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Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) is one of the oldest and most well-known health share organizations in the United States. Founded in 1981, CHM has been helping Christians work together to share medical expenses for over four decades.
But is CHM the right health share for you? In this review, we’ll cover membership requirements, plan options, costs, pre-existing conditions, maternity benefits, and more—so you’ll know exactly what to expect before joining.
About Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM)
CHM is a non-profit health care sharing ministry based in Barberton, Ohio. Instead of paying premiums to an insurance company, members send in monthly “gifts” that are used to share the medical bills of other members.
Participation is voluntary and faith-based—CHM members join not by contract but through a biblical covenant, agreeing to live according to Christian principles and support one another with medical needs.
Member Requirements
Because CHM is faith-driven, members must meet certain spiritual and lifestyle expectations to participate.
Core Beliefs
- The Bible is the inspired and authoritative Word of God
- Salvation comes through Jesus Christ
- Marriage is defined as one man and one woman
- Life is sacred from conception
Lifestyle Guidelines
- Regular church attendance (as health permits)
- No tobacco or nicotine use in any form
- No illegal drugs or marijuana (even medical)
- Alcohol only in moderation, in a biblical manner (no drunkenness)
- Sexual activity only within biblical marriage
Bills related to lifestyle violations—such as smoking-related illness, injuries while intoxicated, or pregnancies outside of biblical marriage—are not eligible for sharing.
CHM Programs and Monthly Costs
CHM offers three main levels of participation—Gold, Silver, and Bronze—as well as a SeniorShare™ program for those over 65.
2025 Monthly Costs (Per Unit)
- Gold: $255
- Silver: $148
- Bronze: $98
- CHM Plus (add-on for unlimited sharing): +$32 per unit
- SeniorShare: $115
? One adult = 1 unit. A family (regardless of number of children) maxes out at 3 units.
Qualifying Amounts (Member Responsibility)
Before CHM shares in your medical bills, you must first meet a Qualifying Amount (QA) per illness.
| Program | QA (per illness) |
|---|---|
| Gold | $1,250 |
| Silver | $3,000 |
| Bronze | $6,000 |
| SeniorShare | $500 |
If you go 90 days without treatment or symptoms, a condition resets, and a new QA applies if it returns.
Unlimited Sharing: CHM Plus
Without CHM Plus, all CHM programs are capped at $125,000 per illness. By adding CHM Plus (+$32 per unit/month), members gain unlimited cost sharing for catastrophic needs.
What CHM Shares In (and What They Don’t)
Eligible Expenses (varies by program)
- Hospitalizations & surgeries
- Urgent care visits
- Lab work & radiology
- Maternity (Gold Plan only)
- Physical therapy & home health (limited visits)
- Incident-related prescriptions
Not Shared
- Preventive care (annual checkups, well-child visits, vaccines, routine labs)
- Dental & vision care
- Alternative medicine
- Bills connected to lifestyle violations
Pre-Existing Conditions
CHM defines a pre-existing condition as any issue you had signs, symptoms, treatment, testing, or medication for before joining.
For a condition to no longer be considered pre-existing:
- You must be symptom-free
- No longer on maintenance medications
- At least 12 months without treatment/testing
- Exception: cancer requires 5 years with no treatment or recurrence
Gold Program Pre-Existing Sharing Schedule
- Year 1: Up to $15,000 shared
- Years 1–2: Up to $25,000 cumulative
- Years 1–3: Up to $50,000 cumulative
- After 3 years: No longer pre-existing → fully shareable
Silver and Bronze members may apply for CHM Give, a voluntary donation-based program, but sharing isn’t guaranteed.
Maternity Benefits
Maternity is only eligible under the Gold Program (with requirements).
Rules:
- Must be married at conception
- Must be a member at least 300 days before the due date
- If already pregnant when joining, maternity expenses are ineligible
Costs & Sharing
- $2,500 maternity QA/PR (can be reduced to $2,000 with early call to CHM)
- Up to $125,000 per pregnancy (unlimited with CHM Plus)
- Shares prenatal visits, standard labs, ultrasounds, delivery, complications, and newborn care (first 30 days)
Bill Submission & Processing Time
- Members usually pay upfront and submit bills for reimbursement
- CHM reimburses members (who then pay providers) in about 60–75 days
- Providers may allow payment plans while members wait
- For maternity, CHM sometimes arranges pre-payment agreements with hospitals around week 30
Pros and Cons of CHM
Pros
✅ Affordable compared to insurance
✅ Long history (since 1981) and large membership base
✅ Unlimited sharing available with CHM Plus
✅ Gold program offers maternity sharing
✅ Accepts seniors (SeniorShare™ option)
Cons
❌ Strict religious and lifestyle requirements
❌ Preventive care and routine services not shared
❌ Slow reimbursement (usually 2+ months)
❌ Caps at $125,000 per illness without CHM Plus
Final Thoughts: Is CHM Right for You?
Christian Healthcare Ministries can be a great fit if you:
- Are a practicing Christian willing to follow CHM’s Statement of Faith and lifestyle requirements
- Primarily need help with large, unexpected medical bills (not routine preventive care)
- Want maternity sharing (Gold Plan only)
- Are willing to add CHM Plus for unlimited protection
For Christians seeking a faith-based health share with a long track record, CHM is a solid option.
