Medi-Share
 

I am thinking of enrolling in Medi-Share. Are there many doctors around The Villages that you can use this program?

I would call Medi-Share direct to find participating service in your zip code area

Google it and be CAREFUL. There was a couple of stories on the news (one on the national news a while back) about it and it's important downsides if you need major coverage. Do your due diligence. Generally you get what you pay for.

“We do not collect premiums, make promise of payment, or guarantee that your medical bills will be paid,” the Medi-Share website explains. “Sharing of medical bills is completely voluntary.”

Q. What if I visit the emergency room?
A. The cost of emergency room care may be eligible for sharing.

Medi-Share Reviews: Is it a Good Alternative to Health Insurance
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) | Medishare

EdFNJ is giving you wise advice. I used Medi-Share for one year around 2015 and found out the hard way it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. For instance there are some common standard procedures that they exclude for the first 1 to 3 years like a screening colonoscopy even if your doctor recommends it. This happened to me. Also if you sign up for the highest deductible to get the premium payment down as far as possible you can’t later change your mind and switch straight to the smallest deductible. You must first go to the next lower deductible for 3 months then you can change again stepping down to the next smaller deductible for 3 months and so on. This was my experience 5 years ago. Maybe it’s different now. I switched back to regular health insurance after 1 year. Yeah it was a lot more money but it was worth it not having to worry if a needed test or trip to the emergency room would be covered. There is also the question of how it is regulated since technically it’s not insurance and the fact that there was no guarantee of “coverage” always made me nervous.

Thank you all for the advice