Cash For Cancer Care?

Posted on by

Can cash pay work for cancer care? It would be very hard to do without a good sharing plan or insurance. Let me give you some HOPE: Sedera has come through for our family in a huge way. I wanted you all to know that. More on these tough times later, but be encouraged, my friends.

AI Summary:

  • Dr. Shane gives a quick update for the DPC (Direct Primary Care) community while preparing to travel.
  • He and his wife are flying the next day to Surgery Center of Oklahoma for major surgery related to her cancer diagnosis; she is doing well overall but needs the procedure.
  • They have been navigating this as cash-pay patients for about five months, using the Sedera health-sharing plan as backup coverage.
  • He addresses common questions about whether health-sharing plans can adequately handle serious conditions like cancer (financially and otherwise).
  • Sedera has “really come through” for their family and covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in bills so far; he expresses gratitude and offers this as encouragement/hope.
  • He notes positive reports he’s heard about other sharing plans (e.g., Zion, Crowd Health) successfully helping with catastrophic care.
  • Using a sharing plan for cancer care often requires extra work on the patient’s side, because many traditional cancer centers are not set up for cash-pay pricing or processes.
  • He plans a longer future video or webinar covering the full experience (diagnosis, imaging, chemo, surgery, recovery, and system challenges).
  • He asks for thoughts and prayers as they head into surgery week.

Remember, National DPC Day is November 1, the day when people start enrolling in insurance plans. Get the word out by sending them here.

1

About Shane Purcell, MD

Dr. Purcell is board certified family physician working in Anderson, SC. He received his medical degree from Mercer University in Macon, GA and completed family medicine residency at AnMed Health in Anderson, SC. After completing his residency, Dr. Purcell worked in a private group practice for 3 years before opening his own cash-only primary care clinic in 2005. As he built his cash-only clinic, he was also working part-time in a local urgent care facility. In 2008, he purchased a dormant medical clinic on the “wrong side of the tracks” and opened an urgent care and primary care clinic. After gaining his freedom from third-party captives, Dr. Purcell and a colleague formed the first direct primary care clinic in Anderson County in 2015. In 2019, he transitioned to full-time direct primary care and sold his urgent care. The direct primary care model has brought about a restoration of a relationship with patients broken by third-party middlemen. Now, he can offer more access and more of his time to patients. Dr. Purcell firmly believes that the direct primary care model is the last hope for health care in America. Dr. Purcell is an active member of several medical organizations including the DPC Alliance, Free Market Medical Association, and American Academy of Family Physicians. He is the former Chair of the Direct Primary Care Member Interest Group for the AAFP and a founding member of the DPC Alliance and the Carolina’s Free Market Medical Association. He was elected to the Advisory Committee for the DPC Alliance in the Fall of 2018 and completed his term in 2021. Dr. Purcell is the author of Magic, Pixie Dust, and Miracles: A Guide to Direct Primary Care and Employers which shares how to connect DPC with employers of all sizes. He has spoken about this topic and DPC in general at the DPC Summit, DPC Nuts and Bolts conference, Hint Summit, AAFP FMX, Carolina’s Free Market Medical Association, TedexFurman, and DPC Alliance Mastermind sessions. He continues to speak to residents and student groups about DPC as well.