March 18, 2025 • 37 mins
Are you feeling trapped in your current job because of health insurance concerns?
Check out the Indipop Solution Exclusively for Listeners of Chef Life Radio, by clicking here.
You're not alone. Many culinary professionals find themselves stuck in positions they've outgrown, solely due to the fear of losing their employer-provided health coverage. But what if there was another way?
In this eye-opening episode, I sit down with insurance specialist and avant-garde artist Melissa Blatt to explore an alternative approach to healthcare that could revolutionize how culinary professionals think about their career choices and health coverage.
Key Insights on Health Sharing Programs:
- Understand the fundamental differences between for-profit insurance and non-profit health sharing
- Learn about the potential cost savings and flexibility offered by health sharing programs
- Discover how these programs can provide more freedom in career choices for culinary professionals
- Explore the concept of "fair medical pricing" and its impact on healthcare costs
- Gain insights into the importance of being an informed healthcare consumer
Why This Matters for Culinary Professionals:
As someone who has felt the weight of being tied to a job for insurance benefits, I know firsthand how limiting this can be for career growth and personal satisfaction. This conversation sheds light on options that could allow chefs and other culinary professionals to pursue their passions without sacrificing quality healthcare coverage.
Take Action for Your Health and Career:
- Educate yourself on alternative healthcare options beyond traditional insurance
- Consider how health sharing programs might align with your career goals and health needs
- Explore resources for comparing different healthcare options (we provide a helpful link in the show notes)
- Remember to be your own advocate in navigating the complex world of healthcare
Whether you're a seasoned chef looking for a change or a young culinary professional just starting out, this episode offers valuable insights that could reshape how you approach your health and career decisions. Don't miss this opportunity to expand your understanding of healthcare options and potentially open new doors in your culinary journey.
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Adam
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
And so I'm really thrilled to bring ontothe show Insurance specialist and all
around avant-garde artist, Melissa Blatt.
Hey, Mel,
good morning or afternoon,wherever you are.
Exactly.
And I, this is a very interestingquestion or a topic of conversation
for me because I know in my career Ihave felt trapped in a current place of
(00:25):
employment because my insurance was tiedto my employer, and I know that I think
we're one of the only industrializednations that still does that.
And so I was really excited to learn aboutyou and what you've been doing in regards
to serving this particular community.
But first, before we get into indie popand its specificities, I was curious
(00:46):
to know if you could just give us a abroad brush of your career and whatever
got you into insurance 'cause I don'tthink it was your primary career, right?
I didn't when I was little, no one.
I never answered, oh, I wanna be inhealthcare when I grow up, but not as
a doctor or this was this, I feel likeit chose me that it was a challenge
(01:11):
that I faced and I couldn't let it go.
But yeah, I have I've had a careerin business development and marketing
and, started on the East coastand now I live in the great state of
Arizona and, but I've lived on, livedin LA and I've done a wide variety of
things in a bunch of different cities.
But I think I'm most passionate aboutwhat I'm doing now because it really
(01:35):
is impacting people's lives and.
For someone to say I can leavemy nine to five and do go out
on my own, is very empowering.
And you're right, the United Stateshas it where people stay at particular
jobs for benefits and some of thebenefits I. Are not that great.
And you're still paying out of pocket, oryou're still very limited and restricted
(01:59):
in, in, in how you approach healthcare.
And so you were you had I think acareer in in the arts for a long time.
Motion picture TV and stuff like that.
Yeah.
And I don't know how people are employedin that particular market segment, but I
would imagine that you had a good career,you had great pay, you had good benefits.
(02:21):
And then I. What happened?
There's certainly somethingthat had to happen to you Yeah.
To where you're like, oh my Godthere's an underserved market here.
So it I left LA and I left theentertainment business about 15
years ago and ended up in, in thetech world, which is really exciting.
And then I went out on my own todo biz dev for lots of different.
(02:45):
Employer.
So I was classified as a 10 99 contractor.
Which that word 10 99 is I think a lotof people out there can resonate that
you might be hired, especially all theshift workers out there that have the
side gig, you still, that's your 10 99.
And that's when I had my wake up call.
That I was excited to go intohealthcare.gov and see, 'cause I kept
(03:08):
seeing all these great ads for affordablehealthcare and I didn't really know
what to expect, but I thought myexpectations were actually pretty high.
I had sticker shock when I realizedwhat I was presented with, which
was, if you're familiar with thosemetal plans out there, the bronze,
(03:28):
the silver, gold, and platinum.
It was in my price range, a bronze HMO.
So an HMO means I have to get areferral every time I wanna see a
specialist, like a dermatologist.
And it's hoops, it's more hoops.
So that's why you'll see a PPO isprobably more expensive than your HMO.
And but what really got mewas the $9,000 deductible.
(03:50):
So that would mean that if I broke my leg,that's what I would be responsible for.
And it goes by your earnings, your age,your employment status, and your location.
And it's underwritten by an insurancecompany, which is a for-profit business.
Correct.
So anyway, that is whenI had the wake up call.
Wait a second.
This is not going to work for me.
(04:12):
This is, I don't want a $9,000 deductible.
I don't wanna change doctors.
I don't wanna have to call my doctorevery time I wanna see a different doctor.
So I just started exploring what wasout there in the market and we're
so used to the word just insurance.
That.
When I found that there was something,another model that it didn't have
(04:34):
the word insurance, but it was stillhealthcare, I was really skeptical at
first because I'm like what is this?
Why isn't this taking over?
Why?
But it's that wholeidea of cost sharing is.
Is newer.
And it has a really differentapproach to managing medical needs,
and that's where you become a memberof a large group or community that
(04:57):
shares the cost of medical needs.
And it's a managed nonprofit,so it's completely different.
The funds are there to beshared amongst the people in the
community and based on fair market.
Rates.
So I know I just talked a lot.
Do you wanna enter?
Sure.
You have Yeah.
What's bubbling in your mind right now?
I think the differentiation and thereason this is so prevalent to me
(05:18):
is I just went through my yearlysignup or reign up for healthcare.gov.
I've been on the marketplace forseveral years and have watched
how the costs have gone up.
And very rarely do people really talkabout it's just not your monthly premium.
And I qualify for a certain amountof help from the government there's
(05:43):
the premium that you pay and they haveall these other words that are sewn
in there, like co-insurance and copay.
And so typically speaking, it'sjust not when you're looking
at say anywhere like clearly.
The lower your deductible,the higher your plan.
So if it's a $5,000 deductible, thoseplans are typically in four, $500 ranges.
And as it gets, as the deductiblegets higher, the price comes down
(06:07):
because they know that they're gonnahave to pay out less over a course
of a year based upon your kind ofcontribution to that particular plan.
So the thing that first jumpedout at me was, and did you
wanna make a comment about that?
No, you're absolutely right.
But even the, that thedifference between a premium
and a deductible is very good.
(06:27):
The one that always, yeah.
The one that alwaysgets me is co-insurance.
Aren't I already paying for insurance?
And so there's all kinds of caveatsdepending on the particular procedures
and whether it's, as you said, whetherit's in-network or out network.
But the thing that's, that jumped outat me was this idea that healthcare.
Is for profit and healthshare is nonprofit.
(06:51):
So can you just diveinto that a little bit?
