Frequently Asked Questions
General FAQs

The World Healthcare Cooperative is a member-funded, community-focused. Healthcare Cooperative, providing affordable Healthcare and Financial Services for Singles, Families and Employers, in the U.S. and World-Wide.

We are similar to an Agricultural Cooperative, which provides a “One-Stop” community business service for farmers. WHC is a “One-Stop” community healthcare cooperative providing affordable, non-insurance, healthcare services for you, and all members of your community.

Our Mission is to make your healthcare affordable, less financially risky and easier to manage.

Our Cooperative Members:

✓ Singles, Families and Employers.

✓ Medical Providers.

✓ Union & Trade Associations

✓ Non-Profit Organizations

✓ Rural Hospitals

✓ Community Towns & Communities

Corporate Headquarters: The World Healthcare Cooperative is based in Delaware. WHC offers Memberships, with Healthcare Plans and Financial Services throughout the U.S. and World-Wide.

Your Local Community Healthcare Cooperative: WHC offers its Healthcare and Financial Services via local Community Healthcare Cooperatives. Each CHC gives all community residents and companies local access to affordable Healthcare Services.

Contact Us for a directory and more information about your local Community Healthcare Cooperative. Email: MemberServices@WHCHealthcare.com

Members Self-Insuring Members

Members “Self-Fund” their Medical Costs and All Members “Crowd-Fund” other Members Medical Costs! Members helping each other afford their medical costs!

We are not an insurance company. We do not sell any type of insurance.

The Community Healthcare Cooperative: The Community Healthcare Cooperative, (CHC), is your local Healthcare Cooperative for the World Healthcare Cooperative. Your Community Healthcare Cooperative provides local Healthcare and Financial Services for all community residents and employers.

Contact WHC for a CHC Directory or if you would like to form a Community Healthcare Cooperative in your community.

NO! WHC is not a health insurance company and does not sell health insurance.

The reason we don’t sell insurance is that individual and group health insurance plans are too expensive and not affordable for most people. We don’t want to sell you a healthcare plan you can’t afford to pay or even use.

There are less expensive options and methods you can use to manage and pay for your Healthcare Services.

See below for just some of the ways WHC can help you.

✓ When you don’t have insurance, most Medical Providers give you discounts ranging from about 5% to 50%. Hospital discounts could be as high as 90%.

✓ When you don’t have insurance, you can use any Medical Provider and any Medical Service, you choose, anywhere in the U.S. and World-Wide.

✓ Monthly Cost: WHC Cooperative Healthcare Plans are about 50% less than expensive than ACA and Group health insurance plans. 

✓ Out-Of-Pocket Costs: ACA & Group Plans have Deductible and Co-Insurance costs, called the Annual Out-of-Pocket cost; averaging between $9,000 and $18,000 per year or more. You must pay this cost before the insurance company pays all your medical bills.

✓ WHC has No Deductibles or Co-Insurance costs: Only a simple and affordable Co-Pay for each medical service. Your Co-Pay is limited to only $1,000 per medical claim. Not $9,000 of ACA & Group Plans.

✓ How Your Medical Bills are Paid: With ACA and Group plans you must pay the plan’s Annual Out-of-Pocket cost before the insurance company pays your medical bills. With WHC, your medical service costs are paid on Day-One and Reimbursed to you, in cash, by WHC.

✓ Discounts and Subsidies: WHC gives you Discounts and Subsidies for being healthy, having a family, being a senior and having a low income. ACA and Group Plans, and Medical Providers are prohibited from giving you Discounts or Subsidies.

✓ Cash Reimbursements: WHC gives you Cash Reimbursements, on average, about 50% of your medical costs.

✓ Hospitals cannot charge you more than you can afford: Hospitals must discount your medical costs and offer you a payment plan you can afford. Contact us for details!

Summary: WHC Healthcare Plans are about 50% less expensive per month, have an 80% or more, lower Out-of-Pocket cost and you can receive Discounts, Subsidies and Cash Reimbursements!

WHC is a Healthcare Cooperative providing a wide range of healthcare related services for you, and all people and companies in your community.

In addition to the Benefits shown in FAQ 11, WHC provides the following Healthcare Services for You.

