within the first year of membership, medical bills for childbirth “are not shareable.”

    “We basically gave Sedera our money and received nothing in return,” Kaplan said. “The rug was pulled out from underneath us.”"

    I mean … yeah, this is a shitty practice, and being completely unregulated (not that actual insurance companies are regulated to the point of choosing patient health and life over profit) needs to be exposed, so others don’t fall into this, but if you’re signing up for “health insurance” of any kind, and plan to get pregnant with your spouse/partner, you’re gonna have to check whether or not you’re covered, so I’m not buying they didn’t know going in, and that this was a complete surprise, lol. They’re claiming they didn’t know because it makes a good story, and they want to get paid back (or compensated through sympathetic donations from those that read this story)

  • zephorah@lemm.ee
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    7 days ago

    Their doctor suggested it to them. Fine print says you’re not eligible for claims until after you’ve been paying in for a year.

    • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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      7 days ago

      Yes, I’m not sure why the doctor, who was aware of the pregnancy, either didn’t know it wouldn’t be covered or just wanted to push the plan and didn’t care. I’m guessing they’re a member themselves and a member of the religious group as well. Maybe their pregnancy was covered because it had been more than a year since they’d enrolled. That would be the most benign explanation.

    • GiddyGap@lemm.eeOP
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      7 days ago

      Absolutely. It’s just infuriating that there are so many great, efficient, and equitable healthcare systems out there in other countries, but the United States refuses to look at any of it because that’s “socialism” or “communism” or whatever propaganda label the politicians want to put on it. Meanwhile, the people suffer, go bankrupt because they got sick or even die when they didn’t go get treatment because they were afraid of the bill. Crazy.