Because I'm pretty surethat a lot of folks.
Or like what do you mean?
Yes, profit burden?
Insurance is the transfer ofrisk, that's the definition.
And there's underwriting involved.
So obviously in the state of New York,you're gonna have different numbers
than in Des Moines, Iowa, because yourpopulation is different and they have
to go by the zip codes and the ageof the population, and it has to be
(07:17):
underwritten to determine the rates.
But the only way I think, or what I'velearned to make money is they either raise
rates or they deny claims, which right.
That is the worst thing to thinkabout is you get insurance to be
in place for when something badhappens, and if it's not there for
you, then what are you paying for?
But the reality is that most ofwhat the people that we talked
(07:38):
to in the last five years is.
It's now insurance has become sick carewhere it's just there for you really if
you break your leg or you're hospitalized.
But more and more people wantto be proactive in their health.
They want things like IV therapyor the red light therapy.
Red light therapy has be, has reallybeen something that people have
(08:00):
sought that says it's really helpful.
Physical therapy morethan just a few sessions.
If it's very odd that somebodycould have a, an insurance package
that allows for them to have in-homenursing and and physical therapy for
a minor condition or a, yes, like aminor condition, but somebody that
(08:22):
maybe has like a major condition.
They only will allow two hosp,two nurse visits and like
two sessions of PT something.
It's just, it doesn't make any sense.
But yes, we want WellCare and alot of the preventive services that
you see that are a CA compliance.
So what is a c?
A Affordable Care Act.
And they said, we're gonna give you allof these things like the screenings, age
(08:45):
appropriate screenings, mammograms at40, colonoscopies at 45 immunizations.
But if you talk to your doctor in thatannual wellness exam about something
outside of the scope, it could be codedas diagnostic, and then you're responsible
for it and it makes you second guess whatyou wanna talk to your physician about.
Especially if you'reon a very tight budget.
You shouldn't really have to be thinkingabout these things when you are there.
(09:09):
To really dig deep into what is,how are you so that we can detect
things early enough so that itdoesn't become a chronic condition.
Correct.
Western, go, please finish.
It's just,
It's very messed up.
Yeah.
So with health sharing or costsharing, or what we call it is
membership because that's reallywhat you're becoming a member.
(09:30):
Of a community and in yourmembership, what are your benefit?
That's what you get is yourhealthcare benefits.
That's that's what you get.
But they're based offof fair medical pricing.
So there really is a price for everything.
Doctor's visits, biopsiesgallbladder removals in your zip
(09:51):
code, a fair rate, reference-basedpricing of what it should cost.
And when people actually know thefigures out there that some
surgeries are really 6,000.
You might think, wait, if I pay cash forthis, it is a lot less than my deductible.
So a lot of people in this lastyear, this has really increased.
(10:11):
We're hearing more and more people,one, they're switching to direct
primary care doctors, which aredoctors that do not take insurance.
Usually they only take a membershipso that you have access to them.
And we're also seeing people thatare paying cash for a lot of medical
things out of pocket, just paying cash.
Yep.
But I guess that's where HSAs come.
(10:32):
Come into play.
That's
why that has health savings accountreally soared is health savings account.
That's correct,
yes.
Yeah.
And from what I understand, HSAs arelike a triple threat insofar as yeah.
Not only do you get to pay yourcosts, but there's tax savings and it
also increases in value over time.
But I also get that if you havea certain plan, healthcare plan,
(10:54):
you're not eligible for an HSA.
Which is weird.
You can set up an HSA, you canhave one through a bank and set
up a health savings account.
But the IRS in order for you toclaim pre-tax for your for your
taxes, it should be compatible withan insurance plan or a health share.
That is, it's called HSA compatible, whichusually has a high deductible and you're
(11:17):
gonna be responsible for your preventivecare before you reach your deductible.
So there's a lot of out of pocket.
That's why the government is sayingwe're gonna give you this tax break
on it 'cause you're paying a lot.
Self pay rates untilyou rate your deductible
And I don't if people are tuning inbecause we, you think this is gonna be a
bashing about our current healthcare.
(11:40):
System.
That's not what we want to do.
What we wanna do is provide alternativesbecause a lot of people don't know
that they have an alternative.
Now, before we get into that Iwanted to round back to fair medical
pricing because you mentioned thatphrase and that perked up my ears.
Who determines what a fair medicalpricing is and how is that?
(12:00):
There's a, it's a book.
That's a good question.
I think if you look at if yougo to your zip code and you look
up the average cash pay rate foran MRI, you're gonna see right.
You're gonna see a rate.
And many people are blown away if theyneed to get an MRI because a lot of
their insurance plans might say theyhave an $850 copay to pay for their
(12:24):
MRI, even though they have insurance.
But if they go straight to theimaging center, it could be 300.
That's exactly correct.
Yep.
And this is where we just try toeducate people that as consumers.
We shouldn't have to be experts inall the language that are in our
policies, but it's become that way.
Like you mentioned at the beginning,co-insurance is a percentage.
(12:45):
You are going to splitwith the insurance company.
And this could be on top of yourdeductible so that you think you reach
your deductible, but you still have this.
Particular co-insurance carriedwith you until maybe what is
called your max out of pocket?
Correct.
Your max that you wouldspend in a calendar year.
And that's where I caution people thatif you see a $1,500 deductible, great.
(13:06):
Okay.
Looks good.
Just keep reading to see if you hadto have hospitalization or a surgery.
If you have co-insurance.
Yeah.
I, and I think the one of the thingsthat really inspired me initially
about our conversation is thatyou've really set yourself up as a.
Resource for information.
Yeah.
Like you've set us up with the veryown Chef Life radio page which we'll
(13:28):
give that address out where you can goand get a lot of information about this.
And it's endemic inthe hospitality industry.
That people are either underinsuredor they're not insured at all.
Young people I was the young buck onceand thought I would never need insurance.
So maybe those first coupleyears I went without.
(13:50):
And that really is a risky thingbecause most of the injuries that
are occurring in the hospitalityindustry are re repetitive motion.
Where if you've been on yourfeet for 10, 12 years you've been.
Pivoting on your hips.
I just talked to a friend of minewho just went through a full hip
(14:12):
replacement, and typically that doesn'thappen until a little bit later.
Yet I have two adult daughters whoI've been constantly hounding for
the last three, four years that theyneed to make sure that they have
health insurance because typicallywomen's health is a little bit more,
(14:34):
complex than men's health.
And and not to say that oneis better or less than, but
they didn't have any option.
Like they didn't have, they couldn'tafford the marketplace and they've
created their own economy, their gigworkers and do a lot of different stuff.
And not necessarily one company enough tocreate sign up for their health plan.
(14:57):
But it worries me my one daughterhas implants breast implants, and she
started complaining that one was hurting.
And what do you do with that?
It's scary to.
Be without insurancefor any length of time.
And I think part of kind of theindoctrination of some companies is
like, Hey, you got great benefits here.
(15:18):
Oh I, for sure.
That has been a top talent to keep andretain top talent is offer benefits.
Really good benefits.
So let's break down.
First, I don't think we've evergone over the name in Depop and Yes,
please.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that stands for independent population.
Those are all of us that areon our own trying to obtain
(15:38):
and afford quality healthcare.
