PLANTATION, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Medical expenses are soaring: insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs total about $26,000 for the typical working family of four, according to the most recent McMillian Medical Index. With the cost of telehealth services about 50 percent lower than visiting a doctor in person, and 95 percent lower than an ER visit, interest in telehealth is growing.
And while much of the growth in telehealth is currently driven by insurers including it in their group coverage plans, a new direct-to-consumer telehealth company, BumblebeeMD, focuses on meeting the needs of busy individuals and families.
BumblebeeMD aims to take the sting out of healthcare costs and complexities. With “One Card – Six Benefits,” and after paying a minimal annual fee, members gain free, unlimited access to a range of health-focused services, such as consultations with locally-licensed doctors, medical bill negotiation and more. And they can use all benefits at their convenience, as often as they choose, and at no extra charge via phone, computer, or smart device.
“BumblebeeMD is not a replacement for health insurance,” said Jennifer Stoll, Chief Commercial Officer for BumblebeeMD. “We help members manage out-of-pocket healthcare costs and provide them with access to experts to assist them in navigating healthcare’s challenging, and what can be confusing, landscape.”
Members get the following six convenient, money saving benefits with their BumblebeeMD card:
- Teladoc: Members get unlimited access to Teladoc, the leading provider of telehealth medical visits in the United States. They can discuss symptoms and get treatment from doctors anytime, anywhere for colds, flu-like symptoms, allergies, sinus and respiratory infections, poison ivy, pink eye, urinary tract infections and ear infections.
- eDocAmerica: Personalized responses to health and wellness questions from board certified physicians, psychologists, pharmacists, dentists, dietitians, and fitness experts.
- NurseLine™: Speak to a registered nurse about medical concerns, home health care, managing chronic conditions, doctor’s instructions, and medication dosages.
- Health Advocacy: Assistance in understanding insurance benefits, coordinating care, and finding services to support the member’s family health and wellness needs
- Medical Bill Saver™: Skilled negotiation to reduce medical bills and out-of-pocket costs. Successful negotiations average a 25%-50% reduction in medical bills.
- Health Wealth Connection: Better manage finances, stress, and health with the help of experts like Deepak Chopra, Geneen Roth, Dr. Mark Hyman and more.
“A typical telemedicine consultation anywhere else can cost upwards of $40 or more, however BumblebeeMD members do not get charged a consult fee,” said Stoll. “Not only can they save time and a significant amount of money, but they can avoid other illnesses by not going to the ER, a clinic or doctor’s office.”
BumblebeeMD focuses on providing quality, affordable, innovative healthcare solutions, to enable people to stay healthy, save money and simply enjoy life.
“Along with on-demand health care for the whole family, members also have access to many resources. This includes a huge team of health and wellness experts that they can call on at any time to negotiate medical bills, advocate on their behalf, and support them in their efforts to live successful, healthy lives,” said Stoll. “It’s a really sweet deal!”
About BumblebeeMD
BumblebeeMD is “one card with six sweet benefits” that takes the unnecessary costs and complexities out of modern healthcare, with benefits that include telehealth, medical bill negotiation and health advocacy services. Our mission is to make quality, affordable, innovative healthcare solutions available to everyone, so that families can spend less time and money on staying healthy and more time simply enjoying life. www.bumblebeemd.com.
