Medi-Share Review: A Christian Health Insurance Alternative
My Medi-Share review below was originally written inward 2009 when I was investigating them but has been continually updated (at nowadays for 2019) as I’ve been using them for almost 10 years. Hope it helps!
If you are inwards a self-employed tell of affairs like myself or only looking for a Christian wellness insurance alternative, you lot may wishing to consider Medi-Share.
It is the alternative to health insurance that I have been using for many years and for those wondering Medi-Share IS exempt from the Obamacare mandate.
While it essentially serves the same purpose every flake wellness insurance, they are rattling clear that it is NOT insurance. They telephone telephone it, “Christian Healthcare Sharing.” It offers essentially all of the benefits of wellness insurance, but amongst lower premiums.
They state that most families testament preserve 30-50% inward monthly healthcare costs each yr!
What is Medi-Share?
Medi-Share = Insurance?
People are ever asking me if it is Christian Medical Insurance. Simply pose, no Medi-Share isn’t insurance, but most people wouldn’t genuinely live able to tell a difference.
According to their website:
“Medi-Share is non “Christian insurance.” Rather, it is a wellness aid sharing computer programme facilitated yesteryear times Christian Care Ministry (CCM) through which a community of believers voluntarily come together to portion the terms of ane some other’s medical bills. Members pick out to part with each other, governed by fellow member-voted guidelines. Although inwards that location is no guarantee of sharing, Medi-Share members agree been faithfully sharing each other’s medical bills for to a greater extent than than xx years, trusting the Lord to furnish inwards their fourth dimension of demand through the voluntary gifts of other believers. Since 1993, to a greater extent than $1.5 billion inwards healthcare costs have got been saved through sharing or discounting.”
How does Medi-Share work?
Each month all the members pay their “portion” (a fixed amount depending on the plan you select) into an account amongst their proper noun on it to America’s Christian Credit Union. The funds inward all of those accounts are what pay the swain fellow member’s medical bills each calendar month. “Each pattern essentially tallies medical claims each month, together with too so divides past the number of members, officials state. After subtracting for overhead and administrative expenses, the repose goes to pay claims.”
The Medi-Share information processor programme is flexible amongst multiple choices of computer program levels, benefits, together with of course of report out-of-pocketbook expense. You are given the choice of choosing your ain doctors in add-on to clinic, but at that topographic bespeak are discounts available for using networked professionals.
According to their website:
“Members opened upwards their ain Sharing Account amongst America’s Christian Credit Union. Each fellow fellow member household voluntarily contributes their Monthly Share into their Sharing Account. For each fellow member alongside eligible medical bills to alive shared, Christian Care Ministry identifies i or more other members amongst sufficient funds in their accounts. CCM electronically transfers funds from each sharing boyfriend fellow member’s line of work concern scheme human human relationship into the line of work organisation human human relationship of the beau fellow member amongst whom they are sharing. CCM processes payment from the immature homo member’s account.”
From my experience using them, this sounds to a greater extent than confusing than it really is. They do all this behind the scenes, so every bit a fellow member I am non involved inwards whatsoever of that physical deal for.
Our Updated 2019 Medi-Share Review
More updates are listed below, but Linda too I exactly recorded a quick video answering a lot of greenish questions that we acquire:
Is Medi-Share the Solution to Your Health Insurance Needs?
Unless y'all bear concord a skillful employer-sponsored wellness insurance computer program, or you’re on Medicare, yous’re inward all probability concerned almost your wellness insurance. A major fence is the toll of premiums. They tin easily live over $1,000 per calendar month for a house, or even for a duo. And that’s l-50 if yous have a high deductible.
My wife, Linda, and I feel like we found a solution, or at least one that works for us. It’s a Christian health sharing ministry, called Medi-Share. We’ve had it for our abode unit since 2009, together with it’s been working sound for the past ix years.
It’s a bit unconventional. As I said, it’s a Christian wellness sharing ministry building, which way it isn’t traditional wellness insurance. But it fills the same role, as well as inward our experience, it does it at exclusively a fraction of the damage. And exactly every flake of import, it’s a service that’s consistent with our faith values.
We acquire a lot of questions virtually it, too that’s what I’d similar to hash out inward our Medi-Share review hither.
What is a Christian Health Sharing Ministry?
As a Christian health sharing ministry building, Medi-Share is based on the organized organized religion community values as well as practices of the early Church. It was given within the community that each fellow member would percentage 1 another’s burdens.
In that way, members of Medi-Share pct 1 some other’s medical burdens. They do that yesteryear contributing to the reckoner program through monthly contributions, called “shares”. The contributions buy the farm into a puddle, where it’s available to pay for the medical costs of members inwards demand.
In add-on to payment of a member’s medical costs, the community likewise back upward each other inwards prayer, in plus to sometimes amongst personal dorsum upward.
Medi-Share is a nonprofit arrangement, too conducts the programme along biblical principles.
What happens when you go the doctor?
They actually do have got got a expert network of participating doctors, too if you utilization one the treat is smoothen since the doctors’ know how it works.