As a 10 99 LLC small business owner.
And what Indie Pop is it's a marketplacethat we handpicked specific health
shares to go into this marketplace.
So if you think of it as you havehealthcare, healthcare.gov as a
marketplace for insurance throughyour state, you could go to ind Pop.
(16:00):
We work in all 50 states and wehave open enrollment all year long.
So it's very flexible forpeople on your timeline.
The difference is that.
With these plans, what we hear mostlyfrom people is, especially like
what you just said and especiallymen or young men in their twenties
(16:20):
are, they think they're invention.
They do because you reallyhaven't been touched by life.
Sure.
Where and if you're working out andyou take your vitamins and everything
and you're healthy, you don't,you never think something you're.
If you got sick youcould get right over it.
But I always ask them, becausemale, young males are one of the
top surgeries for young males thatare unexpected, is your appendix.
(16:42):
Oh.
So I said, do you stillhave your appendix?
And they said, yes.
And I go, have you talked to it lately?
Is it doing okay?
And they laughed at me.
But it's true.
You have no idea.
That's true.
If your appendix is going to give youtrouble and it's still one of the top
surgeries that happen, that's out ofthe blue, you can be completely healthy.
Look up what an appendix removalis in your area at a hospital.
(17:06):
If you paid cash, just take a peek.
Now, we had somebody on one of ourindie pop plans and we have multiple
plans that people can choose from,and they're all different because
it's not a one size fits all.
Type of blanket of a healthcare system.
Not everybody wants mental health inincluded or prescription or these are
(17:27):
standard things that should be, but wehave plans that have additional benefits,
and then we have the basic, so thatjust protects you from the that big
appendicitis or something like that.
But he was a, he is a young guy,mid twenties and completely healthy.
His girlfriend called meoutta the blue two months ago.
Hey, in the hospital.
Is he okay?
(17:48):
He spent two days in the hospital with anextreme infection that he couldn't kick,
and he's on a plan that is at 1000 outof pocket for the entire medical need.
Very transparent, very set.
That's much different than if youhave ever had a medical emergency
or a surgery with insurance.
I think you're still gettingbills like over a year later.
Oh, sure.
We're like the staggering figure of only12% of Americans know how to read their
(18:12):
medical bill and really the odds thatit's going to be wrong the first time.
Actually, we've been told, throwaway your first medical bill.
It's not right.
Really if I could just providesome value, even more value here, is
that if you do, if you are faced witha, that you have a high deductible,
(18:32):
you had to go to the ER for a migraineor sprained ankle, please appeal.
If they're making you pay yourdeductible, your de your full
deductible, try to appeal it.
Because you can appeal, you can say no.
So yeah, there are PE one peopledon't really know that they can appeal.
Two, really look at your medicalbill and question, is it coded?
(18:55):
Did I really see these doctors?
Did they come in?
Were they in my network?
Am I being charged for that?
Different, you have the right todo that, and you have the right, most
hospitals have no surprise bill act.
So you shouldn't havethese obscene, crazy bills.
I think the one thing that a lotof people overlook when they're
(19:17):
thinking about insurance they'llopt in for health insurance, but
they won't opt in for dental care.
And there's more and moreevidence out there that
the mouth is I. Thegateway to your microbiome.
Anything happens in there.
There's all kinds of bloodinfections that can happen
(19:37):
with broken teeth and Yeah.
And bad implants.
And that's something that popsup eating blueberries and nuts and
all of a sudden you crack a toothand you think, oh no that's okay.
But the longer that goes un unresolved.
Increases your risk of heart diseaseand all it, it's staggering.
I just this, 'cause we never talkedabout this before, but I just
(19:58):
reading about this, it's really crazythat you're bringing it up because
they're linking some infectionsthat they see in mouths or.
I don't wanna give rootcanals a bad name, but no.
We're doing more studies aboutthis, that show to Parkinson's
and muscular and neurological.
Absolutely.
So I'm doing more research on thismyself, but yes, the mouth is a
(20:21):
great tell, tell, sign your tonguewhat's going on in your body.
And dental oral hygiene is yes.
It's a big one.
And we do have a, we do have a dentaland vision program that is also not
with insurance, but a membershipand it doesn't break the bank.
It starts at $8 and 95 cents a month.
(20:42):
Perfect.
Can't go wrong with that.
And it works in 48 states.
Yeah.
I wanted to just quickly mention mybrief experience with HealthShares.
I was working with a company andthey decided to offer health shares
as a. Kind of a, an alternative totheir basic health insurance package.
(21:02):
And when I started doing someinvestigation about it, it seemed to me
that the organization was faith-based.
And so they had some very clear duesand don'ts about the fact like, listen,
you can be part of our group you can'tbe smoking, you can't be drinking, da.
To be honest, I thought at that exposurethat's all health shares were and
(21:27):
probably something that I couldn't access.
Because of course I don't wantto have my claim denied somewhere
down the road because I smoked10 years ago or whatever it was.
But you told me that's not necessarilythe case with all health shares.
Yes.
And in fact, we don't haveany faith-based health shares
in our marketplace at all.
(21:50):
A faith-based health share is, yes.
It's a, it's out there.
Usually you have to declare your yourreligion and they have guidelines.
It's, they have a statement of faith, andif you abide by that statement of faith
then you know they should pay your claims.
If you don't, then they can.
Oppose or deny.
(22:12):
But yes, we this was a big factorA again, we vetted all of our
plans to be no annual lifetimecaps, no statement of faith.
They work in all, mostly all 50states across the United States.
So we look for things that werethat I myself could enroll in.
Sure.
And and so we.
(22:34):
We have a very specific partnershipswith companies that adhere and
continuously do the right thing.
They're out there.
We don't again, like we'renot poo-pooing insurance.
We're not gonna, sure, I'm not gonnapoo other health shares either.
We just chose it this time.
That the statement of faithwas a little too gray for us.
(22:58):
And I think to your point not todraw aspersions or anything like
that, but to be well informed I thinkis probably one of the best things.
And again, I really wanna thankyou for setting up our Chef
Life radioPage@chefliferadio.comslash indie pop.
Because I don't like what information outthere, it's almost like overkill because.
(23:20):
There can be so much information outthere that it becomes mind numbing
and you don't really know what theanalysis paralysis by analysis.
And so to clear it up in a very simpleand straightforward way, which you seem
to have done very successfully to me,is like a great service to be put, to
put it bluntly, because we've got a lotof stuff to think about in our industry,
(23:42):
a lot of other things to focus on.
And to not take the time to reallyunderstand what's going on with our
healthcare coverage whether that's regtraditional healthcare or healthcare,
I think is incredibly important.
And so I just wanna say thank youbecause I know there's a lot of people
out there who feel, again, just like Iwas, that feeling stuck and trapped in
(24:03):
a job that may not necessarily serve me.
But I got people who depend on me,so I need to make sure that there's
healthcare coverage for them and.
I just wanted to throw this commentout and see how it lands with you,
but it seems to me that what you'redoing provides a great deal of agency
for someone in our industry in thatthey can chart their own course, like
(24:25):
they're not bound to a job because thisis healthcare that I've gotten on my
own, or for coverage that I've gottenon my own, which would mean that I might
want to take a bigger risk insofar as mycareer is concerned because I'm not quite
bound to any particular organization.
