@DavidBalatHC

Working with medical professionals, employers and broker/advisers to make medical care more affordable. Former hospital executive. Independent. Patient advocate

 Houston, TX
hcfinance.net
Joined January 2017
  • Tweets11K
  • Following3.3K
  • Followers5.9K
688Media
"I have a deep belief that health care can be changed for the benefit of the patient." David Balat, Founder and Board Chairman, Direct Care Alliance. Texas House Select Committee on Health Care Affordability, September 1st.
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It’s not rocket science even though you’ve been told it is. We don’t like surprises and neither should you when it comes to surgical procedures and cancer care. Do better with @The_DCAlliance
Direct Care Alliance
@The_DCAllianceOct 16
"A price. Not an estimate."
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When someone needs surgery, the last thing they should be wondering about is what it's actually going to cost. At Direct Care Alliance, we work with the facility to agree on one transparent, all-inclusive price for the episode of care before it begins. The providers are accounted for, the pricing is established, and the patient has a nurse navigator helping coordinate the details along the way. Because personalized care isn't just about what happens during the procedure. It's about everything we do to make the experience easier for the person going through it. One price. One promise. Personalized care. #OnePriceOnePromisePersonalizedCare #PatientAdvocacy #HealthcareSpend #DirectCareAlliance #HealthcareTransparency
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For elective care, the price can be established up front in advance of care. @The_DCAlliance
Direct Care Alliance
@The_DCAllianceOct 16
"Why did the health care have to cost a million dollars in the first place? And how can we make the experience better for the person going through the care that they need?" David Balat, Founder and Board Chairman, Direct Care Alliance. Texas House Select Committee on Health Care Affordability, September 1st.
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"Working with DCA has been a great experience. David and his team are very responsive, knowledgeable and a tremendous help in finding care for our members and saving our clients money. DCA is a valuable partner to have on your side."
Direct Care Alliance client testimonial card over a hospital hallway, quoting Tracy Creger, President, Connect Benefit, with her headshot and the DCA logo.

ALT Direct Care Alliance client testimonial card over a hospital hallway, quoting Tracy Creger, President, Connect Benefit, with her headshot and the DCA logo.

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Keeping it simple
Direct Care Alliance
@The_DCAllianceOct 9
From and to, for planned surgery and cancer care. That's the change Direct Care Alliance makes, one procedure at a time. #DirectCareAlliance
A hand reaching out of a huge pile of envelopes stamped Final notice and Denied. Headline: From. A world where surgery and cancer bills arrive as a surprise, get fought over for months, and end in denials, audits, or collections.

ALT A hand reaching out of a huge pile of envelopes stamped Final notice and Denied. Headline: From. A world where surgery and cancer bills arrive as a surprise, get fought over for months, and end in denials, audits, or collections.

A hand resting on a navy folder labeled Patient file, in a beam of light. Headline: To. A world where the price is agreed before the first appointment, one navigator manages the entire episode, and the hospital is paid quickly with nothing to fight over afterward.

ALT A hand resting on a navy folder labeled Patient file, in a beam of light. Headline: To. A world where the price is agreed before the first appointment, one navigator manages the entire episode, and the hospital is paid quickly with nothing to fight over afterward.

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One visit to the hospital often yields several bills from many different providers contributing to care. @The_DCAlliance eliminates that problem and provides employers some assurance that they will expect one bill to pay on in advance of services.
Direct Care Alliance
@The_DCAllianceOct 7
"We understand the care the patient needs and identify the appropriate providers, all of them, not just the hospital." David Balat, Founder and Board Chairman, Direct Care Alliance. Texas House Select Committee on Health Care Affordability, September 1st.
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“She regained agency and peace of mind” Those are rare things to find when navigating the healthcare system with any diagnosis. The @The_DCAlliance team provided our patient with those things while saving their employer nearly 40% from what they would have spent using their network
Direct Care Alliance
@The_DCAllianceOct 6
She was going to stop treatment she couldn't afford. Her employer had added Direct Care Alliance. She paid nothing, the employer paid less, and she went into remission. Today, she's cancer free.
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Please join us in welcoming Corrine Chimelis, DCA's new Director of Patient Services! She brings more than 22 years in healthcare and will care for every patient need from the first consultation through the final follow up. Welcome to the team, Corrine!
Direct Care Alliance welcome graphic on navy: Please join us in welcoming Corrine Chimelis, Director of Patient Services, with her headshot and the DCA logo.

ALT Direct Care Alliance welcome graphic on navy: Please join us in welcoming Corrine Chimelis, Director of Patient Services, with her headshot and the DCA logo.

