There are plenty of HealthShares to choose from…so which one is the best fit for your needs?
First, here’s some quick info to help you better understand the information about each HealthShare listed below.
Monthly Contribution Costs – This is a range of what members can pay each month, depending on which plan they choose, their age, and the amount of members on the account. For example, with the lowest amount listed, it’s typically the price of a single adult with the highest Member Responsibility amount (the amount the member pays before the HealthShare will “share” in medical expenses). The highest amounts listed are typically for an adult that is 60 year old with kids or teens living in the household.
Depending on how much you are willing to pay out of pocket before the HealthShare community steps in, this will determine the price as well. The more financial responsibility you have, the less you have to pay each month. The less financial responsibility you have, the more you will pay each month.
Statement of Faith – A lot of HealthShares are “Health Share Ministries”, which means that they are faith-based and may require proof of religious affiliation.
Preventative – While HealthShares are primarily known for helping with those larger and unexpected medical needs, some HealthShares may share in preventative services.
Pre-Existing Conditions – HealthShares typically have limitations of what they will and will not share in, including Pre-Existing Conditions.
Maternity – Some HealthShares have multiple plans, where maternity benefits are not shareable. If this is a medical need that is expected in the future or a possibility, make sure you know what sharing is available to you.
Turnaround Time for Paying Medical Bills – This can be important, especially if you are waiting on a reimbursement or want your medical bills paid in a timely manner.
Considerations – Just a note on special considerations to take into account.
What You Need To Know About The Most Popular Health Shares
Zion HealthShare – Get a Quote
Monthly Contribution Cost: $103 to $790
Statement of Faith: None – They accept people of all faiths.
Preventative: 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: 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: Members would just pay their IUA and the rest would be shared with the community. 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: 5-10 Business Days
Considerations: There are no lifetime caps on your need requests.
Altrua Healthshare
Monthly Contribution Cost: $105 to $900
Statement of Faith: Must agree to a “Statement of Standards” – These are based on ethical and religious beliefs, including no sexual relations outside of marriage.
Preventative: Emerald and Diamond plans allow members to go to an annual wellness visit. Members would need to pay $35 and the visit is shareable up to $300.
Pre-Existing Conditions: 2-5 year waiting period, depending on what the pre-existing condition is.
Maternity: Members must be married in order to have maternity and newborn needs shared. The lower cost plans (Ruby and Sapphire) do not share in any Maternity needs. If an eligible maternity need, the member would need to pay their member responsibility amount.
Turnaround Time for Paying Medical Bills: 30-45 business days
Considerations: There is a lifetime limit of $2 million per member.
Christian Care Ministry (Medi-Share)
Monthly Contribution Cost: $81 to $1,229
Statement of Faith: Must agree to their specific qualifications for a “Christian Testimony”. Not all Christian denominations will fit into these beliefs.
Preventative: 1 routine physical (2 labs) per year. Must use the PCHS Network.
Pre-Existing Conditions: After 3 years of membership, up to $300,000/year shareable and after 5 years of membership, up to $500,000 /year is shareable with the Health Share community.
Maternity: Members must be married in order to have maternity and newborn needs shared. If an eligible maternity need, the member would need to pay their member responsibility amount.
Turnaround Time for Paying Medical Bills: 30 business days
Considerations: There are so many programs and price points that it can become confusing on what is and isn’t shared with the community.
Christian Healthcare Ministries
Monthly Contribution Cost: $78 to $516
Statement of Faith: Must agree to their specific Christian qualifications. Not all Christian denominations will fit into these beliefs.
Preventative: Will share in preventative needs as long as you pay your member responsibility first. For example, if you are in the Bronze program, you would need to pay for all medical bills that are less than $5,000 per incident.
Pre-Existing Conditions: 1 year waiting period and for cancer specifically, there is a 5 year waiting period before anything relating to it can be considered shareable.
Maternity: Sharing is only available in the “Gold” plan. The member would need to pay their member responsibility amount.In the “Bronze” and “Silver” plans, they will not share in any maternity expenses.
Turnaround Time for Paying Medical Bills: 60 days
Considerations: 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 Membership and pay extra for the “Brother’s Keeper”, then you will have unlimited sharing available to you (on eligible needs).
Liberty HealthShare
Monthly Contribution Cost: $159 to $1,239 + $50 extra for each family member over 5 people.
Statement of Faith: Must agree to adhering Christian standards and beliefs. The required beliefs are less strict or specific than other religious HealthShares, but they do require members to “participate regularly in worship or prayer”.
Preventative: 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.
Pre-Existing Conditions: 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.
Maternity: 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).
