Bill O’Connell shares his CMF CURO membership experience:
I heard about CMF CURO after conducting an online search for Catholic health sharing, and now we are beginning our third year as members. We previously had traditional health insurance, but we decided to switch to the ministry because we thought health care was spiraling out of control with costs rising.
I was experiencing pain in my wrist and I went to see a hand specialist, who diagnosed it as torn cartilage. He offered two options: a cortisone shot or surgery. I opted for the cortisone shot which he said has a 60 percent chance of being the solution. While researching cartilage on the internet, I found an article about adult stem cells, and I found an office in Northern Virginia that specialized in this and scheduled a visit. At the time I was also experiencing increased knee pain which I had been told was the beginning of osteoarthritis.
The office recommended a stem cell treatment on my right knee, which was the worse of the two, and a platelet treatment in my left knee and wrist. The stem cells used in the procedure would be my own, taken from bone marrow.
I had the treatment done and the pain in my right knee was greatly diminished within about two weeks. It was projected that it would take 6 to 12 months for the full effect to be felt. I am still having treatment for my wrist, and the knee treatment required three visits to the office over a week. It has been more than three months and my knees are doing great.
The cost for the two knees and the first wrist treatment was $7,000. Without CMF CURO, I probably would not have been able to have the procedure as most insurance companies don’t cover it, considering it to be experimental. This might not have been possible, or I might not have been willing to risk the unknown results, if it was going to cost me $7,000 out of pocket.
CMF CURO enables me to live my faith by having health care that does not force me to pay for services that go against my faith.
Thank you, Bill O’Connell, for your commitment to Health Care Fully Alive!