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"Our client is the employer. Our customer is the patient." David Balat, asked by a committee member whether DCA makes the employee the customer. September 1st.
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Recently had a DCA patient ring the bell at her cancer center because she’s now cancer free. If she had to cover the patient portion, she was prepared to stop the treatment because she didn’t want to leave her family with a financial hardship. Because of the bravery of her employer to be creative with their benefits and include @The_DCAlliance, she walked away on September 30, 2026 with zero out of her pocket and cancer free.
Direct Care Alliance
@The_DCAllianceOct 1
"That is really the only thing you heard: Zero out of pocket. They can focus on getting well." David Balat, Texas House Select Committee on Health Care Affordability, September 1st.
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One procedure, one transparent price. With Direct Care Alliance, the estimate comes up front, covering the entire episode of care, including the facility, the surgeon and anesthesia. The patient often pays nothing for the procedure. #DirectCareAlliance #SelfFunded
A mountain of claims on the left and a single page stamped Estimate in red on the right, split by a thin light line. Headline: One procedure, one transparent price. Under the left: You can process this after. Under the right: or this before. That's DCA. Direct Care Alliance logo.

ALT A mountain of claims on the left and a single page stamped Estimate in red on the right, split by a thin light line. Headline: One procedure, one transparent price. Under the left: You can process this after. Under the right: or this before. That's DCA. Direct Care Alliance logo.

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David Balat retweeted
CrowdHealth
@crowdhealthSep 28
Health insurance plans don't "guarantee" payment. Health insurance plans guarantee they'll consider paying.
🤖 Made with AI
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This is why things change so slowly. If #MAHA was serious about affordability, companies like @crowdhealth @sidecarhealth @The_DCAlliance and many others would have a seat at the table and a voice in the conversation. #healthcare
CrowdHealth
@crowdhealthSep 15
MAHA has totally jumped the shark. They have a MAHA summit coming up next week and guess who is on the "Affordability First" panel? UnitedHealth (largest health insurance plan) Elevance (second largest health insurance plan) American Health Insurance Plan Association Clearly these folks have done a stellar job at making "Affordability First." @MAHA_Action, if you want some fireworks at that panel, and actually make it relevant, our CEO @andyjschoonover would be happy to join.
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Ask an operations leader what a bad case looks like and very little of the answer is clinical. So which one costs you most? Date moved twice, workup incomplete, finance questions at the bedside, or auth still pending.
A scattered pile of dark dominoes tangled in crossing blue lines, with one white domino upright at the end of a single straight line. Headline reads: Ask an operations leader what a bad case looks like and very little of the answer is clinical. DCA Direct Care Alliance logo at the bottom.

ALT A scattered pile of dark dominoes tangled in crossing blue lines, with one white domino upright at the end of a single straight line. Headline reads: Ask an operations leader what a bad case looks like and very little of the answer is clinical. DCA Direct Care Alliance logo at the bottom.

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David Balat retweeted
Antonio Ciaccia
@A_CiacciaSep 18
“For years, policymakers thought Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) meant insurers paid 85% of every dollar on healthcare … But insurers rigged the system, counting billions in overhead, marketing and other costs as ‘medical’ expenses.” @IrelandOwens1 @IWCoalition dailycaller.com/2026/09/17/i…

US Consumers May Be Misled About How Much Insurers Actually Spend On Medical Care, Report Suggests

Health insurers may be misleading consumers about how much they are actually spending on medical care, per a new Insurance Watchdog Coalition report.

dailycaller.com
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Prices in advance for complex hospital based procedures is possible and doing it daily at @The_DCAlliance
Direct Care Alliance
@The_DCAllianceSep 15
"Pay attention to what I just said. I said a price. It is not an estimate." David Balat, Texas House Select Committee on Health Care Affordability, 1 September.
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Evaluating a direct case-rate arrangement? Four questions worth asking: Price, coordination, payment timing, complexity.
Direct Care Alliance graphic titled Four questions worth asking, for a hospital evaluating a direct case rate arrangement for the first time.

ALT Direct Care Alliance graphic titled Four questions worth asking, for a hospital evaluating a direct case rate arrangement for the first time.

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#dpc is critical for the 80% of healthcare needs people need and @The_DCAlliance is there for the 20% that takes up close to 80% of the spend
Tom Oliverson, M.D.
@TomOliversonSep 13
Direct contracting systems like DPC are the way of the future. And the future is here now. Lawmakers should do everything in their power to give these systems the space and level playing field to compete. We can save our healthcare system and lower costs. This is the way. @ALEC_states
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Thanks to @RepJamesFrank for inviting me to speak to #TXlege on direct and bundled contracting for costly Hospital procedures. @The_DCAlliance stands with employers and patients to make healthcare services transparent, affordable, and accessible. @TomOliverson @FrontierDirect @sidecarhealth @mcuban
Direct Care Alliance
@The_DCAllianceSep 9
A price, not an estimate. David Balat, Founder and Board Chairman of Direct Care Alliance, before the Texas House Select Committee on Health Care Affordability, 1 September 2026. #DirectCareAlliance #SelfFunded
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