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If trying to afford expensive Health Insurance on your own is keeping you from quitting a job or accepting one that you’d love – it’s time to rethink your healthcare options.
Health Insurance is not the only way to protect your finances if or when a large and unexpected medical bill comes your way. In fact, if you are truly looking for affordable healthcare, I recommend joining a Health Share. It’s an affordable and effective alternative to Health Insurance.
In this post I am going to explain more on what a Health Share is, how it works, who a Health Share plan is for, the benefits, and which Health Share I recommend (and joined myself!).
What is a Health Share Plan?
A Health Share organization is a non-profit organization that provides an organized way for a community of people to share in one another’s medical expenses. A Health Share plan provides an effective non-insurance solution for managing large and unexpected medical expenses.
How does a Health Share Plan work?
Members contribute money each month to the Health Share community to help those in need. When they have an eligible medical need, they pay their member responsibility amount (which is comparable to a deductible) and then the Health Share community pays for the rest of the eligible medical needs.
Members will either pay directly to their medical provider and get reimbursed or they can submit the bill to their Health Share.
Benefits of joining a Health Share
- Save Money. This is the number one reason why most people choose to join a Health Share over Health Insurance.
- Community. Members choose a community that fits their personal beliefs or lifestyle choices.
- Less or no Network Restrictions. Health Share members typically enjoy more freedom to choose which Doctors or healthcare providers they want to see. For preventative services, most Health Shares seem to have a network that they work with.
- Nationwide or Worldwide sharing. Health Shares usually have sharing available to people all throughout the United States and even abroad. Health Shares are a great option for those who love to travel.
Who is a Health Share Plan for?
A Health Share is for anyone who wants to be a part of a community that will share in large and unexpected medical expenses.
A Health Share is great for anyone who is:
- Self-Employed
- Small Business Owner
- Freelancer
- Contract Worker
- Employee without Benefits
- Recently Retired (under 65 years old)
- Under or Uninsured
- Anyone who wants to save money on their healthcare costs
The best candidate for a Health Share Plan would meet the following criteria:
- Actively chooses a healthy lifestyle (no illegal drugs or excessive alcohol consumption)
- Young (under 65 years old)
- Willing to pay for smaller medical bills on their own
- No pre-existing conditions (or can wait one year for sharing in medical expenses)
Which Health Share Plan I Recommend
After reviewing and writing about all of the top Health Share organizations, My family and I have personally joined Zion HealthShare for a number of reasons:
- Zion HealthShare accepts members of all faiths. They are a community of individuals who strive to live a healthy lifestyle and want to share in the costs of one another’s medical burdens. With a healthier community of members, this helps keep costs down for everyone.
- Zion HealthShare members typically save 30-60% off of traditional Health Insurance.
- Zion HealthShare does not have annual or lifetime caps on eligible need requests. This gives people peace of mind if very large medical expenses come up, they are not capped.
- Zion HealthShare is known in the industry and to its members for processing medical needs quickly – often within five to ten business days (once all receipts and bills are submitted)!
- Zion HealthShare will negotiate your medical bills for you – big or small. This means that the bigger medical bills have less of an impact for the entire community.
- Zion HealthShare has great maternity benefits. Members first pay their IUA (the amount they chose to pay before the community shares in medical expenses). Afterward, 100% of your eligible maternity medical expenses will be shared.
- Zion HealthShare’s Family membership does not cost extra for additional children. Whether you have two children or ten – the cost is the same to you.
- Immediately after becoming a member, Zion HealthShare will share in Annual provider visits. After six months of membership, they will share in colonoscopy, mammogram, and youth immunizations (up to 18 years old).
- Zion HealthShare allows people with pre-existing conditions to join the health share – rather than denying them. Instead, they offer a waiting period for pre-existing conditions and a phase-in of sharing in these pre-existing conditions.
- Zion HealthShare is a Nationwide Health Share, so you can live anywhere in the United States and become a member.
- Zion HealthShare will share in medical costs when on a vacation or serving a mission outside of the United States.
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