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In this post, I am going to do a comparison of Liberty HealthShare 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
Liberty HealthShare Annual Unshared Amount (AUA): The Annual Unshared Amount for each program level must be paid before medical costs are eligible for sharing. Your AUA amount is determined by your account type;
Single: $1,000 (Liberty Unite and Liberty Connect) or $4,000 (Liberty Essential Plan)
Couple: $1,750 (Liberty Unite), $2,000 (Liberty Connect) or $8,000 (Liberty Essential Plan)
Family: $2,250 (Liberty Unite), $3,000 (Liberty Connect) or $12,000 (Liberty Essential Plan)
After you fulfill your Annual Unshared Amount (AUA), you may share eligible medical costs.
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
Liberty HealthShare: $159 to $1,239 + $50 extra for each family member over 5 people.
Zion HealthShare: $103 to $790
Statement of Faith
Liberty HealthShare: Must agree to adhering Christian standards and beliefs. The required beliefs are less strict or specific than other religious Health Shares, but they do require members to “participate regularly in worship or prayer”.
Zion HealthShare: None – They accept people of all faiths.
Preventative Sharing
Liberty HealthShare: Annual wellness visits are shared up to $400 per visit. After two months of membership, mammograms, prostate examinations, and cologuard are shareable every other year or yearly after 50 years of age.
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
Liberty HealthShare: During the first year of membership, there is a waiting period for pre-existing conditions. During the second and third year, they will share up to $50,000 for pre-existing conditions. After the fourth year, they do not consider it a pre-existing condition anymore.
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
Liberty HealthShare: Not eligible for sharing on the Liberty Select plan. There is a six month waiting period to have maternity needs shared on the other plans (for all members who start on or after March 1st, 2021).
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
Liberty HealthShare: 90 Days
UPDATE: Liberty HealthShare sent out an email on 03/01/2022 to all members stating that they have a backlog on paying for people’s medical bills. Members are currently waiting longer than 90 days to have their medical bills paid for.
Zion HealthShare: 5-10 Business Days
Considerations
Liberty HealthShare: The biggest consideration for Liberty HealthShare is their current backlog on paying for people’s medical bills, which has resulted in a lawsuit. Liberty HealthShare sent out an email to their members on 03/01/2022 and said that they were making big changes in leadership, to their membership plans, and to their pricing to help fix current issues.
It’s also important to consider membership plan’s caps and limitations:
Liberty Unite Plan – Up to $1 million shareable per incident after AUA has been met.
Liberty Connect – Up to $1 million shareable per incident after AUA has been met. Members pay a 15% co-share.
Liberty Essential – Up to $600,000 sharable per incident after AUA has been met. Members pay a 25% co-share.
Zion HealthShare: Generally, there are no lifetime caps on your need requests (except with pre-existing conditions).
CASE STUDY: Comparing Costs of Liberty HealthShare and Zion HealthShare
I am going to give examples of potential costs for Liberty HealthShare and Zion HealthShare.
Example #1
Household: Single Individual
Age of oldest person in the family: 25 years old
Tobacco Use: None
Costs:
| Liberty HealthShare’s Unite Plan | Zion HealthShare Direct Membership -$1000 IUA |
|---|---|
| $259/month | $185.00/month |
Example #2
Household: Family (Married Couple with two children in the home)
Age of oldest person in the family: 35 years old
Tobacco Use: None
Costs:
| Liberty HealthShare’s Unite Plan | Zion HealthShare Direct Membership – $1000 IUA |
|---|---|
| $999.00 | $570.00 |
Example #3
Household: Family (Married Couple with two children in the home)
Age of oldest person in the family: 55 years old
Tobacco Use: None
Costs:
| Liberty HealthShare’s Unite Plan | Zion HealthShare Direct Membership – $1000 IUA |
|---|---|
| $1,239.00 | $790.00 |
Which Health Share Plan Should You Join?
Choosing a Health Share plan is a very personal decision. Feel free to check out Liberty HealthShare 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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