I. Or entity.
So our, one of our core values is webelieve in people and their dreams, which
(24:46):
means that if you decide at some pointyou've been in an industry where you've
been working for someone as a W2, but youwanna go out on your own, that you can.
Be it be it a personal chef thatis it's your own company, what,
whatever it is that you are notbound, that your benefits are coming
(25:08):
from a a very specific source.
And that's the only waythat you can get it.
So this is an option for people thatare also being laid off right now.
I was just reading about more layoffs.
Alternative to Cobra.
If you're offered Cobra andyou can't afford the Cobra,
Cobra can be very expensive.
Way
expensive for sure.
This
is flexible.
It's month to month.
(25:29):
And so it's, again, it's justanother option out there that is not
mainstream, but I believe in the nextfive years it will be more, prevalent
in the United States as a healthcareoption as more and more people are
looking for, I want WellCare andI just need something in place for
the those high cost medical needs.
(25:49):
These are really really great plans.
Yeah.
Can you talk a little bit more like whatare your core value sets for indie pop?
Gosh.
So the number one, the number Ihope I don't miss one, but we bel
sorry leave your ego at the doorthat it was taken from one of the
tech companies that I worked at, andI just absolutely love it because I.
(26:12):
I, in my career, I have worked with peopleolder than me and much younger than me.
My last manager in tech was 18 yearsyounger than me, and I had to swallow
my ego because I had to learn.
But what I realized was I learnedfrom him, and if we approach things
as the glass half empty where we canabsorb and we can add to the cup, then
(26:33):
you know, we are in a place where.
Where we're just listening to eachother more than saying I know best.
There are cases where obviously thereare people that are experts that
you know but it's just a matter ofcoming to the table with just leave
your ego at the door and just listen.
We do the right thing in insurance.
(26:54):
There is, we're very transparent.
If somebody is not a good fit for Indiepop or any of our plans, we let them know
because the last thing I want somebodyto do is end up with a surprise bill.
And we are really there to helpescalate if anything goes off
track, it is still healthcare.
This isn't magic.
This is it.
I don't have the unicorn plan yet.
(27:16):
Our healthcare system is stillfar from being anything perfect.
But we innovate and constantly improve.
I think that there's always as fit.
You have to stay agile andyou, and things keep changing.
Every day, something changes and youhave to be able to change with that
and be able to constantly innovateand improve on what you have.
(27:39):
I have a couple other questions.
One of which strikes me is we have anelder population, we have folks who are,
towards the end of their careers andmaybe aging out of traditional healthcare
and be looking at something like Medicaredoes he shares, provide any opportunity
because that's not being cheap either.
(28:01):
No, but that's just it.
At the age of 65, you areeligible for Medicare.
Got it.
And so these health shares don'tneed to be part of that at all.
'cause you're gonna have, it's throughthe government part A, B, C, and D.
So no health shares are 18 to 64.
You'll age off at 65.
I do urge people that are in their sixtiesbecause it gets quite expensive, even the
(28:21):
age over 50 rates start to really go up.
That a lot of peoplethat are in that age group.
Can still explore these healthshares as a, as an option.
So it's just yeah.
No part with Medicare.
Yeah.
And starting and establishing and runningindie pop, what has that meant for you?
(28:44):
Oh my gosh.
First of all, anytime you are tryingto trail blaze something that's never
been done before there is no path thatI'm following in somebody's footsteps.
So it's.
It's like, what?
I don't know.
I really don't know.
And I am, I'm learning as I go, but whenI hear those words from people like,
where were you five years ago, Melissa?
(29:04):
This plan has been great.
Or I had my baby for a thousand dollars.
That wouldn't havehappened with insurance.
Or I was able to go out on my own or nottake that cobra that was $900 a month.
Those are reinforcing words,but I have a bigger vision for
helping really change and impactour healthcare industry because.
This is so important to Americans tobe able to have WellCare instead of
(29:31):
the sick care and not break the bank.
And I think it's time that we reallyexplore a hundred year old insurance
that we've had and say, okay, wedon't have to throw it all out, but.
We gotta make it better.
Like we gotta be, there's 57million self-employed people that
are slipping through the cracks ofour system because we are paying
(29:54):
just the most for healthcare.
And was that vision always big enough foryou to power through your dark moments?
Was there a moment where you'relike, shit, I like this is too hard.
Like I should probably give this up.
Because as you said,trailblazing in a new area.
Yeah.
I, like there have been momentswhere I felt like bark barking
into the wilderness andnever hearing anything back.
(30:15):
And so I, I was just curious if you hadgone through a moment where you're like
maybe I could be doing something else.
When you look at the, it'slike David and Goliath.
Me and David,
my little slingshot.
Because the industry is so big andthere's so much money in it, trillions
and trillions, that, yes, it can bereally daunting, but I would say at the
(30:40):
core of it is I'm so passionate aboutthis and I, again, I didn't choose I
think that's the other thing is that I.
I did it.
I just, I couldn't shake it after I wentinto the marketplace to see that, I'm
like, this is what's out there right now.
This is what we're faced with.
I'd have to change my doctors.
(31:01):
It's very disruptive and it's expensive,and I just, I couldn't shake it.
And I think when you get tothat point where you are mad.
Can you either complain about it ordo something about it and I chose,
I'm gonna do something about it.
And I've stayed with that mission.
I've had a few advisors out.
Some of my indie popadvisors say You have not.
(31:24):
Back down, like you have really stayedtrue to your mission the entire time.
Like being, educating and giving resourcesand making sure that each offering is
up to our our highest gold standards.
And we just want people when they cometo us to trust us that we have vetted
this to our, the best of our ability.
(31:45):
We put our stamp on it and we say, Hey,this can be a really good option for you.
And for those listening whohave been intrigued.
Enough to be this until the end.
What are one or two steps that they couldbe taking right now if they're so inspired
in their own, like first ofall, you don't have Yeah.
(32:05):
To become an
advocate for their own health.
So if you don't have healthcare, Iurge you to really look at something
to have for at least major medical,you're those high cost medical needs.
That's where the stem of thebulk of major, of debt comes from.
I would urge you to reallytry to find something.
And then number two is you can alwayscome to Indie pop and look at FAQs.
(32:27):
If you'd like to just get a betterunderstanding about things to look
out for in your healthcare plan.
You could always meet with one ofour people to compare something
that you might have and say, amI missing something in my plan?
And just see if something youshould stay with or move away from.
(32:48):
Great.
And for those listening, you couldgo to chef life radio.com/indie pop
for that very special landing pagethat's got all this information and
also links for everything, includingbooking a call and just asking a
question and be the dummy in the room.
Know what you don't know and bewilling to find the answers for
(33:08):
yourself because you have to beyour own best advocate in this.
If not there are plenty of peoplewho are gonna tell you what to think.
And you need to find out what youactually think and believe in.
Mel, any last words?
What are you looking forwardto in this year for Indie pop?
Oh, there's so much.
No really it's exciting because we'reworking with more and more providers,
(33:31):
doctor offices that really enjoy workingwith our plans, and so that's exciting.
My vision is to see that indie popaccepted here provider offices.
And creating more resources.
We added physical therapy.
