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In this post, I am going to do a detailed comparison of Share Healthcare 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
Share Healthcare: Members can choose between three sharing levels as well as the option to choose between a Per Event Personal Expense (PEPE) or an Annual Unshared Amount (AUA). These are the amounts you pay on your own – either on a per incident or per year basis – before remaining eligible medical expenses can be shared.
Per Event Personal Expense amounts can be: $300, $500, or $1,000.
The Annual Unshared Amount can be: $3,300 (single), $3,600 (couple), or $3,900 (family)
Zion HealthShare: 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.
Enrollment Fees
Share Healthcare: $120.00 upon enrollment and every year.
Zion HealthShare: $50.00 – one time enrollment fee.
Monthly Contribution Price Range
Share Healthcare: $149 to $659 (plus $50 for each child after the first two)
Zion HealthShare: $103 to $790
Statement of Faith
Share Healthcare: Must agree to a Statement of Faith and must be Christian, meaning you believe in “the God of the Bible, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit”.
Zion HealthShare: None – They accept people of all faiths.
Preventative Sharing
Share Healthcare: Yearly wellness visits or screenings are eligible for sharing once your PEPE or AUA has been paid.
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 medical need) per member per year. After six months of membership, they will share in colonoscopy, mammogram, and youth immunizations.
While Zion HealthShare encourages members to use providers in the PHCS network, there are no network limitations for preventive services, so you can go to any provider of your choice.
Pre-Existing Conditions
Share Healthcare: Not eligible for sharing.
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
Share Healthcare: After members pay their Per Event Personal Expense or Annual Unshared Amount, expenses related to labor, delivery and routine hospital expenses for the infant as well as expenses relating to any complications are eligible with NO waiting period or limits. If a member is pregnant within two months of membership beginning, maternity expenses will be shared at up to 50% of the member’s share contributions to that point. For example, if the member has paid $2,490 in monthly share amount to that point, up to $1,245 will be eligible to be shared by fellow members.
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.
Caps and Limitations
Share Healthcare: Share Healthcare does not have annual or lifetime caps on eligible need requests.
Zion HealthShare: Zion HealthShare does not have annual or lifetime caps on eligible need requests (except with the phase-in sharing for pre-existing conditions).
Turnaround Time for Paying Medical Bills
Share Healthcare: Unknown. When I called to speak to someone at Share Healthcare about this, I was told that it “depends on the provider” and I wasn’t even provided an estimate.
Zion HealthShare: 5-10 Business Days
Process for Paying Medical Bills
Share Healthcare: Members must set up a bank account for sharing. Member’s monthly share amounts will remain in the individualized account until it is used to pay the medical expenses of fellow Share Healthcare members.
Zion HealthShare: Zion HealthShare provides an organized and simple way for members to share in each other’s medical needs. Once you have paid your member responsibility amount (IUA), Zion HealthShare handles any negotiations on your behalf and takes care of all of the eligible medical bills for you.
CASE STUDY: Comparing Costs of Share Healthcare and Zion HealthShare
I am going to compare costs between the Share Healthcare and the Zion HealthShare Direct Membership Plans. These two programs are the most compatible for how much is eligible for sharing with the member.
Example #1
Household: Single Individual
Age of oldest person in the family: 25 years old
Tobacco Use: None
Costs:
| Share Healthcare Caring PEPE -$300 | Share Healthcare Compassion PEPE -$1000 | Zion HealthShare Direct Membership – $1,000 IUA | Zion HealthShare Direct Membership -$5,000 IUA |
|---|---|---|---|
| $299.00/month | $149.00/month | $185.00/month | $103.00/month |
Example #2
Household: Family (Married Couple with Children in the home)
Age of oldest person in the family: 37 years old
Tobacco Use: None
Costs:
| Share Healthcare Caring PEPE -$300 | Share Healthcare Compassion PEPE -$1000 | Zion HealthShare Direct Membership – $1,000 IUA | Zion HealthShare Direct Membership -$5,000 IUA |
|---|---|---|---|
| $659.00/month* | $349.00/month* | $570.00/month | $405.00/month |
| This price is for 2 kids. Add $50/month for each additional kid. | This price is for 2 kids. Add $50/month for each additional kid. |
Share Healthcare vs Zion HealthShare
After reviewing the the costs and what medical needs are shared with members, it’s easy to see why I prefer Zion HealthShare over Share Healthcare. In summary, here are a few reasons:
- Zion HealthShare accepts members of all faiths. They are a community of individuals who strive to live a healthy lifestyle and want to share in the costs of one another’s medical burdens. With a healthier community of members, this helps keep costs down for everyone.
- Zion HealthShare has a low-cost one-time enrollment fee of $50.
- Zion HealthShare members typically save 30-60% off of traditional Health Insurance.
- 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.
- 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 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 allows people with pre-existing conditions to join the health share – rather than denying them. Instead, they offer a waiting period for pre-existing conditions and a phase-in of sharing in these pre-existing conditions.
- 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.
Which Health Share Plan Should You Join?
Choosing a Health Share plan is a very personal decision. Feel free to check out Share Healthcare 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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