Life With Christian Healthcare Sharing - The Fears, The Blessings

Since Danielle and I decided to become members of a Christian healthcare sharing organization we've gotten tons of questions from people who read our post "A Look At The Three Big Christian Healthcare Sharing Options." People want to know what it's been like, how it works, and even does it work.

So here's what our experience has been like so far.

But first, a quick recap.

Danielle and I decided we didn't want any part of the government's version of affordable healthcare. It's cost is astronomical, it's unethical, it's unnecessarily complicated, and it forces us to pay for medical procedures that we don't agree are biblical. Thanks to some provisions in the law, organizations like Christian Healthcare Ministries, Medi-Share, and Samaritan Ministries can legally provide health coverage to Christians without having to pay the penalty for not having Obamacare. It's perfectly legal. It works. And it's a monumental blessing.

Though, admittedly, it's a bit scary at first.

We took some time to look into the big three Christian healthcare sharing options—Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM), Medi-Share, and Samaritan Ministries. All three have different strengths that will satisfy the needs of their individual members, but CHM seemed to suit our needs the best.

Christian Healthcare Ministries

CHM is actually the oldest of the big three, having been around since 1984. This gave us an element of trust that this organization, having proven itself sustainable, could help us meet our medical needs. They are a nonprofit health cost sharing ministry through which Christians help other Christians with their medical expenses.

How it works is pretty simple: when you have a medical need you go to the doctor. At some point, someone at the hospital will ask you about insurance. You say, "I have insurance, but you just treat me as a self-pay patient." They nod and go, "Oh, ok. Sure. No problem." A couple weeks later you'll get a bill and a letter saying that as far as the hospital is concerned you are responsible to cover the cost. You submit that bill to CHM. CHM members submit their monthly portion and your medical needs are covered. That's it in a nutshell anyway.

We're Pregnant. Yay! ... I Mean, "Gulp!"

Back at the beginning of October Danielle told me that we were expecting. We couldn't be more excited! So far everything has gone pretty smoothly—doctor's visits, getting bills, submitting them to CHM. There's been a bit of a learning curve because we are basically in charge of our healthcare needs. There are some forms to fill out and some steps to go through, but the folks at CHM have been more than helpful every step of the way.

SOMETHING IMPORTANT Even though we decided to become members of CHM, we're not knocking Medi-Share or Samaritan Ministries. All three are great programs that have different benefits. We chose CHM based on our medical needs, which are few. We encourage people to get some literature from each sharing organization, and even call them to ask questions to find out which one is right for you.

In short, things are going well with CHM. We plan to continue using them and highly recommend them.

It can definitely stretch your nerves joining up with a healthcare sharing organization like CHM. It requires a step of faith, for sure, because the ministry relies on the support of God's people, and their support is dependent on God's provision. But His Word says that He is faithful. And He is! We've found that as we step out in faith with CHM, God rewards that faith. It's a tremendous blessing!

If you found this information to be helpful, and choose to use Christian Healthcare Ministries, would you consider signing up under us as a thank you for all our research? You can use this link to do that: Christian Healthcare Ministries. Thanks!

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RELATED POSTS
The Horrendous Healthcare Hunt Begins!

The Horrendous Healthcare Hunt, Part 2: The Why

Life Without Obamacare Is Beautiful... But Complicated

A Look Inside Christian Healthcare Ministries... Sarcasm Included!

Howdy world! If you're just tuning in, the wife and I have signed up for a Christian healthcare sharing organization as an alternative to Obamacare. (Click here to read why.) It's been a complicated solution to figure out because, essentially, we have had to learn all of this insurance mumbo-jumbo ourselves.

So we signed up with Christian Healthcare Ministries a couple weeks ago (click here to read about that if you're curious) and yesterday we received our welcome package—or as I've come to call it, "The Book of Forms." The 34-page member brochure introduced us to Dr. Michael D. Jacobson, who has served as medical consultant for CHM since 1995. He's apparently the go-to guy if you've got medical questions.

To contact him, fill out the enclosed form.

We were also made aware of one member's health concerns—a man named Mark, from Ohio, who is trying to get his blood pressure under control. Members can send notes of encouragement and pray for Mark.

To send him a card, fill out the enclosed form.

One thing I forgot to sign up for when I enrolled is the Brother's Keeper program, a separate fund to safeguard members from medical bills exceeding $125,000 caused by catastrophic illness or injuries. It's a quarterly gift of $25—in addition to your monthly portion—as well as an annual $40 administration fee. I'm thinking the wife and I will sign up for this, so I guess... oh! How convenient...