I urge you guys you're on yourfeet, you're doing chopping
motions, you're doing standingmotions, you're doing whatever.
(33:53):
Register I iPad motions myself.
I'm like sitting constantly.
Not good.
But free assessment, free firstvisit with virtual pt and you
have nothing to lose there.
And see if there's someexercises you can do to help.
E alleviate, alleviate some of thepain no one should live with pain.
Totally get it.
(34:13):
Yeah.
Thank you so much for your time, Mel.
It's been a pleasure and I can't waitto catch up to you later in the year
and find out how everything's running.
Yes.
Thank you for your time andplease, we are here for you.
And we really want to make healthcare,put that care back into it again.
So that you're not just anID card anymore, but you're
a real human needing care.
Male, black.
(34:34):
Indie Pop, I-N-D-I-P-O-P, and you canview the resourcePage@chefliferadio.com
slash indie pop.
Thank you very much, Mel.
Thank you.
And so I'm really thrilled to bring ontothe show Insurance specialist and all
around avant-garde artist, Melissa Blatt.
Hey, Mel,
good morning or afternoon,wherever you are.
Exactly.
And I, this is a very interestingquestion or a topic of conversation
for me because I know in my career Ihave felt trapped in a current place of
(00:25):
employment because my insurance was tiedto my employer, and I know that I think
we're one of the only industrializednations that still does that.
And so I was really excited to learn aboutyou and what you've been doing in regards
to serving this particular community.
But first, before we get into indie popand its specificities, I was curious
(00:46):
to know if you could just give us a abroad brush of your career and whatever
got you into insurance 'cause I don'tthink it was your primary career, right?
I didn't when I was little, no one.
I never answered, oh, I wanna be inhealthcare when I grow up, but not as
a doctor or this was this, I feel likeit chose me that it was a challenge
(01:11):
that I faced and I couldn't let it go.
But yeah, I have I've had a careerin business development and marketing
and, started on the East coastand now I live in the great state of
Arizona and, but I've lived on, livedin LA and I've done a wide variety of
things in a bunch of different cities.
But I think I'm most passionate aboutwhat I'm doing now because it really
(01:35):
is impacting people's lives and.
For someone to say I can leavemy nine to five and do go out
on my own, is very empowering.
And you're right, the United Stateshas it where people stay at particular
jobs for benefits and some of thebenefits I. Are not that great.
And you're still paying out of pocket, oryou're still very limited and restricted
(01:59):
in, in, in how you approach healthcare.
And so you were you had I think acareer in in the arts for a long time.
Motion picture TV and stuff like that.
Yeah.
And I don't know how people are employedin that particular market segment, but I
would imagine that you had a good career,you had great pay, you had good benefits.
(02:21):
And then I. What happened?
There's certainly somethingthat had to happen to you Yeah.
To where you're like, oh my Godthere's an underserved market here.
So it I left LA and I left theentertainment business about 15
years ago and ended up in, in thetech world, which is really exciting.
And then I went out on my own todo biz dev for lots of different.
(02:45):
Employer.
So I was classified as a 10 99 contractor.
Which that word 10 99 is I think a lotof people out there can resonate that
you might be hired, especially all theshift workers out there that have the
side gig, you still, that's your 10 99.
And that's when I had my wake up call.
That I was excited to go intohealthcare.gov and see, 'cause I kept
(03:08):
seeing all these great ads for affordablehealthcare and I didn't really know
what to expect, but I thought myexpectations were actually pretty high.
I had sticker shock when I realizedwhat I was presented with, which
was, if you're familiar with thosemetal plans out there, the bronze,
(03:28):
the silver, gold, and platinum.
It was in my price range, a bronze HMO.
So an HMO means I have to get areferral every time I wanna see a
specialist, like a dermatologist.
And it's hoops, it's more hoops.
So that's why you'll see a PPO isprobably more expensive than your HMO.
And but what really got mewas the $9,000 deductible.
(03:50):
So that would mean that if I broke my leg,that's what I would be responsible for.
And it goes by your earnings, your age,your employment status, and your location.
And it's underwritten by an insurancecompany, which is a for-profit business.
Correct.
So anyway, that is whenI had the wake up call.
Wait a second.
This is not going to work for me.
(04:12):
This is, I don't want a $9,000 deductible.
I don't wanna change doctors.
I don't wanna have to call my doctorevery time I wanna see a different doctor.
So I just started exploring what wasout there in the market and we're
so used to the word just insurance.
That.
When I found that there was something,another model that it didn't have
(04:34):
the word insurance, but it was stillhealthcare, I was really skeptical at
first because I'm like what is this?
Why isn't this taking over?
Why?
But it's that wholeidea of cost sharing is.
Is newer.
And it has a really differentapproach to managing medical needs,
and that's where you become a memberof a large group or community that
(04:57):
shares the cost of medical needs.
And it's a managed nonprofit,so it's completely different.
The funds are there to beshared amongst the people in the
community and based on fair market.
Rates.
So I know I just talked a lot.
Do you wanna enter?
Sure.
You have Yeah.
What's bubbling in your mind right now?
I think the differentiation and thereason this is so prevalent to me
(05:18):
is I just went through my yearlysignup or reign up for healthcare.gov.
I've been on the marketplace forseveral years and have watched
how the costs have gone up.
And very rarely do people really talkabout it's just not your monthly premium.
And I qualify for a certain amountof help from the government there's
(05:43):
the premium that you pay and they haveall these other words that are sewn
in there, like co-insurance and copay.
And so typically speaking, it'sjust not when you're looking
at say anywhere like clearly.
The lower your deductible,the higher your plan.
So if it's a $5,000 deductible, thoseplans are typically in four, $500 ranges.
And as it gets, as the deductiblegets higher, the price comes down
(06:07):
because they know that they're gonnahave to pay out less over a course
of a year based upon your kind ofcontribution to that particular plan.
So the thing that first jumpedout at me was, and did you
wanna make a comment about that?
No, you're absolutely right.
But even the, that thedifference between a premium
and a deductible is very good.
(06:27):
The one that always, yeah.
The one that alwaysgets me is co-insurance.
Aren't I already paying for insurance?
And so there's all kinds of caveatsdepending on the particular procedures
and whether it's, as you said, whetherit's in-network or out network.
But the thing that's, that jumped outat me was this idea that healthcare.
Is for profit and healthshare is nonprofit.
(06:51):
So can you just diveinto that a little bit?
Because I'm pretty surethat a lot of folks.
Or like what do you mean?
Yes, profit burden?
Insurance is the transfer ofrisk, that's the definition.
And there's underwriting involved.
So obviously in the state of New York,you're gonna have different numbers
than in Des Moines, Iowa, because yourpopulation is different and they have
to go by the zip codes and the ageof the population, and it has to be
(07:17):
underwritten to determine the rates.
But the only way I think, or what I'velearned to make money is they either raise
rates or they deny claims, which right.
That is the worst thing to thinkabout is you get insurance to be
in place for when something badhappens, and if it's not there for
you, then what are you paying for?
But the reality is that most ofwhat the people that we talked
(07:38):
to in the last five years is.
It's now insurance has become sick carewhere it's just there for you really if
you break your leg or you're hospitalized.
But more and more people wantto be proactive in their health.
They want things like IV therapyor the red light therapy.
