Jim Ham

I have been a Nextera member for three years, and I would definitely recommend it to friends and coworkers. I think the membership model is an awesome way to manage health care and it has made me much more proactive about my health.

I am 61 years old and very active. I enjoy mountain biking, surfing, and other outdoor activities. My Nextera primary care physician believes in a holistic approach to keeping patients active and getting the most out of our bodies in a healthy manner. We have developed a relationship over the past three years, and I feel like he knows me on a personal basis.

Prior to joining Nextera, I had commercial health insurance through my wife’s employer. Those costs were getting higher all the time—not only copays and deductibles, but the premiums went up a couple of hundred dollars every year. As a person who is self-employed (I own a window cleaning business), I need my health care costs to be stable and predictable.

Under my previous insurance, I felt rushed during my visits, and like the doctors weren’t listening to me—just trying to get in and out as quickly as possible. It was hard to get appointments and it could sometimes take two to three months to get in to see someone. The Nextera experience is much more personal, more like concierge medicine. I can get appointments when I need them and have never had the feeling of being rushed.

My doctor is very accessible, either through one-on-one appointments or through technology. I often will spend three months a year in Costa Rica, surfing. If I have a question or concern, I can text him and get an answer back within a couple of hours. That is not something I could get with my previous health insurance coverage. It is really nice knowing he’s available.

One time, while I was in Costa Rica, I hurt my back so badly that I couldn’t surf anymore. That had happened once before I joined Nextera, and it took weeks to see a doctor, then three more months to get an MRI approved. With Nextera, I was able to see my doctor within a week, and he arranged for me to get an MRI the same day. It also cost less than before–about $400 out of pocket versus $2000 plus deductible and 20 percent co-pay.

Nextera’s fixed monthly membership fee means there’s no reason to delay or ignore health concerns because of cost. I get things checked that I would have put off when I had to pay a deductible or co-payment. It makes me 100 percent more proactive with my health, which I like as I get older. When you get to my age, you don’t want to kick the can down the road; you want to stay current on these things.
I’ve always been healthy and active and, at age 61, I want to keep going.