RE: A decentralized solidary group as an alternative to health insurances. Artabana.
The problem is that because your groups are so small (essentially its just you when you pay the bill), you have no leverage to get lower prices from the providers. You have to pay the top rate bill. Insurance companies can threaten the providers and get them to reduce the bills. Ultimately, the best system is the English NHS and similar. Everyone pays in through taxes, and every one is treated when they get sick. ZERO stress about whether you have the money to pay, whether they accept your insurance, if you are out of coverage area and so on. The savings in billing and accountancy alone are huge. And the removal of the profit incentive has huge dividends for society. In America, they will sell you anything to get another paying customer in the door. If you are in a car accident, you will "see" 5 consultants before you even wake up. Each of whom did absolutely nothing but throws a bill at you nonetheless. Where there is money to be made, there will be scams.
Hi @sardonyx! Thank you very much for your comment! We don't pay top rate bills. That's what you do when you have a private health insurance. The doctors take advantage of private patients because they can ask much more. We're no private patients or self-pay patients, we mention it clearly in the beginning, before the treatment and ask for the regular valuation rate e.g. the statutory health insurance. And it works very well.
I agree that because of the low startup participation their costs are higher . But as they grow they will solve that issue. Love the concept!
Couldn't the regional group negotiate rates once they are big enough?