Red light therapy has be, has reallybeen something that people have
(08:00):
sought that says it's really helpful.
Physical therapy morethan just a few sessions.
If it's very odd that somebodycould have a, an insurance package
that allows for them to have in-homenursing and and physical therapy for
a minor condition or a, yes, like aminor condition, but somebody that
(08:22):
maybe has like a major condition.
They only will allow two hosp,two nurse visits and like
two sessions of PT something.
It's just, it doesn't make any sense.
But yes, we want WellCare and alot of the preventive services that
you see that are a CA compliance.
So what is a c?
A Affordable Care Act.
And they said, we're gonna give you allof these things like the screenings, age
(08:45):
appropriate screenings, mammograms at40, colonoscopies at 45 immunizations.
But if you talk to your doctor in thatannual wellness exam about something
outside of the scope, it could be codedas diagnostic, and then you're responsible
for it and it makes you second guess whatyou wanna talk to your physician about.
Especially if you'reon a very tight budget.
You shouldn't really have to be thinkingabout these things when you are there.
(09:09):
To really dig deep into what is,how are you so that we can detect
things early enough so that itdoesn't become a chronic condition.
Correct.
Western, go, please finish.
It's just,
It's very messed up.
Yeah.
So with health sharing or costsharing, or what we call it is
membership because that's reallywhat you're becoming a member.
(09:30):
Of a community and in yourmembership, what are your benefit?
That's what you get is yourhealthcare benefits.
That's that's what you get.
But they're based offof fair medical pricing.
So there really is a price for everything.
Doctor's visits, biopsiesgallbladder removals in your zip
(09:51):
code, a fair rate, reference-basedpricing of what it should cost.
And when people actually know thefigures out there that some
surgeries are really 6,000.
You might think, wait, if I pay cash forthis, it is a lot less than my deductible.
So a lot of people in this lastyear, this has really increased.
(10:11):
We're hearing more and more people,one, they're switching to direct
primary care doctors, which aredoctors that do not take insurance.
Usually they only take a membershipso that you have access to them.
And we're also seeing people thatare paying cash for a lot of medical
things out of pocket, just paying cash.
Yep.
But I guess that's where HSAs come.
(10:32):
Come into play.
That's
why that has health savings accountreally soared is health savings account.
That's correct,
yes.
Yeah.
And from what I understand, HSAs arelike a triple threat insofar as yeah.
Not only do you get to pay yourcosts, but there's tax savings and it
also increases in value over time.
But I also get that if you havea certain plan, healthcare plan,
(10:54):
you're not eligible for an HSA.
Which is weird.
You can set up an HSA, you canhave one through a bank and set
up a health savings account.
But the IRS in order for you toclaim pre-tax for your for your
taxes, it should be compatible withan insurance plan or a health share.
That is, it's called HSA compatible, whichusually has a high deductible and you're
(11:17):
gonna be responsible for your preventivecare before you reach your deductible.
So there's a lot of out of pocket.
That's why the government is sayingwe're gonna give you this tax break
on it 'cause you're paying a lot.
Self pay rates untilyou rate your deductible
And I don't if people are tuning inbecause we, you think this is gonna be a
bashing about our current healthcare.
(11:40):
System.
That's not what we want to do.
What we wanna do is provide alternativesbecause a lot of people don't know
that they have an alternative.
Now, before we get into that Iwanted to round back to fair medical
pricing because you mentioned thatphrase and that perked up my ears.
Who determines what a fair medicalpricing is and how is that?
(12:00):
There's a, it's a book.
That's a good question.
I think if you look at if yougo to your zip code and you look
up the average cash pay rate foran MRI, you're gonna see right.
You're gonna see a rate.
And many people are blown away if theyneed to get an MRI because a lot of
their insurance plans might say theyhave an $850 copay to pay for their
(12:24):
MRI, even though they have insurance.
But if they go straight to theimaging center, it could be 300.
That's exactly correct.
Yep.
And this is where we just try toeducate people that as consumers.
We shouldn't have to be experts inall the language that are in our
policies, but it's become that way.
Like you mentioned at the beginning,co-insurance is a percentage.
(12:45):
You are going to splitwith the insurance company.
And this could be on top of yourdeductible so that you think you reach
your deductible, but you still have this.
Particular co-insurance carriedwith you until maybe what is
called your max out of pocket?
Correct.
Your max that you wouldspend in a calendar year.
And that's where I caution people thatif you see a $1,500 deductible, great.
(13:06):
Okay.
Looks good.
Just keep reading to see if you hadto have hospitalization or a surgery.
If you have co-insurance.
Yeah.
I, and I think the one of the thingsthat really inspired me initially
about our conversation is thatyou've really set yourself up as a.
Resource for information.
Yeah.
Like you've set us up with the veryown Chef Life radio page which we'll
(13:28):
give that address out where you can goand get a lot of information about this.
And it's endemic inthe hospitality industry.
That people are either underinsuredor they're not insured at all.
Young people I was the young buck onceand thought I would never need insurance.
So maybe those first coupleyears I went without.
(13:50):
And that really is a risky thingbecause most of the injuries that
are occurring in the hospitalityindustry are re repetitive motion.
Where if you've been on yourfeet for 10, 12 years you've been.
Pivoting on your hips.
I just talked to a friend of minewho just went through a full hip
(14:12):
replacement, and typically that doesn'thappen until a little bit later.
Yet I have two adult daughters whoI've been constantly hounding for
the last three, four years that theyneed to make sure that they have
health insurance because typicallywomen's health is a little bit more,
(14:34):
complex than men's health.
And and not to say that oneis better or less than, but
they didn't have any option.
Like they didn't have, they couldn'tafford the marketplace and they've
created their own economy, their gigworkers and do a lot of different stuff.
And not necessarily one company enough tocreate sign up for their health plan.
(14:57):
But it worries me my one daughterhas implants breast implants, and she
started complaining that one was hurting.
And what do you do with that?
It's scary to.
Be without insurancefor any length of time.
And I think part of kind of theindoctrination of some companies is
like, Hey, you got great benefits here.
(15:18):
Oh I, for sure.
That has been a top talent to keep andretain top talent is offer benefits.
Really good benefits.
So let's break down.
First, I don't think we've evergone over the name in Depop and Yes,
please.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that stands for independent population.
Those are all of us that areon our own trying to obtain
(15:38):
and afford quality healthcare.
As a 10 99 LLC small business owner.
And what Indie Pop is it's a marketplacethat we handpicked specific health
shares to go into this marketplace.
So if you think of it as you havehealthcare, healthcare.gov as a
marketplace for insurance throughyour state, you could go to ind Pop.
(16:00):
We work in all 50 states and wehave open enrollment all year long.
So it's very flexible forpeople on your timeline.
The difference is that.
With these plans, what we hear mostlyfrom people is, especially like
what you just said and especiallymen or young men in their twenties
(16:20):
are, they think they're invention.
They do because you reallyhaven't been touched by life.
Sure.
Where and if you're working out andyou take your vitamins and everything
and you're healthy, you don't,you never think something you're.
If you got sick youcould get right over it.
But I always ask them, becausemale, young males are one of the
top surgeries for young males thatare unexpected, is your appendix.
(16:42):
Oh.
