THIS TIME ON CODE WACK!
Why are some Americans choosing to go off the health insurance grid? For Lani Gonzales, entrepreneur and hypnotherapist, it was the mounting frustration with denials, delays … and ultimately being dropped by her health insurer through no fault of her own. So instead of reapplying she walked away—and pieced together a system for herself. Combining medical tourism, concierge medicine, a health share and even reclaiming her Philippine citizenship, Lani took an unconventional route to take control of her health care.
What drove her to make these radical changes—and what can we learn from her journey? This is the second episode in a two-part series.
Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!
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SHOW NOTES
WE DISCUSS
You were born in the Philippines and recently reclaimed your citizenship there, gaining access to a country with universal healthcare. What inspired you to take that step—and how challenging was the process, even for someone born there?
“Yeah, so I was born in the Philippines, and I ultimately did decide to get my second citizenship and there can be a lot of tricky steps here and there. For example, when I did go down to the embassy, there’s a line of people who thought they did it right and they didn’t have the right type of birth certificate, they didn’t fill out the form. And some of those people traveled from a different state and had to be told, ‘I’m sorry but this is not right. You have to get the other documents and come back.’ So there are companies that help. For example, DNA Citizen is a company, it’s owned by my friend actually. He’s a very good person and he helps people go through that process. So for myself, even though I was born in the Philippines, there are still loopholes and technicalities you wanna make sure that you can comply with.
“And the Philippines does have a universal healthcare system. But one of my really big concerns is global freedom. The world around us is shifting in really big ways and if I am to rely on medical tourism and in the back of my mind at the time it was if I have cancer and I need medical care and I need to be able to afford it and leave the country for that medical care, I need to be able to have the freedom to actually leave my country.
“And the United States has gotten into some conflicts that are beyond our control, but what we can control is our global freedom and access to systems that actually care for us. So my intent was twofold, Number one, yes the Philippines has a universal healthcare system, which I am now qualified to get those benefits. But the bigger one for me is if something happens where my fancy blue American passport no longer lets me into other countries, I have another passport. I have a plan B that I can secure medical care whenever I need, regardless of what the president is doing. I have that freedom.” – Lani Gonzales
After battling multiple insurance issues … you turned to medical tourism, health shares, concierge care, and even establishing citizenship abroad. What gave you the confidence to build this alternative system, and why did it feel like your best option?
“Oh, I did a lot of research. So going to the health share, it essentially operates like insurance companies except it’s not going to this corporation. It is a group of people who have said, ‘Hey, can we pool our resources together?’ Instead of paying that two, three, $400 to a corporation, we pool our money together every month and whenever somebody is sick or Ill, they file a claim just like an insurance company and we pay just like an insurance company. And I did a lot of research as a lawyer. I even [asked], ‘How many times were they sued? What legal trouble have they been in?’ Because if someone doesn’t get paid, someone’s gonna sue. And I saw that all was well. The company that I went with had almost 20 years of experience operating and paying claims.
“… there is also no quote unquote out of network. I’m not gonna go to a hospital and they go… ‘sorry, it’s not covered.’ … whatever care you’re given, as long as it is reasonable and as long as it is related to your treatment, you bring it to the health share, you file your claim. They don’t care [which] doctor, where they were [located] or what country … So I love the freedom of that, to say there is no such thing as out of network. I love the idea that I’m not feeding a corporation that’s never going to feed me.” – Lani Gonzales
How did you get the care you needed, since health shares often include some coverage restrictions?
“… there are now concierge services. There are medical professionals who operate out of the paradigm of insurance. What does that mean? They’re not looking at coding. They’re not finding different things that they have to comply with because sometimes health insurance, they require you to do this first and then this first and you don’t qualify for this medicine unless you’ve tried this medicine.
“Concierge services are done by people who don’t necessarily take insurance, which means they don’t have to play by those rules. If you are sick and they think it is a gut issue and not an actual issue with your brain or your heart, they go, ‘let’s look at your gut, let’s look at what’s really at the root cause.’ They have the freedom to practice medicine in a way that cares for people and not the whims of an insurance company.
“So seeking out concierge services, there are a lot of nurses and doctors that will offer this. For my personal experience, I had health issues with my blood and there is a place where it’s just a hematologist and they operate virtually. So that means they don’t have the expense of an office and they can provide services at a more convenient place. So you can do it in the comfort of your own home. It’s by video these days. They look at your records, they look at everything and it is at a fraction of the cost because they don’t operate going through insurance and they don’t operate with requiring an office. . .
“If you go to your Amazon account, again, I know that’s a big corporation, but this is to demonstrate how many services and options you have that are not traditional.
“You can go on Amazon and you can talk to a medical practitioner through them, not necessarily promoting Amazon or what they do, but recognizing that is the future.” – Lani Gonzales
Helpful Links
PhilHealth, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation
Health Care in the Philippines, Wikipedia
Dual citizenship emerges as the new American Dream for many in the United States, Visaverge
Are Health Sharing Plans a Good Way to Save Money on Health Care?, The Penny Hoarder
Does Your State Require You To Have Health Insurance? , Forbes
What Is Concierge Medicine?, Healthline
Amazon One Medical, Medical News Today
Episode Transcript
Read the full episode transcript.
Biography: Lani Gonzales, Esq.
Lani Gonzales is an attorney turned clinical hypnotherapist, author, and public speaker.
After years of practicing law, Lani traded in the courtroom for a passport and a purpose-driven life, traveling the world solo.
Through hypnotherapy and psychedelics, Lani now helps women unlearn the subconscious conditioning that taught them to stay small, feel shame, and disconnect from their power.
With firsthand experience accessing affordable, high-quality care abroad, Lani offers a unique perspective at the intersection of wellness, empowerment, and global mobility.
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