A Guide to Healthcare Alternatives
Health care sharing ministries let members help pay one another's medical bills — and the best-run ministries have spent decades building an outstanding record of paying members' shared needs in full.
This guide covers how they compare to traditional insurance, what they do well, what to know before you join, and how to spot a top-tier program.
Start reading ↓In a health care sharing ministry (HCSM), members pay a set monthly amount — usually called a “share” rather than a premium — and that money is used to help pay other members' eligible medical bills. Most are faith-based and built around mutual aid: the community agrees to carry one another's costs.1 When you have an eligible need, your bills are submitted and the community's shares help cover them.
It's a proven alternative to an ACA marketplace plan or employer insurance for millions of Americans — and one thing is worth understanding clearly up front:
But keep in mind that higher tier, high quality sharing ministries, such as the ones we work with, who want to remain viable going concerns and viewed positively in the member community and public at large, will want to be sure to responsibly pay as agreed upon their members’ full shared medical needs amounts as they arise. And the industry has an outstanding record in doing so.
“The sharing ministry paid over $28,000 for my complex surgery. I only had to pay my Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA) of $500 and it did the rest, just as was promised to me in the plan brochure.”— Jean Anderson, Plano, Texas
“We were able to save even more through one of the top health sharing plans after the Federal Marketplace stopped giving us as much assistance towards our Blue Cross plan premium. Our doctors are all in it, and we feel protected if a large medical need were ever to occur.”— Jack and Sandra Morrison, Florida
You enroll in a ministry and typically agree to a statement of faith and healthy-living guidelines.
You pay a monthly share — often well below a comparable insurance premium.
When you have an eligible bill, you submit it and members' shares are applied toward it.
You first cover an “unshared amount” (like a deductible) before sharing begins for that need.
For healthy households that don't qualify for ACA subsidies, sharing can be much cheaper — sometimes roughly half the cost of comparable coverage, or less.1 Consumer guides commonly cite monthly shares in the $300–$500 range versus $1,000+ for family premiums, though real numbers vary widely.
Most sharing programs have no networks and no referrals — you see the doctor or hospital you want and submit eligible bills afterward.
There's no open-enrollment window and no employment requirement, which appeals to the self-employed, early retirees, and stay-at-home parents.
Members' shares aren't pooled toward procedures the community objects to on faith grounds — a key reason many choose this model.
Comparison summarized from the cited sources below; specifics differ by ministry, plan, and state.
Not all sharing programs are equal. The ones worth your membership share a few traits:
The programs below are the ones we've vetted against this list.
We help individuals and families compare and enroll in these three programs. Select a program below to review specific plans and get an estimate of the monthly membership cost for yourself or your family.
A medical cost sharing community through Planstin Administration with no church or denominational requirement to join.
Care Coordination with every membership · Switching from another health share? Your membership history may carry over
A medical cost sharing community with no religious requirement, available to adults ages 18–64 in most states.
Founded 2014 in Austin, TX · 150,000+ members
A faith-based, nonprofit health share with four membership levels to fit your budget.
Sharing medical needs since 1996 · One of the longest-running health shares in the U.S.
Insure Health is an independent representative for the programs shown. Health sharing programs are not insurance; monthly contribution amounts, eligibility, and sharing guidelines are set by each ministry and may change. Always confirm current details with the ministry — or with us — before enrolling.
No. Ministries aren't insurance companies, and the programs aren't insurance — members share eligible costs according to the ministry's guidelines rather than an insurance contract. That said, the well-established ministries have paid their members' eligible needs reliably for decades.3
The reputable ones do — consistently. The leading ministries have shared billions of dollars in member medical needs and have long track records of paying eligible needs in full and on time. Their ability to keep members and stay in business depends on it, which is why we only work with programs that have demonstrated that reliability.
Usually yes — most programs have no networks, so you choose your providers and submit eligible bills afterward.
Usually sharing for existing conditions is limited at first and expands over time — often fully after a few years of membership. Each ministry sets its own schedule, so we'll help you review it before you enroll.1
Very often, yes — especially for households that don't qualify for subsidies, where monthly shares can be a fraction of an unsubsidized premium. If you are subsidy-eligible, it's worth comparing both side by side; we can run the numbers for you.
Comparing a top-tier sharing program against an ACA plan side by side is the clearest way to decide — and for many families the sharing program comes out ahead on cost and freedom. If you'd like a hand, with no pressure, a licensed advisor can walk you through both.
Compare Your Options
