Expanding health care options in St. George

ST. GEORGE — A new concierge medicine service is now operating in St. George.

The cost for a family of four to have health insurance has increased 67% in the last ten years, according to a 2019 report from CNBC. The cost of premiums and co-pays is only expected to grow even higher. A for-profit healthcare system, fragmented medical care, economic changes, and government policy all contribute to rising healthcare costs.

With an event like a pandemic bringing the importance of healthcare to the forefront, many in Southern Utah have turned to health insurance alternatives.

One Utah-based healthcare option is SelectHealth. SelectHealth is a traditional health insurance service under the umbrella of Intermountain Healthcare, based in Salt Lake City. They work with a network of hospitals and providers to offer healthcare services.

A Health care sharing ministry is one alternative to traditional insurance. In a health share, the costs of medical treatment are shared among members of a group, usually with common religious or ethical beliefs.

Zion Health is a health share based in St. George, Utah, and just one of the many health share ministries around the country. Founded in 2019 by Nathan Udy , the nonprofit aims to be a cost-saving alternative to regular health insurance.

In Zion Health’s model, patients pay a monthly fee into a pool. If they experience a medical need and require treatment, they pay a pre-agreed amount (it varies by plan, amounts between 1,000 – 5,000 dollars) and the rest of the medical bill is paid by the pool.

According to the Zion Health website, they also offer mental health services, telemedicine, and preventative care. Zion Health said they do not limit membership based on religious beliefs, and encourage living a healthy lifestyle as a part of membership in the health share.

Another alternative to health insurance is a type of care called “concierge medicine.” In concierge medicine, a physician charges a monthly membership fee and has a limited number of clients. It can be an expensive option, but usually offers greater attention to detail and access to the doctor.

My Team MD is a new concierge medicine service that just started in St. George, founded by Dr. Eric Holtrop. Holtrop was willing to sit down with Redrock Now and answer some questions about his practice.

Holtrop and his family moved to St. George from Grass Valley, California and started My Team MD just a month ago. He said they have been coming to St. George for the bike trails for years, and finally decided to make the move.

Holtrop has been a physician for 25 years, and in the past owned and operated several hospital services and outpatient offices. A combination of frustration with the healthcare system in the United States and a desire to take the next step led him to starting My Team MD.

“Insurance is a broken system in the United States,” said Holtrop. “It’s 500 dollars just to spend five or ten minutes with a doctor.”

Holtrop’s goal is that through a concierge service, he will have more time with each patient, more attention to detail, and ultimately better care. And in the case of some patients who require a variety of treatments, possibly even saving them money.

“Everything here is included. You don’t get charged for a biopsy, you don’t get charged for a stress test,” said Holtrop. “It’s all part of the membership.”

It’s not cheap, though. My Team MD charges a flat fee of $200 a month, or $2000 for a year. Holtrop said they will cap their number of patients at 400.

Holtrop admits that while he believes anyone could benefit from concierge type medical care, it may not be the best choice for everyone. For healthy young people who never see the doctor anyway, that kind of access could be superfluous.

Holtrop said the response so far has been positive. “I was told that a normal concierge practice like this takes about six to eight weeks to get your first patient to sign up,” said Holtrop. “In 15 days we had 30 people.”

“The whole idea is really customer care,” said Holtrop. “By me spending more time, being more thorough… we are going to prevent more medical problems and find things earlier.”

Disclosure statement: My Team MD is an advertising partner of Redrock Media, but did not sponsor this article.