This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you enroll through my link, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
In this post, I am going to do a detailed comparison of OneShare Health 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), preventive sharing, pre-existing or pre-membership conditions, maternity, turnaround time to pay medical bills, and any special considerations to be aware of.
Member Responsibility Amounts
OneShare Health Individual Sharing Amount (ISA): OneShare Health has three levels of personal responsibility amounts: $5,000, $7,500, and $10,000. This is the amount the member would need to pay before the OneShare Health community would share in any medical expenses.
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 sharing request, the Zion HealthShare community will share medical costs after the IUA is met. You will not need to pay the IUA for a single sharing request 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
OneShare Health: $75 to $1,090 (plus $50 for each child after the first three)
Zion HealthShare: $111 to $856
Statement of Faith
OneShare Health: Must agree to their core biblical principles. The Health Share is based on the Anabaptist Faith.
Zion HealthShare: None – They accept people of all faiths.
Preventive Sharing
OneShare Health: For the Catastrophic Plan, there are no preventive treatments shared with members. For the Classic and Complete Plans, there is a 90-Day Waiting Period, excluding Immunizations, for Preventive Services and one (1) Wellness Visit per Member per Program Year.
For out-of-network Preventive Services, Primary Care Physician, or Specialists, 50% is shared after the member pays their ISA. For in-network Preventive Services, they will share up to $1,000. For a Primary Care Physician there is a $20-$50 visit fee. For Specialists, there is a $75-$125 visit fee.
Zion HealthShare: Immediately after becoming a member, Zion HealthShare will share in one Annual provider visit (not including lab work, unless it’s related to a specific sharing request) per member per year. 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 or Pre-Membership Conditions
OneShare Health: There is a 24-Month Waiting Period for Pre-Existing Conditions. However, Routine Maintenance is available through PCP, Labs and Specialists Visits on the Classic and Complete Program for the following conditions: Diabetes 1&2, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, and Thyroid.
Zion HealthShare: During the first year of membership, there is a waiting period for all pre-membership conditions. During the second year of membership, Zion HealthShare will share up to $25,000 for pre-membership conditions. During the third year of membership, they will share up to $50,000 for pre-membership conditions. During the fourth year of membership and beyond, they will share up to $125,000 per year for pre-membership conditions.
Maternity
OneShare Health: For the Catastrophic Plan, there is no sharing available for Maternity needs. On the Classic and Complete Plan, members would need to pay their Individual Sharing Amount (ISA). OneShare will share up to $5,000 for a natural delivery, up to $8,000 for a c-section, and up to $50,000 if there are complications.
Zion HealthShare: Zion HealthShare has specific guidelines for maternity sharing to help members plan for pregnancy and delivery.
Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA):
$5,000 Household IUA → $5,000 Maternity IUA
$1,000 Household IUA → $2,500 Maternity IUA
$2,500 Household IUA → $2,500 Maternity IUA
Eligibility & Waiting Period:
- Conception must occur after 6 months of continuous membership (confirmed by medical records).
- Members must submit requests within 6 months of the first date of service.
- Members must submit bills within 6 months of service.
- Exception: memberships started before April 1, 2025, and employer group memberships are not subject to the 6-month waiting period.
To get more details, check out my full Zion HealthShare review.
Caps and Limitations
OneShare Health: After members pay their Individual Sharing Amount (ISA), which can be $5,000, $7,500, or $10,000, the Health Share has limits on how much they would share. For example, a hospitalization can cost a member their Individual Sharing Amount plus 20% to 40% of the medical bills, depending on which program you choose. For larger unexpected medical expenses, this can add up quickly for their members.
Maximum Limit Per Incident: $150,000 / $250,000 / $500,000 (depending on which program you choose)
Lifetime Sharing Maximum: $300,000 / $500,000 / $1,000,000 (depending on which program you choose)
Zion HealthShare: Zion HealthShare does not have annual or lifetime caps on eligible sharing requests (except with the phase-in sharing for pre-membership conditions).
Turnaround Time for Paying Medical Bills
OneShare Health: 21 days
Zion HealthShare: 5-10 Business Days
OneShare Health vs Zion HealthShare
After reviewing the the costs and what medical sharing requests are shared with members, it’s easy to see why I prefer Zion HealthShare over OneShare Health. In summary, here are a few reasons:
- Overall, the member experience is better with Zion HealthShare. Just getting a simple quote and getting the sharing information was so much easier through Zion HealthShare. OneShare Health has so many different plans and levels within those plans that it’s easy to get overwhelmed or confused about what is shareable.
- OneShare shares differently between their different programs. With Zion HealthShare, members get to choose which IUA amount they want with the same amount of sharing available to them.
- OneShare Health has caps and limitations on all of their plans, including the catastrophic plan. Zion HealthShare does not have annual or lifetime caps on eligible sharing requests.
- After the ISA is paid, OneShare will share up to $5,000 for a natural delivery, up to $8,000 for a c-section, and up to $50,000 if there are complications. If you look into the costs of a natural delivery and c-section, you will quickly realize that after the member pays their ISA, the member is paying for most of their own medical bills. For complications, it’s very possible that $50,000 may not be enough. With Zion HealthShare, the member just pays their IUA and their are no limitations on sharing for eligible medical sharing requests.
- Zion HealthShare is known in the industry and to its members for processing sharing requests quickly – often within five to ten business days once all receipts and bills are submitted.
- 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.
- OneShare Health Programs are available nationwide, excluding the residents of MA, MD, VT, PA, NM and WA. Zion HealthShare is a Nationwide Health Share, 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.
- Zion HealthShare includes people of all faith who choose to live a healthy lifestyle.
Which Health Share Plan Should You Join?
Choosing a Health Share plan is a very personal decision. Feel free to check out OneShare Health 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.
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.
Leave a Reply