Submitting Medical Needs Explained
In a world where healthcare expenses often feel like a complex and uphill battle, there’s a refreshing alternative that simplifies the process. Knew Health offers a much-needed shift from the traditional insurance maze.
If you’re new to the concept of medical cost-sharing or considering enrolling in a Membership, fear not, for in this blog, we’ll guide you through the straightforward steps to submit a medical Need. It may sound like uncharted territory, perhaps even a bit intimidating at first, but rest assured, the simplicity and speed of this approach will leave you wondering why you didn’t explore this option sooner. Say goodbye to the traditional insurance hassles, and join us on this journey to discover the ease and convenience of medical cost-sharing.
What is a Medical ‘Need’?
When Members incur unexpected medical expenses, there is a medical Need. A medical Need is one or more medical expenses caused by a single, new accident, illness, or pregnancy. Some examples are broken bones or cancer. Expenses for a single medical Need that exceed the Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA) are shared back from the Community to the Member so they can pay their bills.
This kind of shareable Need gives Members true peace of mind for when the unexpected happens. Knew Health takes it a step further to also include preventative care and maternity as eligible for sharing.
What Else Can Be Shared?
As a Knew Health Community Member, a wide range of medical, preventative, and maternity Needs can be shared, including:
- Unexpected Medical Needs
- Women’s Wellness Visits
- Annual Physicals
- Adult Immunizations
- Childhood Immunizations
- Colonoscopy or Cologuard
- Mammography or Thermography
- Baby Wellness Visits
- Birth Control
What to Know Before You Submit Your Need:
Check Our Member Guidelines– Our Knew Health Member Guidelines is the best place to see what is shareable. Be sure to read through it and ensure that your need qualifies as shareable before your appointment. You can always call or message our Care Team with your questions beforehand.
Ask for Discounts – As a cost-sharing community, we do everything in our power to keep monthly contribution costs low. Part of that includes equipping our Members with the knowledge to be savvy consumers because when one Member saves, we all do. As a Member, it’s important to inform your doctor’s office that you are a cash-pay or self-pay patient because this can immediately unlock some discounts. It is as simple as saying: “I am a self-pay patient today. Can you please apply any self-pay discounts to my bill?” That’s it! Most doctors have a discount for self-paying patients; you just need to ask.
Smaller Bills – If your medical bill is under $1,000, you’ll pay it first and then submit it for reimbursement. Remember to ask your provider for an itemized bill before you leave the office.
Larger Bills– For medical bills over $1,000, we’ll provide you with the funds to settle the final bill. Again, remember to ask for an itemized bill.
Keep it Timely – Try to submit your need within six months of receiving the service from your provider. However, the sooner, the better to ensure timely processing and avoid delays.
One at a Time – Only submit one Need at a time in your portal. If you have more than one need or multiple days, submit each separately.
How to Submit a Need
- First, log into your Member Portal. When you enrolled, you created a username and password. You can find the Member Portal in the top corner of our website.
- Next, once logged in, you’ll be able to view your dashboard with all the offered services. Find and click the box labeled “Medical Sharing.”
- If you are still determining whether your need or event qualifies for sharing in the community, you can view our Member Guidelines in this section. You can view our medical sharing, preventative sharing, and maternity sharing guidelines here.
- To begin your Need, click on “Need Submission.”
- Enter all of the information as completely as possible, including:
- The primary Member’s name
- Any insurance coverage, if applicable.
- Basic demographics
- Select the type of Need, then enter a brief description.
- The date of the service
- The Provider(s) name, specialty, and contact information
- Attach your itemized invoice provided by your doctor’s office and submit it.
Note: Be sure to complete all the parts of the form. Failure to include all the required information may result in a delay in processing your Need or could result in sharing ineligibility.
After Submitting Your Need
Once you submit your Need to Knew Health, you will receive an email from the Member Services Team confirming your submission. The Member Services Team focuses on Member Needs. They will review your request and provide you with an update quickly. For larger bills, they will negotiate on your behalf. If there is a question about your submission or if more information is required, the team will contact you right away.
Once your needs submission has been found to be eligible and approved, you will receive a follow-up email from the team to confirm the processing of your Need. They will inform you when your reimbursement check will be mailed (usually the same day), or, if direct deposit has been set up, when the reimbursement deposit will be made. You can set up direct deposit of all future reimbursements right in your Member Portal.
Simplicity and Efficiency with Knew Health
Submitting a Need doesn’t have to be confusing or complicated. While the concept of medical cost-sharing may initially seem unfamiliar, take comfort in the fact that the process is simple and your reimbursement is handled quickly by a dedicated team of real people.
Embrace the community, savor the ease, and discover a new way to manage your healthcare expenses with the straightforward and swift world of medical cost-sharing. Your journey to a hassle-free healthcare experience begins here.