If you want to compare other health shares and see which might fit you best, check out my full guide:
? Best Health Share Plans
Write a Christian Healthcare Ministries Review
Are you a current or former member of Christian Healthcare Ministries? If you have any experience with Christian Healthcare Ministries, 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!
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GREAT company, if you have a lot of time to be your own advocate / manager / secretary / CPA
This is a kind, thoughtful, caring company – they deliver on all their promises – but the amount of paperwork for a family of six just about was a part-time job. I think other Christian sharing companies do all the paperwork for you – so it just doesn’t seem worth it to me. Also, the interface for seeing where your bills are at in the process (or which ones they have flagged) is woefully inadequate, so you often don’t know what the hold up is, or what bill has a problem, or what they need from you unless you call and get a new person (each time) on the phone. Would love to stay – they just need to figure out how to help your experience be as seamless as possible. IT ISN’T!
Left gutted
I thought CHM was great until I had some postpartum issues. Because it didn’t occur when they feel it should have, I was left with over $7,000 in medical bills. It would have been $25,000 if the hospital didn’t help me out. I am canceling my gold membership and am leaving with bitter feelings about them. Everyone, watch out. They only seem to care through their words, not actions.
Peace of Mind
I am so thankful that I found out about CHM. In the past almost 3 years since I’ve been a member, I haven’t had to use it, but it was wonderful peace of mind that if I had a health crisis, it would cover catastrophic medical bills.
Richard Helms
Paid 100% minus my part of my hospital bills. We do not mind the paper work we have to turn in. It’s very easy and simple. Payout time was to our satisfaction. We love this Christian Co for health sharing and continue to recommend to everyone. They are very helpful on the phone with any questions you may have. They really do care.
Our family has been Gold Level w/Brothers Keeper for several yrs now.
Simply the Best!!!
We originally had Medi-Share (Christian Care Ministries) for several years. When we finally needed them they were not there. I was in the hospital for some heart tests and they would not pay a dime of my $6000 bill (all bills total for occurrence but $4000 for just hospital) I’m in Charlotte NC and went to a smaller hospital in Pineville NC that Cardiologists recommended so I could get in quicker for testing than going to Charlotte. Because it was not a huge hospital (but still a hospital) they refused to pay anything!! Our new Insurance guy, through Dave Ramsey, told us about CHM. Thank goodness because a couple years later my husband was in the hospital for high blood pressure that just snuck up on him one day. Terrible terrible headache. Just could not function. His family Dr sent us to ER/Hospital in Harrisburg NC on Christmas Eve. All kinds of tests were ran and he followed up with family Dr for a couple of weeks. EVERYTHING ($26,000) was paid for minus our $500. If we would have still been with Medi-Share they would have paid $0 because it was not a huge hospital.
The staff that helps over the phone is fantastic!!!’ Great Christian Co. Worth more than 5 stars!!!
Great Company, Great Program
I’m actually a health insurance agent, licensed for 13 years and in 9 states. I specialize in Medicare, but also work in the individual health markets as well.
The first thing to know about any of these sharing plans is that they are not insurance. They are not regulated by the state or federal government in the way insurance carriers and plans are. They are not usually under any financial obligation to pay (or share) your medical bills. Instead, it is important to look at plan experience and member reviews. With that background, let me explain my experience with Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM).
Why would an insurance agent opt for a health sharing plan instead of traditional health insurance? Frankly, it came down to cost for me. I felt it would be financially irresponsible to pay $18,000-$21,000 per year in insurance premiums for a plan with a ridiculously high deductible and out-of-pocket maximum. This would be for the most basic Bronze-level plan. I recognized that after one year of premiums plus the deductible, I would be out-of-pocket at least $28,000 before I could access care. And since I’m healthy, even if I didn’t see a doctor all year long, I’d still be out-of-pocket $18,000-$21,000. Is that a wise financial decision?
Although I was extremely skeptical at first, I did enough research to (mostly) satisfy my cautious approach. My wife and I signed up in 2013 with CHM, primarily because of their track record and the fact that with Brother’s Keeper, I could get coverage without any caps.
My experience has been extremely good. They have paid everything I expected them to pay, and then some. They have paid a much higher percentage of my bills than if I had traditional insurance. Most medical providers recognize the health sharing concept although some work with it better than others. For those who don’t bill, we have to pay up front and submit for reimbursement. We always get a cash discount, usually even without asking for it. The only real negative I can think of is that sometimes we have to wait 2-3 months to be reimbursed.
I refer consumers to them often if they don’t qualify for the federal health insurance subsidy. I’m not aware of any of them who have had any major difficulty. I’ve had a few of them call me and thank me for saving them so much money.
Although I’m not paid a commission by CHM, they do have a referral program that pays for one month’s membership. I’ve referred enough people to them that I normally have several free months every year. So yes, I like how they operate. I recommend them to my clients. I estimate that I’ve saved $135,000 in premiums with them over the last 9 years! I know we’re experiencing inflation and all, but $135,000 is still a LOT of money. I give them 4.75 stars, with the .25 discount because of the reimbursement time.
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.