...they've included a form for that, too!

There's a page explaining that if we can sucker anyone else into joining, we'll get one month of membership for free. Any takers? All you have to do is...

...fill out the enclosed form.

There's information on what to do if you need medical care—along with an enclosed form—as well as a list of forms to fill out:

• The Checklist of Understanding Form
  I understand that my participation is voluntary... I understand the guidelines... I understand the risk... I understand that this is not insurance.... Check. Check. Check. Check.


• CheckEase Direct Giving Enrollment Form
  To save me the agony of having to write a check every month, I can have my money sent to them automatically.


• Authorization for Disclosure or Use of Protected Health Information Form
  Uh-huh. Got it.

All kidding and sarcasm aside—actually, scratch that, I won't renege my sarcasm. This whole process is an annoyance. Not that I'm not grateful for ministries like CHM, or Samaritan Ministries, or MediShare, but the convoluted politics that have necessitated this lifestyle change make it a circumstance that I resent. So...

Deep calming breath. Relax. Breeeeeath.

Smiley face :-)

Honestly, CHM's Book of Forms isn't so bad. I'm just clinging to the amusement caused by all the forms as a means of easing my suffering.

The good news is that our total monthly membership fee—for both Dani and I—is less than $300. Under Obamacare, even with assistance, it would cost about that much for just ONE of us.

So, despite all my frustrations and my naturally pessimistic personality, I consider myself blessed to now be a part of a healthcare sharing ministry like CHM. I even look forward to praying for other members like Mark and encouraging them through their difficulties.

"And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near."

—Hebrews 10:25

Keep pinchin' :-)

If you found this information helpful, and choose to use Christian Healthcare Ministries, would you consider signing up under us, as a thank you for all our research? You can use this link to do that Christian Healthcare Ministries.Christian Healthcare Ministries

A Look At The Three Big Christian Healthcare Sharing Options

UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 2022
We have received more feedback on this blog post than any other. Over 49,000 views and hundreds of comments, emails, questions, and shares. We are still using our Christian healthcare sharing alternative for our insurance and we love it! As far as we know everything in the following article is still accurate and relevant.

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Ok, quick recap.

Like most Americans, Danielle and I disagree with many of the aspects of Obamacare, but unlike most Americans we're not just going to accept it, especially since it so very blatantly goes against our beliefs. It is also astronomically expensive. So we have been on the hunt for an alternative solution to healthcare for the last few months and have been researching several Christian sharing ministries, namely: Medi-Share, Samaritan Ministries, and Christian Healthcare Ministries. I think all three have different strengths that will satisfy the needs of their individual members, but let me break down what we've found as briefly and simply as possible.

DISCLAIMER Just because there are parts of these programs that didn't appeal to us doesn't mean they're not the right fit for you. Danielle and I are both healthy, young, and on the verge of starting a family, so those factors weighed heavily on our decision. We encourage you to get some literature from each sharing organization and even call them to ask questions to find out which one is right for you.

MEDI-SHARE
This is the big one. This is the one we keep hearing about on our local Christian radio station, but just because they advertise doesn't mean they're the best (yes, I'm thinking of you, GEICO!) Anyway, Medi-Share has been around since 1993 and has an excellent track record of providing for its members' needs. They say that in the last 16 years every eligible need has been covered—eligible being the key word here.

One example given by a Medi-Share representative was the story of a member who was injured in a car accident and required a lot of medical work, but since the person was intoxicated at the time of the accident the expense was not covered. It's easy to think that they should give the guy a break, but at the same time Medi-Share's whole point is that by living a more biblical lifestyle you will be healthier and have fewer medical needs, which is understandable, because...

"Too many rules is legalistic, but too much grace is enabling."
—Rachel Cruze, Financial Peace University

PROS

• They negotiate your medical bills for you, working directly with your doctor
• More lenient on preexisting conditions
• If you meet certain health criteria you can get a reduction in your monthly share
• They will help fund up to two adoptions per household with an amount determined by your Annual Household Portion (how much you pay every year for coverage)
• Great plan if you like a more "hands off" approach when dealing with medical bills

CONS

• They can be picky about who you use for a doctor, preferring you use one of their "in-network" doctors, or that you ask your doctor to join their network
• Expensive. Medi-Share functions a lot like a high deductible insurance plan where you pay a certain amount called the "Annual Yearly Portion" FIRST before they'll kick-in any extra
• Their criteria pertaining to adoption seems very strict and suited for the more expensive plans
• You have to be accepted into the program. Not everyone gets accepted.