✓  Healthcare Management Services: For this Service, WHC provides you with a “Medical Concierge Service”. Your Concierge helps you manage your entire Healthcare Program. Your WHC Concierge helps you locate cost-effective Medical Providers and answers your healthcare questions. Your Concierge is Your Healthcare Advocate!

Your WHC Concierge performs for you a”Medical Billing Audit“. The WHC Concierge reviews your medical bills for billing errors, duplicate charges, and available discounts. If necessary, will interact with medical providers to resolve issues and establish payment plans when needed. Your healthcare financial auditor! 

Your Concierge is your “Healthcare Advocate”, who will represent you with any medical issue! 

✓  Healthcare Financial Services: WHC Manages Your Healthcare Money to pay your medical costs. Your Member Contributions are deposited into a bank or credit union. This account is called your “Member Medical Account (MMA)“. Your MMA deposits are used to pay your future medical bills. This business method is called “Self-Funding“.  We call it “Medical Self-Insuring“℠.

All WHC Member MMAs, collectively, help you and all other WHC Members pay their medical costs. This business method is called “Crowd-Funding“. We call it “Medical Crowd Funding“℠. Members helping each other afford their medical costs! 

WHC is your “Financial Manager”, who manages your “Healthcare Money”! 

Faith-Based healthcare plans are sold by organizations whose members share religious beliefs and values and use these as a basis for membership and paying medical expenses. In most cases, you are required to agree to their religious beliefs and values. WHC has no such requirements! WHC is similar, only to the fact that both WHC and Faith-based organizations do not sell insurance.

Members contribute a fixed dollar amount. When a member of the community is ill and needs help, the organization may send out a notice to other members. Other members are asked to send money to the member so the member can pay their medical bills. The organization usually has no or limited control over the money. WHC oversees and controls all Members’ money and payment of medical bills.

Many faith-based organization do not negotiate or review your medical bills. With WHC you have a Concierge Service who reviews your medical bills for billing errors, duplicate billing, discounts and appropriate pricing. Your WHC Concierge will represent you to resolve issues with any medical provider.

WHC adds two key business practices usually not found in faith-based organizations. First, WHC uses financial management tools and best-business practices to protect your money and receive affordable healthcare services. Second, religious beliefs are not part of WHC’s business practices and membership requirements.

There are many more differences that are explained in other FAQs.

Everyone can become a member of either the World Healthcare Cooperative or your local Community Healthcare Cooperative:

✓ Single Persons, Families and their pets

✓ No age or relationship Limitations

✓ Employers – All Staff, No Limitations

✓ All Types of Medical Providers including Holistic 

✓ Union and Trade Associations 

✓ Non-Profit & Religious Organizations

✓ Marketing & Sales Organizations

✓ Community Hospitals

✓ Communities, Towns & Administrators

To learn more about WHC Member types go to “Healthcare Plans” and other “FAQs”.

Yes!  Our “Meds Plus” program Cash Reimburses you up to $1,000 per year:

✓ No Co-Pays

✓ No Co-Insurance

✓ No Deductibles

✓ Purchase Anywhere You Get the Best Price!

WHC Discounts & Financial Subsidies

✓ Healthy Discounts:  If you are healthy, we lower your WHC Plan cost.

✓  Family Discounts:  The larger your family the greater your Discount.

✓  Senior Discounts:  For persons over 55.

✓  Income Subsidies: For Lower income WHC Members.

✓  Loss of Income Subsidy:  If and when you lose your income due to a medical event, we’ll pay your monthly WHC Membership Contributions.

✓  ACA & Group Plan Financial Subsidy:  We’ll pay your ACA or Group plan’s costs when you are diagnosed with a major medical illness and an ACA or Group plan is recommended for you.

Subsidies From Other Sources

✓  Medical Providers:  Most Medical Providers will give you a discount ranging from 5% to 50% or more. Check out your Medical Providers to see what they will give you. Always tell them you want their “No Insurance – Pay on Day of Service Discount”!

Also, Hospitals are required, by law, to only charge you what you can afford. Contact us for details on this Hidden Benefit.

