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In this post, I am going to do a comparison of Altrua Healthshare and Share Healthcare.
I will go over member responsibility amounts (what member’s pay before the community shares in any medical bills), monthly costs (this is dependent on age, individual/family memberships, and the Member Responsibility amount you choose), preventative sharing, pre-existing conditions, maternity, turnaround time to pay medical bills, and any special considerations to be aware of.
Member Responsibility Amounts
Altrua Healthshare Member Responsibility Amount (MRA): For the first MRA, it is $500 (Diamond Plan), $1000 (Emerald Plan), $1500 (Sapphire Plan), or $7500 (Ruby Plan). For the second MRA: If the member is on the Ruby Plan, the member is responsible for 50% of the next $10,000 per member ($5,000 maximum) if the licensed medical professional/facility is non-affiliated. If the member is on the Sapphire, Emerald, or Diamond Plan, the member is responsible for a maximum of $2,500 to the licensed medical professional/facility (maximum of $5,000 if Medicare Plus 25% isn’t accepted and licensed medical professional/facility is non-affiliated).
Share Healthcare: Members can choose between three sharing levels as well as the option to choose between a Per Event Personal Expense (PEPE) or an Annual Unshared Amount (AUA). These are the amounts you pay on your own – either on a per incident or per year basis – before remaining eligible medical expenses can be shared.
Per Event Personal Expense amounts can be: $300, $500, or $1,000.
The Annual Unshared Amount can be: $3,300 (single), $3,600 (couple), or $3,900 (family)
Monthly Contribution Price Range
Altrua Healthshare: $105 to $900
Share Healthcare: $149 to $659 (plus $50 for each child after the first two)
$120.00 upon enrollment and every year.
Statement of Faith
Altrua Healthshare:Must agree to a “Statement of Standards” – These are based on ethical and religious beliefs, including no sexual relations outside of marriage.
Share Healthcare: Must agree to a Statement of Faith and must be Christian, meaning you believe in “the God of the Bible, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit”.
For more detailed information on faith-based requirements, please read this post about Christian HealthShare Plans.
If you prefer a HealthShare that has no religious requirements, please read my post about Secular HealthShare Plans.
Preventative Sharing
Altrua Healthshare: Emerald and Diamond plans allow members to go to an annual wellness visit. Members would need to pay $35 and the visit is shareable up to $300.
Share Healthcare: Yearly wellness visits or screenings are eligible for sharing once your PEPE or AUA has been paid.
Pre-Existing Conditions
Altrua Healthshare: There is a 2-5 year waiting period, depending on what the pre-existing condition is.
Share Healthcare: Not eligible for sharing.
For more detailed information, please read my post about How The Top HealthShare’s Handle Pre-Existing Conditions.
Maternity
Altrua Healthshare: Members must be married in order to have maternity and newborn needs shared. The lower cost plans (Ruby and Sapphire) do not share in any maternity needs. Whether you are on the Emerald or Diamond plan, the member would need to pay a $5,000 member responsibility amount for maternity needs.
Share Healthcare: After members pay their Per Event Personal Expense or Annual Unshared Amount, expenses related to labor, delivery and routine hospital expenses for the infant as well as expenses relating to any complications are eligible with NO waiting period or limits. If a member is pregnant within two months of membership beginning, maternity expenses will be shared at up to 50% of the member’s share contributions to that point. For example, if the member has paid $2,490 in monthly share amount to that point, up to $1,245 will be eligible to be shared by fellow members.
Feel free to learn more at The Top HealthShare’s Maternity Benefits (Comparison Guide).
Turnaround Time for Paying Medical Bills
Altrua Healthshare: 30-45 business days
Share Healthcare: Unknown. When I called to speak to someone at Share Healthcare about this, I was told that it “depends on the provider” and I wasn’t even provided an estimate.
Considerations
Altrua Healthshare: There is a lifetime limit of $2 million per member.
Share Healthcare: Share Healthcare does not have annual or lifetime caps on eligible need requests.
Members must set up a bank account for sharing. Member’s monthly share amounts will remain in the individualized account until it is used to pay the medical expenses of fellow Share Healthcare members.
Which Health Share Plan Should You Join?
Choosing a Health Share plan is a very personal decision. Feel free to check out Altrua HealthShare Reviews and Share Healthcare Reviews. I provide a lot more information on each Health Share and you can read reviews from other members.
There are so many different Health Share plans to choose from, which is great, but it can also be overwhelming! To help narrow down your choices, I wrote an article on the Best Health Share Plans. You will find which health share plans I recommend to help you on your search for affordable healthcare.
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