Do you want to know the price tag for my 11 surgeries so far? I do not have health insurance. Does that blow your mind? Because I am a self-pay patient, I get to see the full bills for everything. Did you know there is a better way than traditional health insurance for managing high-cost scenarios like mine?
I will share!
We are entrepreneurs, self-employed, and a very healthy family. In the world of traditional health insurance this means high premiums and paying for services we never need.
In 2017, David met with our insurance broker, Andrea Hinman, to see if she had another solution that would be a better fit for us. She suggested medical cost sharing, specifically Sedera. This is a community where members make a monthly contribution that is pooled as a resource available to members with high-cost needs. It is members helping members, completely transparent healthcare, simple, and much more cost effective for everyone. Members also have the freedom to choose whatever doctors they wish, and are empowered to take charge of doing their own shopping.
For our family, extremely healthy but looking for a “just in case” solution, this sounded perfect!
We joined.
And then about 6 months later I got my multiple diagnoses and began this wild journey of surgeries and recoveries.
Sedera and the process has been absolutely brilliant! I have been able to choose my doctors, schedule as I please (there is no “waiting for insurance approval”), and negotiate self-pay rates all along the way. A theme for this entire journey for is Gratitude For the Gift – and here is yet another prime example.
Being a Sedera member has required that I am super organized and willing to advocate for myself and, ultimately, the Sedera community in regards to fair pricing. It has also required that I keep excellent records (hello, spreadhseets – 266 entries and counting!) and stay on top of deadlines.
Responsibility
But aren’t these things we should all be doing? Just as I don’t want to be a passive recipient of medical care, instead choosing to advocate for myself and take charge of my healing and recovery, I don’t want to be a passive recipient on the financial end, stuck accepting whatever an insurance company deems ok/fair/correct. Sedera’s community has pushed me to do my best to push for fair and best pricing because it is the responsible thing to do. I’m asking a community to step in and help bear the load of my costs, so the very least I can do is advocate for the best pricing. This is an important part of owning my health.
Accountability
Even further than that, the fact that this is a community adds an extra layer of accountability. The community is made up of members that care to help each other accomplish what no one individual could do on their own. Maybe a member never needs to raise their hand to ask for help, but maybe they’re like me and turn into a Top Ten Most Expensive Case in Sedera History. Either way, the generosity is real and I feel it is my obligation to do my very best to recover and heal properly – own my health and be a positive example for, and product of, my community. When we join together like this we all win!
So, what is the cost of it all?
- The total for my surgeries when I’m through all 12 – ~$1M
- With negotiated self-pay rates, the actual amount that the Sedera community has paid to date – ~$400k
- Our personal contribution:
- Monthly contributions of ~$700 (Traditional insurance would have cost us 5x that amount.)
- ~$3000 for all Initial Unshareable Amounts
Stop and do the math on that and appreciate what a gift this community is!
For a visual, here is a more recent stack of bills – the image at the top of this post is my actual file drawer with everything. While this represents the epic paper trail of this journey, the gift of the Sedera community is much greater.
Open letters of gratitude:
Dear Sedera Members,
Thank you for contributing to our community and making my journey to health possible. There is NO WAY I could have accomplished this without linking arms with all of you. In return, I will continue to be the very best member I can be, do my part to recover as quickly and efficiently as possible, and support all of you if and when you are ever in need. Together we are stronger and I am forever grateful!
With all of my thanks!
Carey Martin
Dear Sedera Staff,
Thank you for creating this community founded on benevolence and supporting me through this entire journey. It has been a monster case yet you have always patiently continued to do everything possible to make it happen. Special thank yous to Jamie Lagarde, Connie, Bridget, and Eddisha.
In Gratitude,
Carey Martin
Dear Andrea,
Thank you for thinking outside the box and introducing our family to Sedera. You are always looking out for what is best for your clients and for that we are grateful!
Thank you!
Carey Martin
Dear Everyone,
This blog is the telling of this entire journey. If you’d like to understand exactly what these surgeries have been about, click here to read the story from the beginning. You can also click here to see a video montage that covers surgeries 1-10. I’m grateful for you reading and sharing my story!
Thank you for helping me weather this storm.
If you have landed on this page from an external link, please go HERE to read from the beginning. Otherwise, click on the next title below to continue.
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