Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) vs Sedera

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In this post, I am going to do a comparison of Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) and Sedera.

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:

1. A certain medical condition is cured according to official medical records;
2. Treatment is at a routine maintenance routine; or
3. 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.

Sedera Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA): The Initial Unshareable Amount (commonly known as the “IUA”), is the amount the member would need to pay before the HealthShare will “share” in any medical expenses. Sedera has five IUA amounts to choose from: $500, $1000, $1500, $2500, and $5000.

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.

Sedera: $113 to $1,713

Statement of Faith

Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM): Must agree to their specific Christian qualifications. Not all Christian denominations will fit into these beliefs. 

Sedera: None – They accept people of all faiths.

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.

Sedera: Routine childhood immunizations are shareable. Diagnostic colonoscopies and Diagnostic mammograms are shareable after an IUA is paid – some restrictions may apply (age, need, reasonable cost, etc).

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.

Sedera: 1 year waiting period (nothing shareable related to the pre-existing condition, up to $15,000 shareable after the first year, up to $30,000 shareable after the second year, and fully shareable after the third year. 

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. 

Sedera: Medical expenses for childbirth that have an expected delivery date within the first 12 months of membership are not shareable. Normal vaginal deliveries and emergency Cesarean section deliveries have a total Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA) of $5,000. Non-emergency/elective Cesarean section deliveries have a total IUA of $7,500. The standard IUA levels of $500 – $5,000 do not apply for Maternity Needs.

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

Sedera: 30-60 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).

Sedera: No single need may consume more than one third of the total number of shares available in a given month. This can result in a medical need being capped, but it is at an unknown amount since it is dependent on how many people contribute each month.  Also, members are Required to join with an association, company or other grouped billing. 

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 Sedera 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.