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In this post, I am going to do a comparison of Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) and Solidarity Healthshare.
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.
Solidarity HealthShare: The Annual Unshared Amount is the amount of money each member is responsible for regarding their health care costs before other members will begin sharing with them. This amount is $750 if you’re single, $1,500 for a couple, and $2,500 for a family.
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.
Solidarity HealthShare: $149 to $599
$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.
Solidarity HealthShare: Must agree to live by biblical principles and respects the moral teachings of the Catholic Church. Medical expenses related to anything that goes against Catholic ethics are not shareable.
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.
Solidarity HealthShare: They offer one annual wellness exam or physical per year. They allow multiple well baby visits per year within the first two years of birth.
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.
Solidarity HealthShare: There is a 1 year waiting period, then in the second and third year, they offer up to $25,000 sharing and in the fourth year they no longer consider it a pre-existing condition.
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.
Solidarity HealthShare: Members must be married in order to have maternity and newborn needs shared. Members would need to pay their member responsibility before maternity needs are shared.
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
Solidarity HealthShare: 90 days
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).
Solidarity HealthShare: After paying your AUA, Solidarity HealthShare offers plans that will share 70% of medical bills up to $125,000 or 100% of your medical bills up $125,000 or up to $1 million per incident (depending on which plan you choose).
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 Solidarity HealthShare 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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