Episode Summary:
- Most people assume health insurance is mandatory and the only path to care, but that belief is largely driven by habit and misinformation, not necessity.
- Healthcare costs and complexity persist because consumers lack transparency, guidance, and aligned incentives, not because better alternatives don’t exist.
- Health sharing, combined with tools like telehealth and proactive planning, can provide an affordable safety net while restoring community, transparency, and purpose to healthcare.
Full Episode Transcript
Dan (00:05)
Welcome to Uninsured by Choice, a podcast here to help you navigate the healthcare system without insurance. I’m your host, Dan, and we are sponsored by Zion HealthShare, a nonprofit medical cost-sharing community that serves as an alternative to health insurance. Today we’re joined by Eric Baird, a healthcare educator and entrepreneur who helps individuals and business owners understand healthcare alternatives to traditional insurance.
Through whatishealthshare.com, Eric explains how cost-sharing communities work, what to look for in a membership, and how to avoid common pitfalls. With a background in nonprofit fundraising, he’s drawn to health sharing’s altruistic, neighbor-helping-neighbor model and is passionate about aligning healthcare with purpose, generosity, and impact. He’s a husband and father of four who loves traveling with his family. Eric, welcome to the podcast.
Eric Baird (01:03)
Thank you. Glad to be here.
Dan (01:04)
I think I nailed that bio, right?
Eric Baird (01:07)
That was perfect.
Dan (01:09)
Before you got into healthcare, what assumptions did you have about insurance and the system that you no longer believe?
Eric Baird (01:13)
I worked in corporate America for a long time, starting at Raytheon. They had one of the best insurance plans you could get, a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan. Every year you had to renew it, read through a massive document, and figure everything out. When you’re young, you don’t really read it. You just pick the cheapest option and focus on the copay.
My mindset was always about minimizing what I’d pay out of pocket when I went to the doctor. Before entering this industry, my assumption was that insurance was something you had to have. Everyone had it. It was just part of the club. The first thing a doctor’s office asks is, “Who’s your insurance?” When someone else was paying for it through my job, it didn’t feel like a big deal.
But when you don’t have insurance and you say that out loud, there’s a stigma. You feel like you’re doing something wrong. I assumed insurance was mandatory and that whether it actually benefited my family didn’t really matter.
Dan (03:08)
That’s probably the most common answer we hear. People assume insurance is a necessary evil and the only way to access healthcare. The system reinforces that from the moment you get your first job.
Eric Baird (03:43)
Exactly. People still think the Affordable Care Act mandates insurance, even though the federal penalty was eliminated years ago. Some states still have mandates, but many people don’t realize the federal one is gone.
Dan (04:12)
You still declare coverage status on your taxes, even though the penalty is zero.
Eric Baird (04:22)
Right, and that keeps the confusion going.
Dan (04:27)
Was there a moment where you personally saw the system break down?
Eric Baird (04:36)
Yes, when you have kids. Maternity care is a big one. We were looking at $17,000 per birth. We have four kids, and during the 2008 recession we were on unemployment in California. The bills would come in, insurance would cover them, and I kept thinking, who’s really paying for this?
Health sharing handles maternity incredibly well from a community perspective. We’ve been fortunate not to have major medical events ourselves, but I’ve seen others rely on health sharing during things like cancer treatment. One of my sisters went through cancer care that totaled $250,000. That would have financially destroyed her without help.
Dan (05:59)
As a cancer survivor myself and a father of three, I’ve seen this firsthand. It’s wild how costs rise without anything changing. Our first child cost around $10,000, and our third was $15,000 in the same hospital with no complications. The only difference was time.
Eric Baird (06:49)
Exactly.
Dan (07:03)
From your perspective as someone who can sell traditional plans and consult on health sharing, what problem in healthcare bothers you most?
Eric Baird (07:34)
People don’t know how to navigate the system. They don’t know costs, they don’t know they can ask, and they don’t see healthcare as something they’re consuming like any other service. You wouldn’t order a hamburger without knowing the price, but that’s how people approach healthcare.
Dan (08:44)
There’s no transparency, and even people in the industry don’t fully understand it.
Eric Baird (09:06)
Another issue is incentives. In some countries, doctors are incentivized to keep you healthy. Here, the system makes money when you’re sick. It’s not designed around patient outcomes.
Dan (09:40)
Until financial incentives align with health outcomes, nothing really changes.
Dan (10:09)
Given the system we have, what’s the practical solution?
Eric Baird (10:30)
Consumers need trusted guides. Telehealth is a great example. Having someone you can talk to first can prevent unnecessary ER visits. There’s also a psychological side to healthcare. Sometimes you just need reassurance.
We’ve used telehealth while traveling when our daughter was hit in the head by a heavy door. A doctor evaluated her virtually, reassured us, followed up the next day, and saved us thousands of dollars and hours in an ER.
Many health shares include telehealth as part of membership. That support helps members make better decisions and protect their families.
Dan (14:22)
Information, education, and support really seem to be the answer.
Dan (14:50)
What would you say to someone considering dropping insurance altogether?
Eric Baird (15:17)
Some people prefer paying for what is instead of what-ifs. But emergencies happen. Health shares provide a safety net. There are different tiers depending on your risk tolerance. For young people, it can be extremely affordable.
I’ve seen people skip coverage, then face major diagnoses like cancer and have to raise $150,000 through GoFundMe. A health share could have reduced that to a few thousand dollars.
Dan (17:02)
Better late than never, but planning ahead matters.
Dan (17:30)
For someone new to health sharing, what should they look for when comparing options?
Eric Baird (18:01)
Payment models matter. I prefer models that pay providers directly instead of reimbursement. You should also look at the organization’s values, whether it aligns with your beliefs, and whether it has a large enough membership base to be sustainable.
Reviews are critical. That’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed with Zion HealthShare for years.
Dan (20:48)
A common criticism online is that health shares “aren’t required to cover anything.” How do you respond?
Eric Baird (21:16)
That criticism is technically correct. Health shares aren’t insurance, and that’s why they’re affordable. But they have strong track records of helping members. Reviews and transparency matter more than legal technicalities.
Dan (22:35)
And because most health shares are nonprofits, people can review Form 990s to see exactly how money is used.
Eric Baird (23:26)
Transparency builds trust. My health share sends regular reports showing how much has been shared to help members. That means a lot to me.
Dan (24:35)
It’s an alternative not just in how care is paid for, but in the entire model.
Dan (25:21)
Eric, thanks for joining us. Where can listeners learn more?
Eric Baird (25:30)
Tryhealthshare.com is a great starting point, especially for beginners. You can also visit whatishealthshare.com for deeper education.
Dan (26:07)
That’s perfect. Thanks again, Eric, and thanks to everyone listening.
Eric Baird (26:29)
Thanks for having me.
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