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In this post, I am going to do a comparison of Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) 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
Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) Personal Responsibility Amount: Christian Healthcare Ministries has three levels of participation; Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Each level offers different levels of health cost sharing support.
The Gold Level – The Personal Responsibility Amount is $1,000 per incident.
Silver Level – The Personal Responsibility Amount is $2,500 per incident.
Bronze Level – The Personal Responsibility Amount is $5000 per incident.
Incident = An incident includes medical treatment or testing that lasts until one of the following events occur:
- A certain medical condition is cured according to official medical records;
- Treatment is at a routine maintenance routine; or
- You experience 90 days without any kind of treatment for that particular condition. The medical bills incurred from the first test to the last treatment before the doctor releases you to a regular, routine maintenance regimen are considered a single incident. If 90 days pass and you receive no further treatment, any future bills you incur will be considered a separate incident.
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
Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM): $78 to $516 + additional costs per year and per quarter for the Brother’s Keeper if you want unlimited sharing.
Share Healthcare: $149 to $659 (plus $50 for each child after the first two)
$120.00 upon enrollment and every year.
Statement of Faith
Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM): Must agree to their specific Christian qualifications. Not all Christian denominations will fit into these beliefs.
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 Non-Religious HealthShare Plans.
Preventative Sharing
Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM): Will share in preventative needs as long as you pay your member responsibility first. For example, if you are in the Bronze Plan, you would need to pay for all medical bills that are less than $5,000 per incident. If you are in the Gold Plan, you would pay for medical bills that are less than $500. When you look at how much preventative services cost, most of it will not be considered shareable and part of the Member’s Personal Responsibility – especially on the Silver and Bronze plans.
Share Healthcare: Yearly wellness visits or screenings are eligible for sharing once your PEPE or AUA has been paid.
Pre-Existing Conditions
Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM): 1 year waiting period for most conditions. For cancer specifically, there is a 5 year waiting period before anything relating to it can be considered shareable.
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
Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM): The member would need to first pay their member responsibility amount. Maternity sharing is only available on the Gold Level plan. In the Bronze Level and Silver Level plans, they will not share in any maternity expenses.
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
Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM): 60 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
Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM): You are capped at $125,000 per illness (this is not per year; its for the lifetime), unless you pay extra for the Brother’s Keeper program, which gives you an additional $100,000 of sharing per year you are a member until you are capped at $1 million per illness (which you don’t have until you have been a member for nine years). If you pay for the Gold Level Membership and pay extra for the Brother’s Keeper program, then you will have unlimited sharing available to you immediately (on eligible needs).
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.
Find out which HealthShare I recommend at The Best HealthShare for Individuals and Families.
Which Health Share Plan Should You Join?
Choosing a Health Share plan is a very personal decision. Feel free to check out Christian Healthcare Ministries Reviews (CHM 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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