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The Amish Solution to the U.S. Healthcare Crisis

Amish communities pool resources and negotiate discounted medical care.

by Dave Bunnell

Monday, March 19, 2007

As part of their rejection of the secular world, the Amish choose to go without health insurance or Medicare. When they go to the hospital they pay for the services in cash, but this doesn't mean they pay the full rate.

In places like Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where there is a concentrated community of Amish, they send representatives to the local medical centers to negotiate a discount.

"No deal, no patients," the Amish representative recently told Lancaster health officials. Because the Amish represent $5 million in business (all cash), the officials caved in and cut them a deal, agreeing to discounts of up to 40%.

For decades, the Amish community has pooled resources to pay for medical care. They have also demonstrated their resourcefulness by traveling to Mexico (by train), where they often negotiated even better rates.

For practical and legal reasons, the Amish solution to health care might not work for everyone; however, you have to applaud their resourcefulness and their commitment to help one another when in need.

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