Tulsa Mom Helps Create More Affordable Health Care For Families

Carrie Netherton, 918moms.com

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Health insurance premiums have been increasing at double-digit rates over the past four years.

One Tulsa mom, frustrated by high medical bills, decided to create her own health care option.

Visiting the doctor's office is a much better experience for Veronica Sutton. She has a blended family with five children and has had problems getting medical insurance.

"You're more focused on your kids than yourself and needless to say if you can't get insurance coverage for yourself even and then to move to your kids, it creates havoc on your household," she said.

Sutton says there were times when they stayed away from the doctor's office when they needed help.

"There's times when you need medical care, you just can't afford it," she said. "So this medical program was fantastic."

The program she's referring to is Access Medical. Kelly Ferrell, a mother of four, helped create the program after she took her son to urgent care for an ear infection and he needed lab work.

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"When we walked out, our total bill was $300. And I thought there's got to be a better way to be able, as a mom, to be able to budget for our family's primary care," Farrell said.

Here's how it works: a family of three or more buys a membership for $35 a month. When they come in for a visit, they pay a $50 flat fee, which includes procedures. So instead of paying an average $135 for a routine office visit, members pay $50. Lab work can cost as much as $300, for Access Medical members, its still $50.

Access Medical is a full service, primary care doctor's office. They do all kinds of procedures. But if for some reason they can't do a procedure, they'll refer you to another specialist at a discount price.

For mothers like Veronica Sutton, she feels better knowing she's not compromising her family's health, because she's afraid of what it's going to cost.

"If she were to get stitches or anything like that, not to have any extra bills is a blessing for my family," she said.

Access Medical already has 1,300 members.  For more information, check out 918moms.com.