Building on a tried-and-tested concept, a great innovation in U.S. healthcare.
Reproduced Without Permission from The Onion – Sept 23, 2015 www.theonion.com/r/51369 [1] and kept warm expressly for GBV readers.
which she said is less than a third of the cost of the company’s PPO.
ROCHESTER, NY—During a meeting with new hires Wednesday to discuss employee benefits, Radian Analytics human resources manager Ellen Schultz is said to have strongly pushed the company’s infinite-deductible health care option.
According to sources in attendance, Schultz described the low-premium, infinite-deductible plan as the simplest and most convenient choice available to employees, and said it works the same whether plan members need to visit their primary care physician, fill a prescription, or be admitted to a hospital, allowing them in each case to pay 100 percent of the incurred medical expenses.
Company officials explained that the health care option had been set up to address complaints employees had with previous plans, which often came with confusing paperwork and long wait times for reimbursement, problems that have disappeared now that the limitless deductibles have eliminated any need to even bother filing a claim.
“With our Infinity Plan, you’ll see only a very small amount deducted from each paycheck, and then all you’ll have to do is pay as you go for whatever health care you may need,” said Schultz, adding that employees who select the package will never need to worry about obtaining preauthorization for any procedure and can simply pay a bill in full upon receiving it from their medical provider. “What’s more, it doesn’t matter if your doctor is in-network or out-of-network. The coverage is the same either way.”
“It really couldn’t be any easier: Absolutely no services or medications are excluded from the plan, and there’s no annual cap on benefits,” she continued. “In other words, you can use the Infinity Plan for anything, and use it as much as you want—no ifs, ands, or buts.”
Schultz went on to state that under most other health insurance plans, patients are responsible for co-pays in addition to their deductible, charges of $50, $100, or sometimes more that can add up quickly and unexpectedly. However, she said, there are no such co-pays under the Infinity Plan, so those who join it can rest assured that every cent they pay out of pocket will be applied directly to their infinite deductible.
Company officials explained that the health care option had been set up to address complaints employees had with previous plans, which often came with confusing paperwork and long wait times for reimbursement, problems that have disappeared now that the limitless deductibles have eliminated any need to even bother filing a claim.
“Best of all, the Infinity Plan lets you set up a health savings account, so you can pay the full list price of every single drug or medical procedure you need with pre-tax income and a convenient debit card,” said Schultz, noting that the policy also covers all dental work, elective cosmetic procedures, and specialist visits, with or without a referral. “We have year-round open enrollment for this option, so you can join anytime you like and even apply it retroactively back to your first day of employment.”
“For those of you with dependents, I’d recommend the Infinity Plus Plan, which has a slightly higher premium but comes with one infinite deductible for your whole family,” Schultz added.
At press time, Schultz was reportedly explaining to the new hires that all 401(k) contributions made by employees would be matched with a dollar-for-dollar withdrawal by the company.
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