We more frequently than non utilize doctors from exterior the network. That tin give the axe live a flake of an number because a lot of doctors don’t know how Medi-Share works. But we prefer going to doctors that we experience comfortable with, so we’ll create the extra endeavor.
But l-50 out-of-network, we just explicate Medi-Share to the Dr., they do a petty fleck of digging, too together with then pecker Medi-Share. Medi-Share testament inwards improver to and then negotiate a discount on the services, and we’ll pay the difference out of purse.
Now for us, out of pocketbook is calorie-free-common, because we exercise the highest deductible blueprint Medi-Share offers. Much as is the illustration amongst traditional wellness insurance, nosotros do this to maintain the monthly contributions as depression every flake possible.
This isn’t a major undertaking inwards our domicile, because we to a greater extent than oftentimes than not acquire for routine checkups. There’s entirely been ane or 2 times where we had to acquire dorsum for something a piffling chip to a greater extent than complicated. Just similar traditional wellness insurance, the high deductible works well when you lot don’t start to the MD that ofttimes.
Like mentioned to a higher seat, the simplest option is to remain inward-network with your doctors, but if yous tin give the axe’t, it only requires a petty to a greater extent than elbow grease on your component.
Here is how they explicate it:
“When a medical instance occurs, you lot only select a network provider from the Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS) PPO network, which offers 700,000 providers nationwide! (Note: Members may select whatever provider of their choosing, including out-of-network providers, but inwards doing so may non do good from discounting of medical bills every chip amongst an inwards-network provider.) Show your Medi-Share ID Card to the provider, together with pay your provider fee—$35 initial beak for doc visits, $135 for an Emergency Room visit. The MD’s purpose or infirmary sends your bills to Medi-Share now.
PHCS negotiates discounts, an average adjustment of thirty–35% past times staying inward-network. Your Provider Fee of $35 or $135 is too deducted from the total pecker. Medi-Share processes the bills for sharing too notifies you of whatever amount y'all must pay straight inwards gild to regard your Annual Household Portion. For whatever amounts to live shared, Medi-Share transfers sufficient funds from other members’ accounts into your account. Medi-Share notifies the sharing members of the recipient of their monthly business office amount. Share amounts are used to pay providers. Once the dollars are transferred, Medi-Share processes payment to the Dr. or infirmary from the young homo fellow member’s role job relationship.”
Medi-Share Cost
How much does Medi-Share toll anyway?
This is evidently a typical query, in improver to the reply is for almost everyone Medi-Share costs a lot less than traditional wellness insurance.
When we switched from health insurance to Medi-Share, our monthly contributions fell to only almost 50% of our previous health insurance premiums. And that’s amongst our menage unit of measurement of iv.
Now I said we have got taken the highest annual deductible to minimize the monthly contribution. Our deductible is $10,000 per yr, which means Medi-Share doesn’t set out paying our costs until nosotros cross that threshold.
But equally a number, our monthly contribution is nearly $230. It’s based on the historic menstruum of the oldest young human being fellow member of the household, as well as that’s the contribution we’re paying with me at 37 years quondam.
The screenshot tabular array below testament give yous a basic thought what the monthly contributions are amongst varying deductibles (referred to every chip the “annual household portion”). It’s based on a identify unit of measure of iv, inward which the oldest swain member is xl. Notice that at that spot are seven deductibles, ranging from $500-$10,000.
On the far right side of the table, you’ll see a heading, Healthy Monthly Share. Medi-Share volition give you a contribution discount of upward to 20% if you run across certainly wellness standards. These receive to do amongst really specific metrics for blood pressure, abdominal circumference together with torso mass index. So if you lot’re super salubrious, your monthly contribution testament live lower however.
Is Medi-Share an alternative to Obamacare?
You’re probably aware that if you don’t have qualifying insurance, you’ll be subject to a tax penalty under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) wellness insurance mandate. There’s expert tidings here. Christian wellness sharing ministries qualify as exempt for the purposes of the mandate.
Here is more than than from them on this:
“The Affordable Care Act includes a exceptional provision for members of Health Care Sharing Ministries, so Medi-Share members are exempt from the mandate to purchase insurance or human face upward fiscal penalties. And your healthcare dollars give-upward the ghost to assist other Christians rather than funding medical choices that are non God honoring-like abortion too the morning-afterward pill, which many insurance plans are now required to embrace.”
What Are the Qualifications for Medi-Share?
One of the most cardinal requirements of Medi-Share is that you lot must adhere to a biblical lifestyle to bring together. For instance, they won’t hide abortions. Nor testament you live covered if you lot’re injured inward a drunkard driving accident. You must also abstain from the work of tobacco or illegal drugs.
You demand to know these limitations, but you lot should alive skillful to go every bit long as you lot adhere to a biblical lifestyle.
Does Medi-Share Cover Pregnancy and Adoptions?
We acquire this enquiry a lot, inward add-on to it’s a expert ane. Simply pose, your pregnancy related expenses will be covered as long as you’re making your monthly contributions.
How long do you have got to direct hold off to acquire meaning?
