To all the Mayors, City Council Members, and City Managers – its important to note how MD Health Pathways can revolutionize healthcare access in your community. I know that you are all committed to making your cities the best they can be, and that’s why I wanted to share this with you. We understand the challenges you face – limited resources, rising costs, and the need to serve all of your citizens. We’ve developed our service to help address those challenges in a way that benefits everyone.
The MD Health Pathways Model: Simple and Equitable
At MD Health Pathways, we partner with cities and municipalities to provide our Tap Telehealth service to all residents. The model is simple and effective: We add a small, opt-out fee – approximately $10 – to the residents’ monthly water utility bill. We chose the water bill because it’s the one service that touches every single resident in your community, which allows us to provide affordable access to care for all. This mechanism allows us to keep costs low, making our services available at an extraordinarily low cost, while also making it accessible to everyone in your community!
The Power of Opt-Out: Resident Choice and Control
Here’s the key aspect of our model, you see, our system is not about forcing our service on any resident, rather it’s designed to give each and every one of them the ability to choose if they will utilize our service. Every resident has the power to opt out of our service at any time if they don’t want it or if they don’t see value in it. We believe in giving people choice and power over their healthcare decisions. We believe that giving people the ability to choose for themselves is the best approach, rather than us making a decision on their behalf.
Addressing Concerns about Water Utility Fees
We also know that adding anything to the water utility bill is a concern, especially when water rates are often going up. We are not insensitive to the fact that rate increases are upsetting, and that is why we have made our service completely optional. But unlike a water rate increase, our fee is completely optional, with an easy opt out feature for anyone who does not wish to utilize our services. This is a key difference that many have found to be a benefit of this model, because we are not forcing anyone to pay for something that they may not want. We are simply providing a service to the community for a low cost, and if they do not want to participate, it is as simple as checking a box. We are providing a great service to our community, and allowing each resident to decide for themselves.
The “Opt-Out” vs. “Opt-In” Debate
We also understand that you might be wondering why we use an opt-out rather than an opt-in model. Here’s the honest truth: When city leadership says “no” to offering a service like this, they’re effectively making that decision for everyone. But we believe in empowering individuals to make their own choices, and that’s what makes our model different. By making it an opt-out, we’re giving every resident the power to decide for themselves if they want to participate in this community health initiative. We believe in choice!
A Real-World Example: The Power of Choice
I remember a situation in a city we were working with, where a resident complained to the city manager about our opt-out fee. She said she did not believe that it was fair for her to have to opt out of something she didn’t want. But here is what the city manager told me happened next. A young mother, whose husband worked at a local fast-food restaurant and who she said had no health insurance and who was pregnant, stood up and shared that Tap Telehealth was the only affordable healthcare option for her and her family. She then asked her complaining neighbor if they would simply be willing to check a box, and take that small action so that others like her family can have access to such a valuable service? And after that, the complaining neighbor agreed, and supported the program and even thanked her for making her aware of this resource in the community! That is the real power of this system, it provides options that benefit all members of the community!
Community Benefits: Beyond Individual Care
When we provide access to simple and affordable care to everyone, the benefits extend to the entire community! This approach does the following:
- Reduces ER Visits: By offering a first line of treatment option for all residents, unnecessary ER visits are decreased, freeing up those resources for true emergencies.
- Increases Access to Care: We make sure that healthcare is affordable and accessible to every resident, regardless of their background or financial situation.
- Improves Overall Community Health: We help to promote preventative care so that the entire community can thrive.
- Supports Local Businesses: When employees are healthy, they are more productive, and that helps to strengthen the local economy.
- Strengthens Local Health Infrastructure: By partnering with local resources, we help to strengthen your current community resources.
Partnering for a Healthier Future
At MD Health Pathways, we are here to partner with you to make your communities the best that they can be. We know that healthy residents are the key to a thriving city, and we’re committed to making that a reality for you. We are here to help!
We hope you can see how the MD Health Pathways model can truly benefit your community and its residents, while giving all the power to them to make the best decisions for their families!
Ready to see how MD Health Pathways can transform healthcare access in your city? Tap into our services today and let’s build a healthier community, together!
