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If you’re searching for Altrua HealthShare reviews, this guide will walk you through how Altrua works, what’s included, costs, member responsibilities, and things to consider before joining.
Altrua HealthShare is one of several nonprofit health care sharing ministries available today. It can be an affordable alternative for people who want help with larger medical needs but do not want traditional insurance.
What Is Altrua HealthShare?
Altrua HealthShare is a nonprofit, faith-based health care sharing ministry. Like other health shares, it is not an insurance company and does not offer insurance plans.
Instead, members contribute a set monthly amount to a community fund that helps share in eligible medical needs. Altrua HealthShare operates under a shared set of values and lifestyle standards.
One unique feature of Altrua: Members are not required to have a pastor or church leader sign an attendance verification, which some other ministries require.
Is Altrua HealthShare Insurance?
No. Altrua HealthShare is not insurance and does not provide minimum essential coverage. Because it is not insurance, it cannot legally guarantee that all medical bills will be paid.
However, Altrua HealthShare has a long history of helping members with eligible medical needs and is considered an alternative for people looking for lower monthly costs and flexibility.
Members can cancel at any time since it is a month-to-month membership.
As with any health share, always read the membership guidelines to understand what Altrua HealthShare considers an eligible medical need.
How Altrua HealthShare Works
With an Altrua HealthShare membership:
- You pay a monthly contribution to the community.
- You are considered a self-pay patient at medical offices.
- When a larger medical need occurs, you pay a Member Responsibility Amount (MRA).
- After the MRA is met, the membership helps share in eligible medical expenses.
The Member Responsibility Amount is not a deductible. It’s simply the amount members pay before the community shares.
Requirements to Join Altrua HealthShare
Members must agree to:
- The Member Guidelines
- The Statement of Standards, which includes faith-based lifestyle expectations
(example: no sexual activity outside of marriage)
Medical needs related to lifestyle choices outside these standards may not qualify as eligible.
Altrua HealthShare Membership Options
Altrua offers four membership types:
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, and Ruby.
Below is a quick overview.
Diamond Plan
Members receive:
- 6 pooled office visits per member (shared within the household)
- Unlimited telemedicine
- Maternity sharing
- Adoption sharing (not available in Texas)
- Cancer treatment sharing
- Laboratory services
- No annual limit; lifetime maximum: $2,000,000
Emerald Plan
Members receive:
- 6 pooled office visits per member
- Unlimited telemedicine
- Maternity sharing
- Adoption sharing (not available in Texas)
- Cancer treatment sharing
- Laboratory services
- No annual limit; lifetime maximum: $1,000,000
Sapphire Plan
Members receive:
- 6 pooled office visits per member
- Unlimited telemedicine
- Cancer treatment sharing
- Annual limit: $250,000
- Lifetime maximum: $1,000,000
Ruby Plan
Members receive:
- 6 pooled office visits per member
- Unlimited telemedicine
- Cancer treatment sharing
- Annual limit: $150,000
- Lifetime maximum: $1,000,000
Altrua HealthShare Monthly Costs (2025)
Monthly contributions range from $136 to $1,145 depending on:
- Plan type
- Number of household members
- Ages of members
Member Responsibility Amounts (MRA)
The MRA is what each member pays toward an eligible medical need before sharing begins.
First MRA
The amount the member pays before sharing occurs.
- Diamond: $500
- Emerald: $1,000
- Sapphire: $1,500
- Ruby: $7,500
Second MRA
This is the additional member responsibility after the first MRA.
- Ruby Plan: Member pays 50% of the next $10,000 (up to $5,000 max) if using a non-affiliated provider.
- Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire: Member pays up to $2,500 to the provider (or up to $5,000 if Medicare +25% is not accepted and using a non-affiliated provider).
Preventative Sharing
All plans include 6 pooled office visits per member.
Diamond & Emerald
- Up to $300 shared per visit after a $35 office visit MRA
- Visits are pooled within the household
Sapphire & Ruby
- Up to $300 per visit counts toward the MRA
- Visits are pooled within the household
Pre-Existing Conditions
Altrua HealthShare has a 2–5 year waiting period, depending on the condition.
During the waiting period, medical needs related to that condition are not eligible for sharing.
Maternity Sharing
- Members must be married for maternity needs to be eligible
- Ruby and Sapphire do not share in maternity
- Emerald and Diamond require a $5,000 MRA for maternity needs
How Fast Does Altrua Pay Medical Bills?
Altrua HealthShare typically handles eligible needs within 30–45 business days.
Important Considerations
Not the Same as Insurance
Health shares operate differently. They do not guarantee payment and do not function like insurance networks or policies.
Lifetime Sharing Limits
Altrua has a $2 million lifetime sharing limit per member (depending on the plan).