Click here for more details about how Medi-Share works. And if you're curious, you can read their guidelines or check out their "Share Calculator" to see what your Annual Household Portion would be.

If you decide to use Medi-Share, and appreciate all the research we've provided in this post, please use this referral link: http://bit.ly/2mDuhc7. Thank you!

SAMARITAN MINISTRIES
From the get-go we really liked the look of Samaritan Ministries' healthcare options. Again, their track record is good and a lot of people say more good things about them than not. We even have friends who use it and recommended it to us highly.

With Medi-Share, your monthly share is sent directly to the organization and then they sort through all the claims and make the payments. With Samaritan's Ministries, however, you pay your monthly share directly to the individual in need. That's right, every month Samaritan's Ministries sends you a name and address of another member and your monthly portion is sent directly to them. Yes, it feels weird, but members claim it's a very exciting way to handle medical expenses because you know where your money is going, you get to pray for and encourage the people you're helping, and you get their help in return.

Samaritan's Ministries has a $250,000 limit, meaning they'll only pay your medical costs up to that amount. They have a program called "Save to Share" to help with larger medical expenses, but that requires another payment in addition to your monthly share. It's your responsibility to set this money aside every year so that if another member ever has a claim more than $250,000 you may be called upon to help pay that burden.

PROS

• Simple. No nonsense approach. No red tape.
• Low yearly rates
• Christians caring for Christians. You send your monthly share directly to fellow believers in need.
• Low deductibles
• You can go to any doctor without them having to join the ministry's network or be "approved"
  
  UPDATE
• Samaritan Ministries can assist members with "patient advocacy services" to negotiate lower rates and improve the relationship between the member and the provider.

CONS

• Because we are getting ready to start having kids, child wellness is a big concern for us, especially in the first few months after they're born when they're going to the doctor often. I spoke to a Samaritan Ministries representative about this and, I'm sad to say, they have no post-natal care options. Regular wellness visits, vaccinations, anything "routine" is not covered.
  
  UPDATE
• Publishable maternity needs include bills for prenatal care, delivery, postnatal care, miscarriage, and congenital conditions. Well checks and vaccinations are not publishable.
• 
  You have to pay your medical bills 100% out of pocket and Samaritan's Ministries reimburses you for the amount. Not a great deal if you're just starting out and don't have a lot of liquid cash.
  
  UPDATE
• Apparently you have two choices when paying for your medical services: you can either pay up front, or negotiate with your hospital to have your bills paid through Samaritan's sharing organization. If you pay up front you will get reimbursed, but that also leaves no room for Samaritan Ministries to help you negotiate down the cost of your hospital bills. Once the bills are paid, the process is closed. So it's best to just explain to your hospital that your bills will be paid through Samaritan Ministries, submit your bills to the organization, and pay your hospital as the members' checks come in, usually in 30-to-60 days.
• Here is a very comprehensive list of positives and negatives, but the negatives are more concerns than anything. This is still a very positive review of the program.

Honestly, we found very few negatives with this option. Samaritan Ministries seems to be a great program, just not right for us at this time in our lives.

CHRISTIAN HEALTHCARE MINISTRIES
This program is very different from the first two and it's the one that Danielle and I have decided suits us the best. We like it because it offers a variety of membership levels that you can choose from depending on how much coverage you want. You can even choose different levels for different family members, which is a huge perk considering I'm a healthy 32-year-old dude who won't likely need any serious medical care for a while, and Danielle is a healthy 27-year-old dudette who is likely to become pregnant. So, yeah, she needs more coverage than me.

Amanda, at www.thepelsers.com, talks about how she and her family saved $600 a month, $7,000 a year, on health insurance by switching to Christian Healthcare Ministries. Click here to read her article.

UPDATE: DECEMBER 20, 2016
We recently learned that there is a $125,000 cap for auto accidents. CHM expects that your auto insurance company will cover whatever damages you incur in the event of an accident—which means you are responsible for having the most coverage your auto insurance will provide—but if once that insurance is used up, CHM will step in to cover the rest up to $125,000.

What if the damages are immense—say, two million dollars? Here is the response from CHM representative Jason Spencer.

"Yes, that is correct. We would only share up to $125,000. Two million in bills, so you know, is very difficult to incur. The most we have ever had is a little over one million in bills, and that was over several years for a cancer patient. Between the hospital's write-offs and other sources (maybe even court winnings), there is no way you would ever be stuck with almost a million out of pocket. No insurance company would ever cover that, either, to be clear."