So I said, do you stillhave your appendix?
And they said, yes.
And I go, have you talked to it lately?
Is it doing okay?
And they laughed at me.
But it's true.
You have no idea.
That's true.
If your appendix is going to give youtrouble and it's still one of the top
surgeries that happen, that's out ofthe blue, you can be completely healthy.
Look up what an appendix removalis in your area at a hospital.
(17:06):
If you paid cash, just take a peek.
Now, we had somebody on one of ourindie pop plans and we have multiple
plans that people can choose from,and they're all different because
it's not a one size fits all.
Type of blanket of a healthcare system.
Not everybody wants mental health inincluded or prescription or these are
(17:27):
standard things that should be, but wehave plans that have additional benefits,
and then we have the basic, so thatjust protects you from the that big
appendicitis or something like that.
But he was a, he is a young guy,mid twenties and completely healthy.
His girlfriend called meoutta the blue two months ago.
Hey, in the hospital.
Is he okay?
(17:48):
He spent two days in the hospital with anextreme infection that he couldn't kick,
and he's on a plan that is at 1000 outof pocket for the entire medical need.
Very transparent, very set.
That's much different than if youhave ever had a medical emergency
or a surgery with insurance.
I think you're still gettingbills like over a year later.
Oh, sure.
We're like the staggering figure of only12% of Americans know how to read their
(18:12):
medical bill and really the odds thatit's going to be wrong the first time.
Actually, we've been told, throwaway your first medical bill.
It's not right.
Really if I could just providesome value, even more value here, is
that if you do, if you are faced witha, that you have a high deductible,
(18:32):
you had to go to the ER for a migraineor sprained ankle, please appeal.
If they're making you pay yourdeductible, your de your full
deductible, try to appeal it.
Because you can appeal, you can say no.
So yeah, there are PE one peopledon't really know that they can appeal.
Two, really look at your medicalbill and question, is it coded?
(18:55):
Did I really see these doctors?
Did they come in?
Were they in my network?
Am I being charged for that?
Different, you have the right todo that, and you have the right, most
hospitals have no surprise bill act.
So you shouldn't havethese obscene, crazy bills.
I think the one thing that a lotof people overlook when they're
(19:17):
thinking about insurance they'llopt in for health insurance, but
they won't opt in for dental care.
And there's more and moreevidence out there that
the mouth is I. Thegateway to your microbiome.
Anything happens in there.
There's all kinds of bloodinfections that can happen
(19:37):
with broken teeth and Yeah.
And bad implants.
And that's something that popsup eating blueberries and nuts and
all of a sudden you crack a toothand you think, oh no that's okay.
But the longer that goes un unresolved.
Increases your risk of heart diseaseand all it, it's staggering.
I just this, 'cause we never talkedabout this before, but I just
(19:58):
reading about this, it's really crazythat you're bringing it up because
they're linking some infectionsthat they see in mouths or.
I don't wanna give rootcanals a bad name, but no.
We're doing more studies aboutthis, that show to Parkinson's
and muscular and neurological.
Absolutely.
So I'm doing more research on thismyself, but yes, the mouth is a
(20:21):
great tell, tell, sign your tonguewhat's going on in your body.
And dental oral hygiene is yes.
It's a big one.
And we do have a, we do have a dentaland vision program that is also not
with insurance, but a membershipand it doesn't break the bank.
It starts at $8 and 95 cents a month.
(20:42):
Perfect.
Can't go wrong with that.
And it works in 48 states.
Yeah.
I wanted to just quickly mention mybrief experience with HealthShares.
I was working with a company andthey decided to offer health shares
as a. Kind of a, an alternative totheir basic health insurance package.
(21:02):
And when I started doing someinvestigation about it, it seemed to me
that the organization was faith-based.
And so they had some very clear duesand don'ts about the fact like, listen,
you can be part of our group you can'tbe smoking, you can't be drinking, da.
To be honest, I thought at that exposurethat's all health shares were and
(21:27):
probably something that I couldn't access.
Because of course I don't wantto have my claim denied somewhere
down the road because I smoked10 years ago or whatever it was.
But you told me that's not necessarilythe case with all health shares.
Yes.
And in fact, we don't haveany faith-based health shares
in our marketplace at all.
(21:50):
A faith-based health share is, yes.
It's a, it's out there.
Usually you have to declare your yourreligion and they have guidelines.
It's, they have a statement of faith, andif you abide by that statement of faith
then you know they should pay your claims.
If you don't, then they can.
Oppose or deny.
(22:12):
But yes, we this was a big factorA again, we vetted all of our
plans to be no annual lifetimecaps, no statement of faith.
They work in all, mostly all 50states across the United States.
So we look for things that werethat I myself could enroll in.
Sure.
And and so we.
(22:34):
We have a very specific partnershipswith companies that adhere and
continuously do the right thing.
They're out there.
We don't again, like we'renot poo-pooing insurance.
We're not gonna, sure, I'm not gonnapoo other health shares either.
We just chose it this time.
That the statement of faithwas a little too gray for us.
(22:58):
And I think to your point not todraw aspersions or anything like
that, but to be well informed I thinkis probably one of the best things.
And again, I really wanna thankyou for setting up our Chef
Life radioPage@chefliferadio.comslash indie pop.
Because I don't like what information outthere, it's almost like overkill because.
(23:20):
There can be so much information outthere that it becomes mind numbing
and you don't really know what theanalysis paralysis by analysis.
And so to clear it up in a very simpleand straightforward way, which you seem
to have done very successfully to me,is like a great service to be put, to
put it bluntly, because we've got a lotof stuff to think about in our industry,
(23:42):
a lot of other things to focus on.
And to not take the time to reallyunderstand what's going on with our
healthcare coverage whether that's regtraditional healthcare or healthcare,
I think is incredibly important.
And so I just wanna say thank youbecause I know there's a lot of people
out there who feel, again, just like Iwas, that feeling stuck and trapped in
(24:03):
a job that may not necessarily serve me.
But I got people who depend on me,so I need to make sure that there's
healthcare coverage for them and.
I just wanted to throw this commentout and see how it lands with you,
but it seems to me that what you'redoing provides a great deal of agency
for someone in our industry in thatthey can chart their own course, like
(24:25):
they're not bound to a job because thisis healthcare that I've gotten on my
own, or for coverage that I've gottenon my own, which would mean that I might
want to take a bigger risk insofar as mycareer is concerned because I'm not quite
bound to any particular organization.
I. Or entity.
So our, one of our core values is webelieve in people and their dreams, which
(24:46):
means that if you decide at some pointyou've been in an industry where you've
been working for someone as a W2, but youwanna go out on your own, that you can.
Be it be it a personal chef thatis it's your own company, what,
whatever it is that you are notbound, that your benefits are coming
(25:08):
from a a very specific source.
And that's the only waythat you can get it.
So this is an option for people thatare also being laid off right now.
I was just reading about more layoffs.
Alternative to Cobra.
If you're offered Cobra andyou can't afford the Cobra,
Cobra can be very expensive.
Way
expensive for sure.
This
is flexible.
It's month to month.
(25:29):
And so it's, again, it's justanother option out there that is not
mainstream, but I believe in the nextfive years it will be more, prevalent
in the United States as a healthcareoption as more and more people are
looking for, I want WellCare andI just need something in place for
the those high cost medical needs.
