Do Health Share Ministries Pay for Visits to Retail Clinics?

Retail clinics are clinics located within large retailers and may help bridge the physician gap for Americans.

Retail clinics have been popping up in many cities in recent years, offering more convenience to Americans. Visits to clinics located in retail stores are eligible for medical sharing if you’re a member of some health share ministries such as UHSM.

Retail clinics are healthcare facilities that offer walk-in medical services and are located within retails stores, including grocery stores and department stores. They fall under the umbrella of “convenient care clinics” (CCCs) and are operated and managed by local physician medical directors who work with clinic staff to provide proper medical care to patients who seek medical advice or treatment.

Retail Clinics Benefit Both Patients and the Medical Industry as a Whole

Retail clinics benefit both the healthcare industry and Americans who seek medical care by filling any health care gaps present due to demographics and socioeconomics.

According to a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), retail clinics offer the convenience of location and a more cost-effective approach to seeking medical attention. The cost for medical care at a doctor’s office costs an average of $166 for insured patients, compared to $110 at retail clinics.

People who may not live close enough to a traditional urgent care center or medical facility but have a local department store within close proximity can more easily receive the medical attention they need if there is a retail clinic located within the retail space they frequently visit.

These clinics can also alleviate the pressures of traditional urgent care centers by absorbing some of the visits that these centers typically receive. More specifically, the report showed that retail clinics can handle as much as 27 percent of common ER visits. Currently, over 100 partnerships have formed between retail clinics and conventional health care systems.

Retail clinic visits can be considered eligible medical expenses for UHSM health sharing program members.

How Do Healthcare Ministries Deal With Payment For Visits to Retail Clinics?

Health share ministries offer Americans a way to save money on medical expenses when compared with the cost of traditional health insurance premiums. These programs have been around for a couple of decades now, and their popularity has gained momentum in recent years. Now, over 2 million Americans are members of Christian health sharing programs and enjoy the savings as well as the thought of being a part of a group of like-minded people of faith.

With UHSM, for a retail clinic visit to be considered an eligible medical expense, the retail clinic must be a part of the First Health Network. Subject to a 60-day waiting period after becoming a member, members of a UHSM health sharing program can then use contributed funds for their medical visits to a retail clinic. 

UHSM offers several program levels for members based on needs and budget. To find out which program works best for you and your family, get in touch with a representative from UHSM today. Click here to see how much you can save with a health share program.