Turnaround Time for Paying Medical Bills: 90 days
Considerations: It’s important to understand 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.
Sedera
Monthly Contribution Cost: $113 to $1,713
Statement of Faith: None – They accept people of all faiths. “We share a faith in each other and in the strength of our community.”
Preventative: Routine childhood immunizations are shareable. Diagnostic colonoscopies and Diagnostic mammograms are shareable after an IUA is paid – some restrictions may apply (age, need, reasonable cost, etc).
Pre-Existing Conditions: 1 year waiting period (nothing shareable related to the pre-existing condition, up to $15,000 shareable after the first year, up to $30,000 shareable after the second year, and fully shareable after the third year.
Maternity: Medical expenses for childbirth that have an expected delivery date within the first 12 months of membership are not shareable. Normal vaginal deliveries and emergency Cesarean section deliveries have a total Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA) of $5,000. Non-emergency/elective Cesarean section deliveries have a total IUA of $7,500. The standard IUA levels of $500 – $5,000 do not apply for Maternity Needs.
Turnaround Time for Paying Medical Bills: 30-60 days
Considerations: No single need may consume more than one third of the total number of shares available in a given month. This results in a need being capped, but it is at an unknown amount since it is dependent on how many people contribute each month. Also, members are Required to join with an association, company or other grouped billing.
OneShare Health
Monthly Contribution Cost: $115 to $1,750 (plus $50 for each child after the first three)
Statement of Faith: Must agree to their core biblical principles. The HealthShare is based on the Anabaptist Faith.
Preventative: After a 90-Day Waiting Period, excluding Immunizations, Preventive Services and one (1) Wellness Visit are Eligible for Sharing, up to $1,000 Maximum Sharing per Member per Program Year.
Pre-Existing Conditions: 2 year waiting period. OneShare Health “reserves the right to exclude sharing eligibility for any Pre-Existing Conditions, whether disclosed at the time of your enrollment or discovered after the Effective Date of the Membership.”
Maternity: Only available if you are on the “Classic” or “Complete” plans. Members would need to pay their Individual Sharing Amount (ISA), which is either $5,000 or 10,000. 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.
Turnaround Time for Paying Medical Bills: 21 days
Considerations: After members pay their Individual Sharing Amount (ISA) amount, which can be $5,000 or $10,000 per member, the HealthShare has limits on how much they would share. For example, a hospitalization can cost a member $5,000 to $10,000 (depending on which one they choose upon enrollment) plus 30% of the medical bills. For larger unexpected expenses, this can quickly add up unexpected medical costs for the members.
Samaritan Ministries
Monthly Contribution Cost: $135 to $555
Statement of Faith: Must agree to their Statement of Faith. Must attend church regularly (3 out of every 4 weeks). Must have your pastor or Christian church leader sign a statement confirming that you meet their requirements. Church denominations not allowed to join: Church of Scientology, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Unitarianism.
Preventative: None
Pre-Existing Conditions: 1-5 years waiting period, depending on the condition.
Maternity: Maternity needs are shareable in Samaritan Classic provided there are at least two family members in the same membership program prior to conception. A maternity need will be shared at 100% after the IUA has been met and has a maximum shareable amount of $250,000.
Turnaround Time for Paying Medical Bills: 60-90 days
Considerations: The process to have medical needs is complicated. Once you have an approved medical need, depending on the size of your medical bills, you have multiple people in the community sending you money. After you have received money from everyone, you can then pay your medical bills.
Solidarity Healthshare
Monthly Contribution Cost: $149 to $599
Statement of Faith: Must agree to live by biblical principles and respects the moral teachings of the Catholic Church (does not have to be Catholic).
Preventative: 1 annual wellness exam or physical per year. Multiple well baby visits per year within the first two years of birth.
Pre-Existing Conditions: There is a 1 year waiting period, then in the second and third year, they offer up to $25,000 sharing and in the fourth year they no longer consider it a pre-existing condition.
Maternity: Members must be married in order to have maternity and newborn needs shared. Members would need to pay their member responsibility before maternity needs are shared.
Turnaround Time for Paying Medical Bills: 90 days
Considerations: Medical expenses related to anything that goes against Catholic ethics are not shareable.The Annual Unshared Amount (AUA) is not a choice. If you are under 30 years old, it’s $750, but if you are 60 years old, it’s $2500.So as you age, the monthly and AUA price will change. After paying your AUA,the HealthShare offers plans that will share 70% of medical bills up to $125,000 or 100% of your medical bills up to $1 million per incident (depending on which plan you choose).
I hope you have found this information to be helpful in your search for the right HealthShare!
Are you ready to love your HealthShare experience?
Click the link below to get started!