From the horse’s oral fissure:
“Pregnant Members with an Annual Household Portion (recollect annual deductible) of $1,250 or higher who have got faithfully shared from the month of blueprint through the month of delivery are eligible for maternity sharing.”
We haven’t been through the pregnancy experience, but we have been through ii adoptions amongst them. They do encompass for sure enough expenses in that location every bit good. Adoptions tin live really expensive, as well as nosotros got nearly $iv,000 dorsum on our kickoff 1 4 years agone. On our s adoption we exclusively got dorsum $1,500, but past so we had opted for the higher deductible.
What About Customer Service?
When nosotros showtime started working amongst Medi-Share, the concur off times to set about client service would run twoscore minutes to an 60 minutes. They’ve improved on this quite a fleck since. But what nosotros have industrial plant life is that they’re consistently helpful anytime we speak with them.
We every fleck well typically discover that they pray amongst us at the finish of the conversation. As Christians, we discovery this comforting.
Why we opt for the high deductible plan
This is genuinely a personal thing. As I said earlier, nosotros laid the deductible high to go on the monthly contributions depression. And since nosotros’re a pretty good for you place unit of measurement, it’s been working well so far. A lot of people are doing that now with traditional wellness insurance as sound.
We work around the high deductible by budgeting a certain amount each month for out-of-pocket medical expenses. It’s kind of like an informal health emergency fund, ready if we demand it. You pretty much have got to do that if you receive got a high deductible amongst whatever computer program.
In a way, it’s a flake similar self-insuring, at to the lowest degree for the starting fourth dimension $10,000. But it’s comforting to know that Medi-Share volition pay 100% of medical costs to a higher seat that annual deductible.
What we like about it
- With typical insurance, yous pay a monthly premium, but direct concur no idea where the coin is going. With Medi-Share y'all are informed of who you lot are sharing amongst each month – you lot tin dismiss in addition to so pray in summation to ship letters of dorsum upwardly for those members.
- For most members, there is a substantial cost savings over wellness insurance. Most families tin relieve $2,000 a twelvemonth.
- They assistance hide adoption expenses (they sent us a depository fiscal establishment check for $3,000 afterward our adoption!)
- They have got been operating for 25 years.
- The members vote together with brand the rules. So each yr the members vote on what testament too won’t be covered.
- There is no outflow on the amount of bills that tin be shared by members.
Things to be aware of…
- You direct hold to live accepted into the programme – not everyone is accepted. And you must concord to their Statement of Faith.
- You must adhere to living a Biblical lifestyle inward monastic enjoin to maintain your membership. Not doing so tin dismiss acquire you lot expelled from the figurer programme as well as testament probable nullify whatsoever claims you may receive as well.
- “Medi-Share doesn’t business office inwards all costs. All members vote on a yearly ground what costs to percent. Routine physicals inwards addition to wellness maintenance costs are currently non eligible for sharing.”
- Membership is non denied due to pre-existing conditions status; l-fifty so, in that location are guidelines inwards topographic point concerning pre-ex-that jump sharing of pre-existing conditions.
Final Thoughts on Medi-Share
Linda together with I are both existent comfortable with Medi-Share. More than anything else, it’s more ofttimes than non a thing of getting comfortable amongst something unlike.
One of our biggest concerns when we were considering it was that nosotros would alive facing a huge medical neb as well as that the members would precisely create upwardly 1's head non to “role” with us to embrace it.
After talking to the Medi-Share representative, it sounds like that isn’t much of a concern if you follow the rules. She explained that in the last 24 years every eligible demand has been covered (shared or discounted). But “eligible” is the key word hither.
For representative, she told me a story of a member who was inward a bad automobile accident requiring lots of medical slice of work, but since the mortal was intoxicated when they got into the accident, the expense was non covered yesteryear Medi-Share. On 1 paw, I recall yous should give the guy a pause, but at the same time, it is the strict rules too policies that brand the programme piece of work. The whole signal is that yesteryear living a Biblical lifestyle you lot testament alive healthier, therefore guide hold fewer medical expenses.
From what I empathise, they oftentimes utilisation leftover funds to 50-fifty assist encompass ineligible expenses similar these every bit a gesture of grace.
It seems similar the program is perfect for salubrious Christians who are committed to the Biblical lifestyle. If yous already select agree many health conditions or are prone to lapses into essence abuse, it may non be worth it.
If you are interested inwards learning to a greater extent exactly click the link below to acquire pricing information from them, in addition to I would suggest calling them to postulate whatsoever other questions that you lot hold.
$40 Medi-Share Signup Bonus
As a fellow member of Medi-Share they give us a bonus for referring novel members, so if you decide to sign upwardly as well as allow them know that Bob Lotich referred yous I am happy to role that bonus amongst you lot!
I am happy to send you a $40 Amazon gift card as a thank you! Just electronic mail service me hither if yous do.
I would dearest to hear other Medi-Share reviews from other members – so if you have got got had experience amongst Medi-Share, please percent almost it inwards the comments…
I slowly chatted amongst a friend of mine who uses Samaritan Ministries as their wellness insurance alternative as well as yous tin privy withdraw heed inward on that conversation below to hear the differences between them as well as Medi-Share!
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