As Burden of Health Care Spending Shifts to Consumers, New Company Launches Technology-Enabled Toolset to Help Families Lower Out-Of-Pocket Expenses

MINNEAPOLIS, July 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- HealthValues, a growing privately-held company that helps consumers lighten the burden of rising health care costs has released a new program to help families save on out-of-pocket medical expenses.

The Saver plan combines telephone or video chat doctor visits that are free and unlimited to consumers and their families with reduced pricing on costly imaging services, medical bill negotiation, procedure pricing, doctor and hospital quality score ratings, plus educational information and other tools for a monthly fee of $9.99.

Jeff Smedsrud, founder of HealthValues, explained that as employers and insurers increase deductibles and copays to slow down the rise in insurance costs, more actual health expenses are passed on directly to consumers. "The average cost of an Urgent Care visit is $155. For a family of five with children, their doctor visits alone can total over $1,000 during in one year. The HealthValues Saver plan can help eliminate $1,000 or more on doctor expenses without ever leaving the house, and provide access to low cost services and assistance to keep family budgets in check," said Smedsrud.

The Saver plan helps consumers in three ways: It gives free and unlimited access to licensed physicians by telephone or video chat for routine medical situations, it lets individuals shop for services and see real medical prices in advance, and helps families negotiate the best price for many different types of procedures. In short, it helps consumers get more value from their health care spending.

Smedsrud went on to explain that health consumers need an advocate to help control costs on their behalf. Employers, payors and providers are focused on taking care of themselves. Consumers have to pay for their care directly, they don't know how to shop for care, and they don't know in advance what it will cost. "For anyone with a $1,000 insurance deductible or more, seeing a doctor several times a year because the children are sick or needing a routine MRI becomes a burden to pay out-of-pocket. Recognizing this obvious gap in coverage, HealthValues has bundled together everyday health services into an affordable monthly plan that saves families from suffering a big hit to their wallets," said Smedsrud.

Other membership levels offered by HealthValues include Saver Plus, which offers an additional $2,500 for accidents or critical illnesses to supplement medical bills not covered by high deductible plans, and Saver Maximum, which covers $5,000 for unexpected accidents and critical illnesses.

"The worst time to buy health care services is when you need it right now. It's more economical to pay a small amount each month so that you have better information, tools and resources to make quality health-related decisions before you actually need the care," said Smedsrud.

About HealthValues

Launched in early 2016, HealthValues helps consumers with a high health insurance deductible save money on medical expenses and health care benefits. Membership includes a 30-day free-look period. To find out more visit www.healthvalues.org.

Contact: Colleen McGuire | 651-338- 8822 | [email protected]

SOURCE HealthValues

Related Links

http://www.healthvalues.org