(25:49):
These are really really great plans.
Yeah.
Can you talk a little bit more like whatare your core value sets for indie pop?
Gosh.
So the number one, the number Ihope I don't miss one, but we bel
sorry leave your ego at the doorthat it was taken from one of the
tech companies that I worked at, andI just absolutely love it because I.
(26:12):
I, in my career, I have worked with peopleolder than me and much younger than me.
My last manager in tech was 18 yearsyounger than me, and I had to swallow
my ego because I had to learn.
But what I realized was I learnedfrom him, and if we approach things
as the glass half empty where we canabsorb and we can add to the cup, then
(26:33):
you know, we are in a place where.
Where we're just listening to eachother more than saying I know best.
There are cases where obviously thereare people that are experts that
you know but it's just a matter ofcoming to the table with just leave
your ego at the door and just listen.
We do the right thing in insurance.
(26:54):
There is, we're very transparent.
If somebody is not a good fit for Indiepop or any of our plans, we let them know
because the last thing I want somebodyto do is end up with a surprise bill.
And we are really there to helpescalate if anything goes off
track, it is still healthcare.
This isn't magic.
This is it.
I don't have the unicorn plan yet.
(27:16):
Our healthcare system is stillfar from being anything perfect.
But we innovate and constantly improve.
I think that there's always as fit.
You have to stay agile andyou, and things keep changing.
Every day, something changes and youhave to be able to change with that
and be able to constantly innovateand improve on what you have.
(27:39):
I have a couple other questions.
One of which strikes me is we have anelder population, we have folks who are,
towards the end of their careers andmaybe aging out of traditional healthcare
and be looking at something like Medicaredoes he shares, provide any opportunity
because that's not being cheap either.
(28:01):
No, but that's just it.
At the age of 65, you areeligible for Medicare.
Got it.
And so these health shares don'tneed to be part of that at all.
'cause you're gonna have, it's throughthe government part A, B, C, and D.
So no health shares are 18 to 64.
You'll age off at 65.
I do urge people that are in their sixtiesbecause it gets quite expensive, even the
(28:21):
age over 50 rates start to really go up.
That a lot of peoplethat are in that age group.
Can still explore these healthshares as a, as an option.
So it's just yeah.
No part with Medicare.
Yeah.
And starting and establishing and runningindie pop, what has that meant for you?
(28:44):
Oh my gosh.
First of all, anytime you are tryingto trail blaze something that's never
been done before there is no path thatI'm following in somebody's footsteps.
So it's.
It's like, what?
I don't know.
I really don't know.
And I am, I'm learning as I go, but whenI hear those words from people like,
where were you five years ago, Melissa?
(29:04):
This plan has been great.
Or I had my baby for a thousand dollars.
That wouldn't havehappened with insurance.
Or I was able to go out on my own or nottake that cobra that was $900 a month.
Those are reinforcing words,but I have a bigger vision for
helping really change and impactour healthcare industry because.
This is so important to Americans tobe able to have WellCare instead of
(29:31):
the sick care and not break the bank.
And I think it's time that we reallyexplore a hundred year old insurance
that we've had and say, okay, wedon't have to throw it all out, but.
We gotta make it better.
Like we gotta be, there's 57million self-employed people that
are slipping through the cracks ofour system because we are paying
(29:54):
just the most for healthcare.
And was that vision always big enough foryou to power through your dark moments?
Was there a moment where you'relike, shit, I like this is too hard.
Like I should probably give this up.
Because as you said,trailblazing in a new area.
Yeah.
I, like there have been momentswhere I felt like bark barking
into the wilderness andnever hearing anything back.
(30:15):
And so I, I was just curious if you hadgone through a moment where you're like
maybe I could be doing something else.
When you look at the, it'slike David and Goliath.
Me and David,
my little slingshot.
Because the industry is so big andthere's so much money in it, trillions
and trillions, that, yes, it can bereally daunting, but I would say at the
(30:40):
core of it is I'm so passionate aboutthis and I, again, I didn't choose I
think that's the other thing is that I.
I did it.
I just, I couldn't shake it after I wentinto the marketplace to see that, I'm
like, this is what's out there right now.
This is what we're faced with.
I'd have to change my doctors.
(31:01):
It's very disruptive and it's expensive,and I just, I couldn't shake it.
And I think when you get tothat point where you are mad.
Can you either complain about it ordo something about it and I chose,
I'm gonna do something about it.
And I've stayed with that mission.
I've had a few advisors out.
Some of my indie popadvisors say You have not.
(31:24):
Back down, like you have really stayedtrue to your mission the entire time.
Like being, educating and giving resourcesand making sure that each offering is
up to our our highest gold standards.
And we just want people when they cometo us to trust us that we have vetted
this to our, the best of our ability.
(31:45):
We put our stamp on it and we say, Hey,this can be a really good option for you.
And for those listening whohave been intrigued.
Enough to be this until the end.
What are one or two steps that they couldbe taking right now if they're so inspired
in their own, like first ofall, you don't have Yeah.
(32:05):
To become an
advocate for their own health.
So if you don't have healthcare, Iurge you to really look at something
to have for at least major medical,you're those high cost medical needs.
That's where the stem of thebulk of major, of debt comes from.
I would urge you to reallytry to find something.
And then number two is you can alwayscome to Indie pop and look at FAQs.
(32:27):
If you'd like to just get a betterunderstanding about things to look
out for in your healthcare plan.
You could always meet with one ofour people to compare something
that you might have and say, amI missing something in my plan?
And just see if something youshould stay with or move away from.
(32:48):
Great.
And for those listening, you couldgo to chef life radio.com/indie pop
for that very special landing pagethat's got all this information and
also links for everything, includingbooking a call and just asking a
question and be the dummy in the room.
Know what you don't know and bewilling to find the answers for
(33:08):
yourself because you have to beyour own best advocate in this.
If not there are plenty of peoplewho are gonna tell you what to think.
And you need to find out what youactually think and believe in.
Mel, any last words?
What are you looking forwardto in this year for Indie pop?
Oh, there's so much.
No really it's exciting because we'reworking with more and more providers,
(33:31):
doctor offices that really enjoy workingwith our plans, and so that's exciting.
My vision is to see that indie popaccepted here provider offices.
And creating more resources.
We added physical therapy.
I urge you guys you're on yourfeet, you're doing chopping
motions, you're doing standingmotions, you're doing whatever.
(33:53):
Register I iPad motions myself.
I'm like sitting constantly.
Not good.
But free assessment, free firstvisit with virtual pt and you
have nothing to lose there.
And see if there's someexercises you can do to help.
E alleviate, alleviate some of thepain no one should live with pain.
Totally get it.
(34:13):
Yeah.
Thank you so much for your time, Mel.
It's been a pleasure and I can't waitto catch up to you later in the year
and find out how everything's running.
Yes.
Thank you for your time andplease, we are here for you.
And we really want to make healthcare,put that care back into it again.
So that you're not just anID card anymore, but you're
a real human needing care.
Male, black.
(34:34):
Indie Pop, I-N-D-I-P-O-P, and you canview the resourcePage@chefliferadio.com
slash indie pop.
Thank you very much, Mel.
Thank you.
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