✓  Your Employer:  Employers frequently subsidize the cost of an employee’s healthcare plan. Check it out.

✓  Trade Associations, Church and Fraternal Organizations:  Let us know your affiliation and we’ll check for subsidies and discounts.

✓  Federal and State Governments:  Not directly available through WHC.  However, WHC can check and make recommendations.

Anyone! There are no age or relationship limitations. If you want them on your plan, they can be included. Even your pets!

✓  You can use any Medical Provider, Any Medical Service, Anywhere in the World: No “In-Network” requirement. No limitations!

✓  Included Popular Coverages: Traditional Medical, Dental, Vision, Hearing. Plus Holistic, Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Labs, Tests & X-Rays, Vaccines, Medical Transportation and more.

✓  Prescription Medications are Reimbursed 100%: No Deductibles or Co-Pays.

✓  No Deductibles or Co-Insurance: Only a single, affordable Co-Pay.

✓  You Receive Plan Discounts From Medical Providers: For WHC Members and other people who pay on day of service. 5% to 50% from Primary Care and Urgent Care facilities. Specialists, more. To 90% for Hospitals.

✓  You Receive Plan Discounts from WHC: For Being Healthy, Having a Family, Being a Senior, Having a Low Income.

✓  You Receive Cash Reimbursements from WHC on Your Medical Costs: Approximately 50% of your medical cost.

✓  Financial Subsidies:

Loss of Income Subsidy – If and when you lose your income due to a medical event, CHC will pay your CHC Healthcare Plan’s monthly price.

ACA & Group Plan Financial Subsidy – WHC will pay your ACA or Group plan’s costs when you are diagnosed with a major medical illness and an ACA or Group plan is recommended.

✓  Receive Your Personal WHC Healthcare Concierge: Helps you manage your entire Healthcare Program. Reviews your bills for possible billing errors. Locates medical service discounts and cost-effective Medical Providers. Answers your healthcare questions.

✓  Get a Community Healthcare Savings Account (CHSA): Our CHSA is similar to a federal HSA with greater benefits. Here’s a key difference. WHC pays you 5% interest on your CHSA balances.

✓  Get Sponsorship Bonuses: You can receive $100 for each person or family you Sponsor who join and purchase a WHC Healthcare Plan.

✓ ✓  Plus More… How to receive a free WHC Healthcare Plan – Contact WHC!

To see typical WHC Healthcare Plan Prices, look at the following table.

To get your WHC Healthcare Plan Price, you have four options:

1) To get a Quick Quote NOW: Use the Quote Form to get your Special Member Price. Select the Menu option “Get Your Quote NOW”. Answer just a few questions and you’ll see your WHC Healthcare Plan price.

2) Request a “Meet or Beat”: On the Quote Form, tell us the price we need to “Meet or Beat”. Use your current Healthcare Cost, your monthly Budget or a Quote you received. We’ll do our best to “Meet or Beat” your request.

3) Make a “Bid Request”: On the Quote Form, enter the price you will pay for your Healthcare Plan. We’ll send your “Bid Request” World-Wide to get Quotes. Let’s see the best price we can get for you!

4) Request a Custom Quote: On the Quote Form, first, tell us in the “Special Needs or Request” field that you want a Custom Quote. Next, use the “Quote Form to enter the persons and pets you want included in your WHC Healthcare Plan. We’ll design a custom Healthcare Plan for you. We’ll be back to you very shortly.

Typical Member Weekly Pricing:
Age – Price
< 20: $34.60
20: $44.18
25: $46.59
30: $52.12
35: $55.72
40: $59.09
45: $68.40
50: $84.79
55: $105.23
65: $125.33
For a Pet Dog or Cat: $31.21

Bidding is another method to get an affordable Healthcare Plan.

To initiate a “Bid”: Go to the Quote Request Form. Enter your contact information. Go to the “Place Your Bid” field. Enter your “Bid“, the amount you will pay to purchase your Healthcare Plan.

What we do: We’ll send your “Bid” World-Wide to get Quotes. We’ll target various State Healthcare Exchanges, direct to Health Insurance companies and other companies offering Healthcare plans and services.

How long does Bidding” take? The bidding process may take up to one week to see results.

Let’s see the best price we can get for You!

We’ll do our best to “Meet or Beat” your price.

First, WHC Healthcare Plans have no Deductible or Co-Insurance. WHC only has a simple and affordable Co-Pay. Health Insurance has the following costs:

Deductibles: You must pay your Deductible before the insurance company pays any of your medical bills. The only exception is for your annual wellness doctor exam. Annual Deductibles usually range between $2,000 and about $9,000 per person. Double for a family. WHC has no Deductibles!

Co-Insurance: After you pay your Deductible, most insurance plans require you to pay Co-Insurance. Your Co-Insurance amount is calculated by subtracting your Deductible from your plan’s “Annual Out of Pocket Cost”. WHC has no Co-Insurance!

For example, If your plan’s Annual Out of Pocket Cost is $9,000 and your Deductible is $2,000, your Co-Insurance is $7,000. Co-Insurance is partially paid by you and the insurance company until you’ve paid $9,000.

You must pay $9,000 before the insurance company pays all your medical bills.

Most people don’t have $9,000 to pay their medical bills. Do you? That’s the question!

Co-Pay: Your Co-Pay is the amount you pay for a medical office visit. Co-Pays are usually around $25 to $100 up to maybe $250. Note, Co-Pays and Co-Insurance are not the same.

Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost: This is the total of the Deductible plus Co-Insurance. This is your annual maximum you must pay before the insurance company pays 100% of your medical Bills1

All-In Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost: This is the cost of your monthly insurance payments plus your Annual Out-of-Pocket cost. See the above example.

Example: If your monthly insurance cost is $600, your annual cost is $7,200. If you fully use and pay your plan’s Annual Out-of-Pocket cost of $8,000, your true Annual Out-of-Pocket cost is $$15,200, ($7,200 + $8,000). Also, if you have a family plan your Annual Out-of-Pocket cost may be $16,000 (2 times $8,000).

The All-In-Annual Cost is the real number you need to know and use to compare all insurance plans to a WHC Healthcare Plan.

Great Question! There are several methods that can be used to pay your medical bills.

✓ Initial Medical Benefit: When your WHC Healthcare Plan is first designed, you select your Initial Medical Benefit Amount.  Options are from $1,000 to $25,000. This amount is available to you on your WHC Membership’s Effective Date.

As your Membership Contributions are received, your Member Medical Account (MMA) Account Balance is increasing. You are “Medical Self-Funding” your future Medical Costs.

✓ If and when your Medical Costs Exceed your MMA Account Balance: If you have any medical cost that exceeds your MMA Account Balance during this build-up period, your approved Medical Costs Reimbursement may be processed by; (1) Bank Overdraft Protection, (2) WHC “Medical Crowd Funding“, (3) Medical Financing, or (4) in extreme need by, “GoFundMe“. We’ll help you with these choices.

Bank Overdraft Protection: Most of our affiliated banks and Credit Unions offer Overdraft Protection. Your medical bills would be paid and the bank will establish a repayment program.

WHC Medical Crowd Funding: Medical Crowd Funding, as used here, is when other WHC Members use their MMA Funds to help pay your Medical Cost Reimbursement. Our Medical Crowd Funding is a Loan with either 0% interest or a very low interest rate.

Your Membership Contributions will then be used to repay the Medical Crowd Funding money advanced by the WHC Members.

Medical Financing: There are several medical financing companies. We’ll help you with this choice.

GoFundMe: For very large medical costs, we would suggest establishing a GoFundMe program. WHC will assist and pay your GoFundMe fees and costs. GoFundMe is Crowd Funding available on the internet that allows people to raise money for various life events, including healthcare costs.

It is our mission to do everything we can to help you manage and pay your medical bills!

Note: At all times your medical costs are your responsibility to pay. Neither WHC or any WHC Member assume any responsibility to pay your medical costs.

Let’s Separate Fact from Fiction: First, let’s address the question about $100,000 medical bills. In realty, they don’t exist.

We looked at over 11,000 CPT codes, which Medical Provider’s use to describe their medical procedure for billing purposes. Then we looked at what the Medical Provider actually received. We were surprised to see that almost all major illness and injury treatment costs were less than $10,000.

In one case, the Medical Provider billed insurance $125,000. Insurance paid only $25,000, which the Medical Provider accepted. You can get similar reductions!

What Do Facts and Statistics Show: Below is a partial listing of typical medical treatments and costs. These Statistics were provided by various medical and governmental groups. You can see them on the Internet. Costs do significantly vary among Medical Providers.

Here are some interesting examples. Notice, no medical treatments are close to the $100,000 people talk about!

A Coronary Artery Stint was billed $141,902. The Medical Provider was paid $12,368 (Boulder Hospital statistics).

For a knee procedure, one hospital billed $43,672 and was paid $10,704. For the same procedure, another hospital billed $35,846 and was paid $7,964.

This shows you why you need to get and compare pricing. There are many such examples. CRAZY!!

Urgent Care Non-Routine Medical Services:
➤ Over 100 Medical Services for under $200.
➤ Stitches: $149.50
➤ Sprains, strains & joint pain: $174.50
➤ Broken Bone: $200 to $400

Hospital Non-Routine Medical Services:
➤ Foot Surgery: $3,000 to $10,000
➤ Pulmonary Embolism: $5,439
➤ Nerve Disorders: $6,101
➤ Kidney & Urinary Tract infection: $6,519
➤ Pneumonia & Pleurisy: $6,863
➤ Rotator Cuff Surgery: $8,512
➤ Spinal Surgery: $8,800 to $29,720
➤ Major Chest Procedures: $11,489
➤ Knee Replacement Surgery: $14,088

Summary: As you can see, most major, Non-Routine Medical Services are under $10,000. None are close to a $100,000 cost.

You have 3 Options: First, any $100,000 medical cost would likely come from a Hospital. Below are some of your options. There could be more.

✓ A Little known Law. There is a way to require the Hospital to reduce their cost to what you can afford. We’ll share this little known option with you!

✓ Medical Financing. There are companies that will finance your Medical Costs! We’ll research these options for you

✓ GoFundMe: GoFundMe is whereby many people may contribute to your particular need. GoFundMe can be researched on-line.

Summary: Our Mission is to make your Healthcare affordable. We will explore all available options for you to make this happen.

This is what happens with an ACA or Group Insurance Plan

Here’s an Example – If you have a traditional ACA insurance plan with a $3,000 deductible and a $6,000 Co-Insurance cost, your total annual Out-of-Pocket cost is $9,000. NOTE, You must pay the $9,000 before your insurance pays all your medical bills!

You have a Medical Event: Let’s say you break your arm and the Medical Provider’s charges are $10,000. The same year, you have another medical event, and that cost is $5,000. In one year you have $15,000 of medical costs.

What You Pay: The insurance company reduces the $15,000 costs, to say $8,000. However, you must pay the full $8,000 because you have not yet met your $9,000 annual Out-of-Pocket cost. You paid $8,000. Your insurance paid $0!

This is what happens with a WHC Healthcare Plan

Because you are a WHC Member you can receive a “Self-Pay No-Insurance”, discount from the Medical Provider.  The Medical Provider reduces your cost from $15,000 to say $8,000, the same as the insurance company. Your bill could be reduced even more depending on the Medical Provider.

You submit the $8,000 bill to WHC. WHC reimburses you 50%, $4,000. WHC saves you $4,000 compared to a traditional insurance plan where you would have paid $8,000.

Here’s the real problem with Traditional Health Insurance! 

Many people even struggle to pay their monthly premium only to be faced with an unaffordable $9,000 or more Out-of-Pocket cost.  There’s more, with a family, the Out-of-Pocket cost is usually double, $18,000 or more. Most people don’t have $9,000 to pay the insurance company’s Annual Out-of-Pocket cost.

 This is the main reason people file a medical bankruptcy!

Now, look at your Annual All In Cost. If your monthly premium cost is $500, your annual premium cost is $6,000. Add the annual Out-of-Pocket cost, $9,000, you have an “Annual All In Cost” of $15,000.

Most people are not aware of these insurance Financial Risks. Now you are aware!

