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Membership
What is Knew Health?
Knew Health is your solution to the rising cost of healthcare. We are not an insurance plan. Instead, we are an affordable and inclusive monthly Membership. Our Members are empowered to take charge of their health with daily wellness services, preventive coverage and savings to invest as they see fit. Whether that’s alternative medicine, organic foods, or other wellness resources.
Knew Health Members are also part of the Medical Cost Sharing Community which helps in the event of medical emergencies, illnesses, and pregnancies. By sharing these expenses among our Members, we reduce the financial impact on each individual and keep costs affordable and stable.
Our Members are like-minded and empowered, but never alone.
What are the Advantages of becoming a Knew Health Member?
Members receive:
- medical cost sharing for new medical conditions
- medical cost sharing for preventive care
- medical bill negotiation services
- 24/7 telemedicine
- personalized, free health coaching
- 35% discount on thousands of the highest quality supplements
- free and discounted lab work
- annual allowances for additional health and wellness services
- concierge support
- and more to come!
How do you manage large medical expenses?
Knew Health is a community of thousands of individuals, families and businesses who benefit from our skilled team of medical bill negotiators, which average a 46% reduction in medical costs. For large bills, our negotiation team will step in to help keep bills lower, for you and the rest of the community! This ensures that you have peace of mind in the event of large medical expenses and we can consistently offer low membership rates.
Is it required to have health insurance?
While it is not required to have health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), there are some states which have state-level mandates requiring health insurance. Knew Health Memberships alone do not satisfy these requirements.
Do you count as health insurance for states that have individual mandates?
No, a Knew Health Membership does not satisfy a federal or state individual Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) mandate. If you live in a state (e.g. California, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont) with a state-level mandate, you are responsible for securing that coverage independently from your Knew Health Membership.
Getting Started
How much does Knew Health cost?
Membership options start as low as $142/month and will depend on your age, type of Membership (Individual, Family, etc.), as well your Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA).
The IUA is the amount that you will be financially responsible for when you have a new medical conditions occur, like injuries, illness, and pregnancies. The Medical Cost Sharing Community will share the expenses that exceed your IUA.
How do I sign up?
Becoming a Member of Knew Health is simple and entirely online. Within just a few minutes, you’ll be a part of our flexible, month-to-month Community and your Membership will become active on the 1st of the next month. No long-term contracts here!
We do require one calendar day at the end of each month for administrative purposes, so enrollment will end on the 2nd to last day of the month. For example, enrollment will end on May 30th for an effective date of June 1st.
What is an IUA?
When you sign up with Knew Health, you’ll select an Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA). These amounts range from $500 to $5000. If you have a Medical Need that can be shared with our Community, this is the amount that you’ll be responsible for and the remainder of the costs will be shared back with you so you can pay your bills in full.
Initial Unshareable Amounts are per Need, so it is important to note that you could be responsible for more than one IUA in a year. But we also know that bad years can happen, so no Member will pay more than 3 IUAs in a given year. So if you are planning your yearly finances a good rule of thumb is to multiply your IUA x3 and have this amount set aside for rainy days.
What is a Shareable Need?
When Members incur unexpected medical expenses there is a medical Need. A Need is one or more medical expenses caused by a single, new accident, illness, or pregnancy. Some examples are a broken bone or cancer.
Members send proof of their medical expenses through our online portal. These costs are evaluated according to the Medical Cost Sharing Guidelines, negotiated down to ensure the lowest cost, and amounts that exceed the Initial Unshareable Amount are shared back from the Community to the Member so they can pay their bills.
Medical Cost Sharing
What is Medical Cost Sharing?
Medical Cost Sharing is an arrangement whereby Members agree to share medical expenses through an act of voluntary giving.
It is NOT insurance. It is not licensed or registered by any insurance board or department. It does not assess applicants’ health risks, because the Community is not assuming financial liability for any other Member’s risk.
Unlike insurance, the focus of the Medical Cost Sharing membership is on how our Members help one another with their immediate needs, so they are never alone when it matters most.
How does Medical Cost Sharing work?
When Members join, they will select their monthly contribution amount along with an Initial Unshareable Amount ($500, $1000, $1500, $2500, or $5000). Their monthly contribution goes towards sharing with the Community and an IUA is the amount that the Member will be responsible for in the event of an unexpected illness or injury.
For example: A Member chooses the $500 Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA) when they sign up and they confirm their monthly contribution associated with that IUA. Each month, this Member shares their contribution with the Community. Then the Member has an accident and breaks their leg. Once they tally their medical bills, their costs are $5,500. Here’s what happens next:
Step 1: As these costs were due to an unexpected injury, this Member submits these costs online through the online Medical Cost Sharing Portal.
Step 2: The costs will first go through bill negotiation, reducing the total bill from $5,500 to $2,500 (we average over 53% reduction costs!).
Step 3: The Member is then responsible to pay their chosen IUA ($500, in this example)
Step 4: The Member receives a check for $2,000 from the Community to cover the remaining medical costs from this Need (a medical expense is referred to as a medical Need) and pays their bills.
The medical Need is resolved with the individual Member paying a total of $500 vs the original $5,500 estimated cost.
Is Medical Cost Sharing a new approach?
No, Medical Cost Sharing traces its origins back many years to the Amish and Mennonite communities, and began expanding in the 1980s with the advent of large, Christian-based health care sharing ministries.
The concept has since evolved to include fintech-enabled, ethically-aligned Medical Cost Sharing communities, but the purpose remains the same: for the Community to help relieve the burden of the individual in their time of need.
Why do your Members choose Medical Cost Sharing?
Knew Health keeps your monthly costs low and our Community gives you peace of mind against unexpected medical bills. And, even better, you’re totally in charge of your healthcare. You have the freedom to choose your providers and your preferred style of care. And we help you save by providing preventive coverage, annual health and wellness allowances, discounts on supplements, labs, health coaching, 24/7 telemedicine, and more.
What expenses are eligible for sharing?
New illnesses, new injuries, and new pregnancies that occur after your Membership is effective are eligible for sharing.
There are no yearly or lifetime maximums/caps on the financial amount that can be shared back with you. That’s truly peace of mind, especially for costly diagnoses, like cancer.
* Some limitations may apply, contact us with any questions.
Are there any caps or limitations on Medical Cost Sharing?
No. There are no lifetime maximums, monthly caps, or other limitations on how much funding can be shared with a Member for eligible medical Needs.
We know that new injuries or diagnoses, like cancer, are daunting, but with Knew Health, the financial aspect will be one less thing to worry about because our Community will continue to share with you as you need care.
Can I see the fine print?
Yes, we encourage anyone considering Knew Health to review the Guidelines for sharing in new medical conditions, as well as the Guidelines for sharing in routine preventive care.
Medical Needs
Are pre-existing conditions eligible for sharing?
Some pre existing health conditions will have limitations on sharing while others can become partially eligible for sharing after the first year on an incremental scale.
* If you would like to discuss your personal pre-existing condition sharing options, please contact our Member Services Team.
Are maternity costs eligible for sharing?
For a pregnancy that begins at least 60 days after your Knew Health Membership beings, maternity Needs are shared like any other Need. This includes prenatal care, delivery, postnatal care, and complications.
For a pregnancy that began prior your Membership Effective date or within 60 days of Membership, pregnancy is treated as a pre-existing condition and not shared.
What about costs that occur abroad?
As long as the medical Need meets the Guidelines for sharing, these costs can be shared, no matter where they happen.