Costs
Compare annual costs based on:
- Monthly contributions
- Member responsibility amounts
- Annual or lifetime sharing limits
Before joining any health share, review the guidelines to understand what is considered an eligible medical need.
Is Altrua HealthShare a Good Fit? (My Review)
I really want to help people find a great health share that cares about providing good customer service and financial relief when large and unexpected medical bills come their way.
However, based on the Altrua HealthShare reviews on this website (see below), I am a bit concerned about the Altrua membership experience. I also realize that people are having great experiences with them, and I hope that we can get some more positive reviews so people can see both experiences.
Health Sharing is still a good option for those who are looking to save money and find an affordable alternative to health insurance.
I recommend looking at my article on the Best Health Share Plans. You will find which health shares I recommend to help you on your search for affordable healthcare.
Write an Altrua HealthShare Review
Are you a current or former member of Altrua HealthShare? If you have any experience with Altrua HealthShare, please write a review! Reading other people’s Health Share experiences is a huge when trying to make a decision about which Health Share to join. In fact, over 90% of people will read online reviews before they buy a product or service! Please consider writing a review!
Terrible organization. Dont trust the Christian Advertising
Terrible organization. Unethical and hard to work with. They mistreat providers and clients by underpaying, having everyone jump through hoops, and then not paying what they say they will. I don’t know how they are still in business. Was with them for years, and I regret ever signing up.
Needs to be a zero option
Altrua is terrible. They don’t even deserve a 1/5. We were members for years and their ambiguity and deceitfulness is beyond words. In most recent events, our son broke his arm and Altrua has manipulated, lied, avoided, and ignored our coverage leaving us exposed to a hospital and their collections department. We have paid the MRA in full plus a thousand dollars extra and Altrua still is avoiding their responsibility. Altrua staff play dumb by telling us they lost files or didn’t receive files. They claim to be making payment to the hospital and suddenly checks are lost in transit. This is not a Christian or a reputable business. This is a clown show. We have the most expensive plan you can buy at around 900 monthly and it gets you nothing but stress and neglect. My wife has been spending hundreds of hours talking to Altrua team who all claim docs are missing or have no knowledge. It’s like dealing with idiots and unprofessional jokesters daily. They blame everyone but themselves. They offer no support. Every answer is ambiguous. Anyone that uses them needs to know that your premiums are going up in smoke. You get nothing but abuse and headaches for your monthly premium. This isn’t a health share. It’s a scam where you pay and trust and find out you have zero coverage and support. I know that this isn’t insurance, in fact, it’s nothing. We have full coverage insurance for $1150 when Altrua was $900. I’m saddened when I hear family life radio promote them as a key sponsor. Tell everyone to Run away from Altrua!!!
This company is a scam!!!!
I would give this company a 0 star rating!
They lie routinely and use any excuse they can to not pay a cent of your healthcare costs.They will leave you hanging with the bill!They scammed me for a $3000 medical bill and repeatedly lied to me about it!
They use the word Christian to lure unsuspecting people into this huge scam!!
Don’t do it.
The member guidelines on the website are hard to navigate and understand once you find them. Half of the guidelines don’t apply to your plan. There are no guidelines stating exactly what is covered. When you do file a claim, nothing is “eligible for coverage”.
Run, do NOT use. RIP OFF
We have had this for about 18 months. I had surgery for my heart, and it took over 6 months to get reimbursed. With MANY headaches. My wife crashed and needed surgery, last June. Still not reimbursed. MANY phone calls. The supervisors will not call back. This program will make you SICK!
Poor insurance
This is poor insurance I have called and emailed and sent a overnight written cancellation and they are still trying to charge me
Response from Health Share 101
Hi Kathy,
Just a friendly reminder that Altrua HealthShare is an alternative to health insurance (so it’s not insurance at all).
Thank you,
Holly
HealthShare101.com
Awful customer service
Leaving a review for the customer service assistant Steven. Was absolutely awful, went to cancel my plan, as I have another one im trying to get on and Steven proceeded to argue with me insult me, and continuously repeated that I had no clue what I was doing, which in fairness is true but is none of his business whatsoever. He proceeded to hang up on me leaving me with a “good luck”…. Nick who set up my plan was great and helpful, but both times I’ve spoken to Steven It felt demeaning. Even told him I felt insulted in which he responded with you should “you sound like you know what your doing” in response I told him “and you seem like a great customer service rep” is n which his response was “I am” ? horrible.
Health shares are not insurance and do not offer insurance coverage. Membership in a health share does not guarantee the payment or reimbursement of medical expenses. Each organization operates under its own membership guidelines, which determine what expenses may be eligible for sharing. This publication is for informational purposes only and is not provided by an insurance company. For state-specific notices and full program details, please visit the respective health share’s official website.