PROS

• They have a good post-natal care program covering the routine visits of the child for the first three months.
  UPDATE
• I was told two different things from two different representatives, but the second actually referred to their guidelines, so that's the one I'm going with. He said that any non-routine medical bills your baby incurs in the first three months are eligible for sharing. Normal immunization shots and wellness visits are not.
• Different levels of coverage make this a highly flexible option, and those coverage levels can be changed whenever you want.
• Very affordable
• One person is considered one unit. So a family of two means you have to purchase two units, and the same with a family of three. But any families larger than three—be it five, ten or even twenty—are still considered THREE units.
• Has a separate program called Brothers Keeper to help with extremely large medical bills. This seems very similar to Samaritan Ministries' "Save to Share" program.
• They also have a Reduction Department that aims to help you negotiate with your doctor to get the lowest possible prices on your healthcare.
• They are the oldest of the "big three," having been around since 1984.

CONS

• I can't say we found many cons with this program. It suits our needs perfectly. But, like with any of these sharing ministries, you have to take a step of faith to get involved with one, which is kinda scary.
  
  UPDATE
• If you are a Medicaid or Medicare member, Christian Healthcare will act as a secondary insurance provider. In other words they won't publish your need unless you've already been turned down by your primary insurance provider, if you even have one.
  
  UPDATE
• Their processing department is very slow. Needs are usually processed in about three months, but we experienced a wait of about five months with some of the medical bills from our son's birth in June. When I asked CHM why it was taking so long I was told that due to the overwhelming amount of people signing up since Obamacare was enacted, CHM has been inundated with needs. In one respect this is a good thing because it means the ministry is growing, which means more people helping other people, but for those that don't have a lot of liquid cash it could mean waiting a while for CHM to send a check to cover your medical expenses.

So, that's that. Stay tuned, because I'm sure we'll be blogging more soon about our experiences with healthcare sharing ministries!

Keep pinchin' :-)

If you found this information to be helpful, and choose to use Christian Healthcare Ministries, would you consider signing up under us, as a thank you for all our research? You can use this link to do that Christian Healthcare Ministries. Thanks!

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RELATED POSTS
The Horrendous Healthcare Hunt Begins!
April 11, 2014

The Horrendous Healthcare Hunt, Part 2: The Why
May 27, 2014

Life Without Obamacare Is Beautiful... But Complicated
June 3, 2014

The Horrendous Healthcare Hunt, Part 2: The Why

Stock photo by Kurhan
www.freeimages.com

I know. I know! I said I was done shaking my fist at the government in my last post about healthcare, but the truth is I just don't shake my fist as often. Still, every time the subject of healthcare comes up I turn toward Washington and extend an obscene finger—not really, but I'm thinking it.

And Dani and I are not alone. There isn't a single person we know who doesn't roll their eyes at the mention of our country's laughable "affordable" healthcare system. Almost everyone within our circle of family and friends has had to make radical life adjustments to their finances, their jobs, or living arrangements in order to be able to afford the massive expense of Obamacare.

Dani and I have been on the hunt for affordable healthcare for the last couple of months, looking at several Christian sharing programs. We'll blog about what we've found on a later date—so stay tuned—but for now I wanted to address the "whys" behind our reasoning.

Yes, it has a lot to do with the fact that we literally cannot afford insurance through the Affordable Care Act—informally known as Obamacare, which is what I will call it from this point on because I can't type "AFFORDABLE Care Act" without laughing so hysterically that I lose the ability to type. But, seriously, we CAN NOT afford it. We would have to go hungry or forgo putting gas in the car or not pay our mortgage in order to get the government's insurance.

But there are other reasons that we oppose it—reasons I believe every Christian should hold to.

WHY #1: Caring for the sick isn't the government's job.
Let me paint a picture for you. I love my wife. I'm sure that you want me to love my wife. You can desire for me to love my wife all you want, but it's not your role to love my wife FOR me. You would be taxing yourself too much if you tried to love my wife... and your neighbor's wife... and all the wives in the world. It's just not up to you.

The same goes for the government regarding health care (among other things). The government's role is to do things like protect our borders, execute justice, and fight threats (Romans 13:4, 1 Peter 2:13-14, the Preamble to the Constitution). They are not tasked with caring for the sick.

What begins to happen when the government steps in and starts doing things it's not supposed to be doing is tyranny. In regards to health insurance, when the government starts handling healthcare it cannot help but intrude upon people's lives and impede their freedoms.

WHY #2: Obamacare creates bondage, not freedom.
An addict is enslaved to their own addiction. A non-believer is in bondage to sin. Obamacare claims to allow choice, but does so within such strict confines that true freedom doesn't exist. In actuality, Obamacare creates bondage. When we do not have the freedom to choose if or how we want to spend our earnings, then we are in bondage. And with Obamacare we are in bondage to the government.

