This episode of The ShiftShapers Podcast is called “The $500 Tipping Point” with Amy Chambers, Co-Founder and COO of HealthBridge. Today, David and Amy discuss the complex problem of providing for the healthcare of the functionally uninsured.

Amy explains their program’s benefits to providers such as infusing cash into the system and reducing difficulties in collecting. On the member side, she further shares how this restores their dignity around the issue of money and their faith into value-based care.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

• 01:55 Amy’s background & observations on average American financial capacity
• 08:52 Designing a program for the functionally uninsured
• 13:49 Advantages to providers
• 17:02 Benefits to employee members

Quotes:

04:54 “The average plan out of pocket these days is $8,000 but the average American has about $400 in times of emergency.”

05:42 “64% of people report to have avoided medical care due to these out of pockets. That’s meaningful and it impacts outcomes. It erodes what we’re trying to do in value-based care.”

11:49 “What we’ve created is a first of its kind employee benefit program. It’s going to help the member regardless of their financial status because we talk about a lot of people who are lower income.”

14:23 “We cover all the co-payments, co-insurance, and deductibles for them, all the way up to their out of pocket and beyond if they happen to have any co-pays.”

17:08 “It certainly insulates them against financial crisis. It should arguably improve their access to care. About 25% of those members that you’re sitting knee to knee with in open enrollment actually have no access to credit.”

Listen to the Full Interview: