Walla Walla family finds health coverage contentment

Feb. 05--Katie and Roberto Masferrer struggled to find a health share organization that didn't require they tailor their own beliefs to fit with a Christian conduct contract.

The Walla Walla couple -- he's 36, she's 34 -- eventually found Liberty HealthShare to be the most inclusive they could find.

It was a long path that also required some soul searching.

The Masferrers, both Whitman College graduates, returned to Walla Walla in 2014. Katie took a job at a local winery and Roberto moved his acupuncture practice from Portland to Birch Street.

The couple worked toward success. But when the Affordable Care Act was fully implemented that year, they endeavored without success to find a plan that fit their finances and needs.

"Far from the affordable-for-all, health insurance-for-all it claimed to be, it caught many families like ourselves in a very tight spot," Katie said.

At first they cobbled together various plans. Roberto, who owns Kumo Acupuncture, bought "pricey" insurance for himself through Premera. Katie was covered by her employer and the children were enrolled in Washington's Medicaid program for kids, Apple Health.

With Roberto's background in complementary medicine and the young family's active lifestyle, the Masferrers said they rarely needed traditional medical care.

Most healthy families might make a trip to a doctor's office twice a year for a checkup, or to see a dentist or optometrist. Paying ever-rising premiums and a high deducible for rare occasions when more serious things occur is frustrating, Katie said.

In researching their options through a Walla Walla broker, the couple found the health insurance picture to be bleak. As well, ACA plans rarely cover vision or dental for adults, she noted.

Then Katie, afflicted with a genetic disorder called Ehlers-Danlos, quit her job, in part, when the illness flared up last year.

Suddenly there were doctor's visits, imaging charges and physical therapy to pay for, with no employer-subsidized health coverage.

But private family insurance plans under the ACA were not only going to impose a high deductible -- about $5,000 annually -- monthly premiums rang up at $1,000, give or take, Roberto said.

"It was frustrating for us," he said.

"It left us feeling ripped off and defeated," Katie added.

Then a family member mentioned health sharing ministries, something the Masferrers had not heard of. While many of the contracts required by organizations are "draconian" in their demand that coverage depends on adhering to Christian values of clean living, Liberty Health has a more open approach, said Roberto, who considers his faith to be a mix of Catholic and Buddhist.

"It lent itself to open-minded individuals," he said.

With a $1,500 yearly deductible and just under $400 a month paid into Liberty's coverage reimbursement pool, Roberto and his two children were set.

But not Katie.

While Liberty and other health share organizations tout language about including pre-existing conditions, she learned, some conditions do flat-out prevent membership. Like Ehlers-Danlos.

Although ACA expressly forbids denying insurance to people with pre-existing conditions, religious agencies like health share groups are exempt from that law.

"We thought it would be such an amazing solution for the entire family," Roberto recalled. "But Liberty drew a firm line at Katie's pre-existing condition."

As the national health insurance model stands right now, Katie is left to find health coverage or pay a tax penalty for not doing so.

Nonetheless, the Masferrers say they are happy to have found an alternative to buying traditional health insurance.

"We feel good about paying on this plan, rather than the stress and burden of insurance," Roberto said. "We are health-conscious, and we feel our money will be helping people in need rather than paying big corporations and for people who have bad habits."

Sheila Hagar can be reached at sheilahagar@wwub.com or 526-8322.

Sheila Hagar can be reached at sheilahagar@wwub.com or 526-8322.

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