Scripture is clear on this: God hates slavery. He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to free us from slavery to sin. The Apostle Paul warns us not to become slaves to men (1 Corinthians 7:23).

Ultimately, Obamacare is theft, but, unfortunately, our government has come to believe that the ends justify the means. Stealing from one person to give to another—even if it is for a good cause—has become acceptable. Anytime money is taken from us involuntarily to fulfill a purpose not expressly stated in our Constitution, it is theft, even if it's for a good cause.

WHY #3: Obamacare violates Biblical truths that we hold sacred.

One of the worst aspects of Obamacare is that it forces Christians to violate their conscience and subsidize things like abortions, sterilizations, and contraceptives. The government should not put itself above the Christian principles upon which it was founded. In the New Testament, Peter says that Christians must obey God before men (Act 5:29). And when it comes to Obamacare, we will NOT participate if it means murdering innocent babies.

WHY #4: Lowering healthcare costs through the government is a lie.
One of the biggest lies perpetuated by Obamacare is that government regulation can lower healthcare costs. But think about this: the government gets its money from the people it governs. If it decides to enact a massively expensive healthcare program, who is going to pay for it? The people of course! When the government demands that everyone have health insurance, healthcare costs are going to increase for two reasons: 1) demand increases, and 2) competition decreases. Government oversight actually raises healthcare costs exponentially.

The goal in any free economy should be to shop for good medical care like you shop for a good mechanic. With healthy, economical competition among healthcare providers, costs go down. This is what should happen in a free society. This is the kind of society our forefathers wanted to establish, and the kind of society my grandfather fought for.

WHY #5: America needs to become more responsible with its debt.
Obamacare has inflated our national debt beyond anything anyone ever could have imagined. We are currently spending as a nation more money than we possess. This is NOT good financial stewardship! This is NOT being responsible! God's warnings against debt are all throughout Scripture, and they don't apply just to individuals, but families, businesses, and nations too.

For Dani and I, the main reasons for not wanting to be a part of Obamacare is the way it violates our Biblical beliefs, robs us of our freedom of choice, and the massive expense of it. We are hopeful that some day a different solution will be found, but until then the horrendously time-consuming, difficult task of finding affordable healthcare continues.

Keep pinchin' :-)

Click here to read "The Horrendous Healthcare Hunt Begins."

The Horrendous Healthcare Hunt Begins!

Ok. Healthcare. Whether or not we want it, it is being forced upon us, in one form or another. I suppose if our imaginary kiddos are ever going to become real we're going to need insurance, or some kind of alternative, because life without it just isn't feasible, or wise.

Where to begin? Now that we're done shaking our fist at the government, it's time to stop fooling around and figure something out, which requires a lot of research, time, and effort. Moreover, we finally have our budget where we want it, and adding healthcare to the mix means rebuilding it practically from the ground up. And who wants to go there? Definitely not the Free Spirit—AKA the hubby.

Initially, we thought the best option would be getting healthcare through our employer, but that's expensive and, because of ObamaCare, funds things we don't agree with—like abortion and the morning after pill.

So what are our alternatives? There's Medi-Share, which we hear about on the Christian radio station all the time. It seems to be a good program, but in some ways it acts as an insurance in that there is an Annual Household Portion that you have to pay prior to making any claims. They also have provider fees that you have to pay for each visit. Is this good? Bad? Hard to say at this point.

Then there's Samaritan's Ministries, which also appears to be a good program. They do not have an Annual Household Portion because they point out that you are responsible for your healthcare costs, not a portion, but all of it. They're not insurance. They're a sharing ministry, which can be hard to wrap your head around if you're new to the concept, but it's worked since 1994. However, the downside to this alternative is that there is a minimum of $300 in order to make a claim. Who knows how many visits we'll make to the doctor that are under $300—probably not many in today's healthcare world—but you never know.

What else is there? We could pay Obama's hefty fine, but we hate the thought of giving people money who don't deserve it. Then there's always the possibility of having my husband deliver our children here at our home, but he tells me that's not going to happen. Hey, it's an alternative. I didn't say it was a good one.

If we've learned anything about health insurance from Dave Ramsey it's that living without health insurance is like gambling with your financial future. All it would take is one accident to ruin everything we've fought so hard to achieve, and that's not a gamble we're willing to make.

So what is your experience with healthcare alternatives? Have you any advice on Medi-Share or Samaritan's Ministries or even another option? Let us know in the comments below.

Keep pinchin' :-)