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In this post, I am going to do a comparison of Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) and Zion 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.
Zion HealthShare Initual Unshareable Amount (IUA): The initial unshareable amount, or IUA, is the amount that a member will pay before the Zion HealthShare community shares in medical expenses. The IUA is also known as your personal responsibility. Zion HealthShare has three primary levels of personal responsibility: $1,000, $2,500, and $5,000. The lower your personal responsibility (or IUA), the higher your monthly contribution will be.
All qualifying medical expenses submitted after the IUA is met are shareable with the Zion HealthShare community at one hundred percent. There is no annual or lifetime limit. For each separate need, the Zion HealthShare community will share medical costs after the IUA is met. You will not need to pay the IUA for a single need again until you are symptom free for 12 months. Additionally, you will not be responsible for more than three IUAs in a rolling 12-month period.
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.
Zion HealthShare: $103 to $790
Statement of Faith
Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM): Must agree to their specific Christian qualifications. Not all Christian denominations will fit into these beliefs.
Zion HealthShare: None – They accept people of all faiths.
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.
Zion HealthShare: Immediately after becoming a member, Zion HealthShare will share in Annual provider visits (not including lab work, unless it’s related to a specific medical need). After six months of membership, they will share in colonoscopy, mammogram, and youth immunizations. There are no network limitations for preventive services, so you can go to any provider of your choice.
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.
Zion HealthShare: During the first year of membership, there is a waiting period for all pre-existing conditions. During the second year of membership, Zion HealthShare will share up to $25,000 for pre-existing conditions. During the third year of membership, they will share up to $50,000 for pre-existing conditions. During the fourth year of membership and beyond, they will share up to $125,000 per year for 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.
Zion HealthShare: Members would just pay their Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA). This is the amount that the member chooses when they first join Zion HealthShare. If you opt for a home birth, you may submit a request to have your IUA responsibility waived by Zion HealthShare.
Turnaround Time for Paying Medical Bills
Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM): 60 days
Zion HealthShare: 5-10 Business 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).
Zion HealthShare: Generally, there are no lifetime caps on your need requests (except with pre-existing conditions).
CASE STUDY: Comparing Costs of Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) and Zion HealthShare
I am going to give examples of potential costs for Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) and Zion HealthShare.
I am going to use Christian Healthcare Ministries Gold Plan with the Brother’s Keeper program and Zion HealthShare’s Direct Membership Plan with the $1000 IUA since they are the most comparable. Both plans have unlimited sharing (with a few exceptions, such as on pre-existing conditions)
For the CHM – Gold Plan with Brother’s Keeper, I took the cost of the Gold Plan and then added the Brother’s Keeper annual ($40) and Quarterly ($45) fees and included them into the monthly costs for a more accurate comparison. IMPORTANT: The quarterly fees for Brother’s Keeper is just an estimate. The quarterly amounts are calculated by taking the total dollar amount of medical bills eligible for Brother’s Keeper sharing and dividing by the number of Brother’s Keeper participants. This is why CHM recommends budgeting an average amount of $45 per membership unit, per quarter. It could be more or less than that amount.
Example #1
Household: Single Individual
Age of oldest person in the family: 25 years old
Tobacco Use: None
Costs:
| CHM – Gold Plan with Brother’s Keeper | Zion HealthShare Direct Membership -$1000 IUA |
|---|---|
| $190.33/month* | $185.00/month |
| *$172.00/month + $40/year + an estimated $45/quarter |
Example #2
Household: Family (Married Couple with Children in the home)
Age of oldest person in the family: 35 years old
Tobacco Use: None
Costs:
| CHM – Gold Plan with Brother’s Keeper | Zion HealthShare Direct Membership – $1000 IUA |
|---|---|
| $564.00/month* | $570.00 |
| *$516.00/month + $40/year + an estimated $135/quarter |
Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) vs Zion HealthShare
When I looked further into what Zion HealthShare offers, it’s easy to see why I personally joined their HealthShare community and why I recommend Zion HealthShare to my family and friends.
- Zion HealthShare members typically save 30-60% off of traditional Health Insurance. When I did several comparison costs of both Health Shares, Zion HealthShare was the best price and value. You need to look at more than just the price. What are both plans sharing in? What are their caps and limits? You need to look at how much it will cost per incident, and if you go with Brother’s Keeper, you need to consider the additional annual and quarterly fees. Because Brother’s Keeper Quarterly costs are an “estimate” and you never know what you are going to be paying, the Zion HealthShare plan is more reliable and consistent. This makes it much easier for those of us trying to keep a tight budget.
- With Zion HealthShare, no matter which IUA amount the member chooses, they all have the same health cost sharing benefits. This keeps things very simple and easy to understand and helps members know what is shareable within the community.
- Christian Healthcare Ministries has a $125,000 cap for maternity needs (unless you pay the additional fees for the Brother’s Keeper program). If you have a premature baby, for example, the costs can quickly exceed that amount. At Zion HealthShare, they do not have any limitations on sharing for maternity needs.
- Zion HealthShare is known in the industry and to its members for processing medical needs quickly – often within five to ten business days (once all receipts and bills are submitted)!
- Zion HealthShare does not have annual or lifetime caps on eligible need requests. This gives people peace of mind if very large medical expenses come up, they are not capped. Their pricing is simple and easy to understand.
- Zion HealthShare will negotiate your medical bills for you – big or small. This means that the bigger medical bills have less of an impact for the entire community. For smaller medical bills that are less than your Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA) and not normally shared within the community, you are not on your own! Submit that medical bill to Zion HealthShare and they will work to negotiate that price down for you, so that you can pay less money out of pocket.
- Zion HealthShare is a Nationwide HealthShare, so you can live anywhere in the United States and become a member.
- Zion HealthShare will share in medical costs when on a vacation or serving a mission outside of the United States.
- Members can work with providers of their choice – without network restrictions.
- Members of all faiths – who choose to live a healthy lifestyle – are eligible to join.
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 (aka CHM Reviews) and Zion 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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