Avoid these Financial Risks. If you can’t pay either the annual Out-of-Pocket or Monthly Cost, you shouldn’t buy health insurance. Buy an affordable WHC Healthcare Plan instead!

Below is a partial listing of typical medical treatments and costs. Costs can significantly vary among Medical Providers.

These Statistics were provided by various medical and governmental groups. The statistics show that almost all major illness and injury treatment costs were less than $10,000. In one case, the medical provider billed insurance $125,000. Insurance paid only $25,000, which the medical provider accepted. You can get similar reductions!

Urgent Care Non-Routine Medical Services:
➤ Over 100 Medical Services for under $200.
➤ Stitches: $149.50
➤ Sprains, strains & joint pain: $174.50
➤ Broken Bone: $200 to $400

Hospital Non-Routine Medical Services:
➤ Foot Surgery: $3,000 to $10,000
➤ Pulmonary Embolism: $5,439
➤ Nerve Disorders: $6,101
➤ Kidney & Urinary Tract infection: $6,519
➤ Pneumonia & Pleurisy: $6,863
➤ Rotator Cuff Surgery: $8,512
➤ Spinal Surgery: $8,800 to $29,720
➤ Major Chest Procedures: $11,489
➤ Knee Replacement Surgery: $14,088

Summary: Almost all Medical Providers will give you a discount when they don’t need to bill an insurance company and can receive their payment on the day of service.

Hospital ERs and Stand-Alone ERs should only be used for severe, life-threatening medical situations. Hospital bills will be about 10 times higher than an Urgent Care.
Typical visit or per day cost average about $3,949. Average stay cost is $15,734.

Only If You Have Major Medical Issues:  You should only purchase an ACA or Group plan if and when you have a medical condition requiring long term, expensive medical treatment. 

An example would be when your monthly medical costs exceed about 40% of your monthly income, you should consider purchasing an ACA plan. We’ll help you with this decision.

Otherwise, avoid purchasing any traditional, expensive, health insurance plan, especially for a family.

Here’s a Tip!  If you have a family, and one person has a significant medical condition, have that person purchase an ACA plan.  Keep the rest of the family on a WHC Healthcare Plan.  This practice would be the most affordable way to proceed.

We have Healthcare Plan options that will pay your ACA monthly cost and your ACA plan’s $9,000 annual Out-of-Pocket cost. Ask for details.

Yes ! Offer both and let each Staff Member decide which plan they want.

Comparing a CHC Healthcare Plan to an Employer Group Plan:

✓ Group Plan Price: One price regardless of age or health condition. WHC Plan: Customized for each Staff Member, with Discounts and Subsidies.

✓ Group Benefits and Coverages: Limited. WHC Plan: Any Medical Service, anywhere in the U.S. and World-Wide; Dental, Vision, Hearing, even Holistic.

✓ Group “Open-Enrollment”: Limited. Not available to all your Staff Members. WHC Plan: Open to any and all Staff Members; Full-Time, Part-Time, Families, Legal Aliens, Affiliates, 1099s, Volunteers. If you want them on your WHC Healthcare Plan, they can be WHC Members!

Summary: Group Plans are limited and expensive for you and your Staff Members. A WHC Healthcare Plan is open to all Staff Members with greater Benefits and a much Lower price. No need for employer to pay Subsidies. Offer Both Healthcare Plans. Let Your Staff Choose!

To Learn More: To see other areas of the Website, Navigate using the “Header Selections”. Visit “Healthcare Plans” and other “FAQs” to get answers to more specific questions based on your area interest.

Next, if you have questions, requests or want us to contact you, Click the “Contact World Healthcare” Button in the Menu and on all pages.

To get your WHC Healthcare Plan Price, you have four options. Each are explained and are available on the Quote Form. Click the “Get Your Quote Now” in the Menu Or “Request a Quote” on all pages.

✓ To get a Quick Quote NOW: To get your Special Member Price On-line.

✓ Request a “Meet or Beat” We’ll check all available Discounts and Subsidies to get you the price you want !

✓ Make a “Bid Request”: When companies Compete, You Win !

✓ Request a “Custom Quote”: Totally personalized for you !

Thank You for your continued interest! The FAQs Follow.