Health Share Programs
With the onerous burden of increasing insurance premiums and health care costs continuing to skyrocket, people are looking for cheaper and more flexible alternatives to health care. Tired of traditional medical care? Yet you would like to increase health care protection of yourself and your family? Health-sharing programs are becoming an attractive alternative to traditional insurance for many individuals and families.
What is Health Sharing?
Health share ministries are organizations of individuals and families who volunteer to help each other with medical expenses. Members of the health sharing institutions share a common belief and promise to help each other by sharing costs related to medical expenses.
How Does Health Sharing Work?
If members incur expenses for eligible medical needs, they ask the health sharing ministry to facilitate cost sharing by the members. These health sharing organizations coordinate voluntary monthly financial contributions from members to meet the medical needs of all sharing members. By participating, members help others who share a common belief system.
Healthcare sharing plans, which have grown in popularity since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in the year 2010, have been around for years along with traditional health insurance plans. The Ministry of Health Care provides people with the opportunity to receive the medical care they need while sharing their health care costs with other households.
Anyone who wants to become a member of a health sharing organization must meet certain criteria to become a member. For example, in a faith-based health program, members promise to maintain a healthy lifestyle and understand that they are part of a community of like-minded people of similar faith. Approved members choose a health sharing program and donate a fixed monthly amount that is used to support other members with medical needs. Members have access to funding in return for medical expenses that fall into the category of legitimate medical needs.
There are different types and levels of health participation programs, just as people have multiple choices when choosing traditional health insurance. The Health Share Program is not an insurance plan, but it offers a variety of flexible options to meet the needs of its members.
What is Faith-Based Health Sharing?
In contrast to traditional health insurance, medical cost sharing plans aim to help members share their medical costs with like-minded people. Faith-based health participation programs offer programs that are exempt from ACA rules. These programs are not insurance policies, but they do provide an opportunity for people to believe in sharing their medical bills with others who share their beliefs.
Health Sharing vs. Health Insurance
The Health Insurance share plans are not insurance plans. There is a big difference between the two. A health-sharing organization is a non-profit charity designed to help members pay for medical expenses with the funds of other members. Many of the differences between health insurance and health care programs are related to the member’s right to choose what types of medical expenses are covered and who is eligible for membership.
Health insurance must comply with the Affordable Care Act. In other words, you need to accept people with medical complications. This increases the overall cost of insurance plans and can make comprehensive plans out of reach for many people. The Health Share program, on the other hand, is not associated with ACA requirements, which allows for more selective approval of members and may ultimately lead to cost savings for overall membership. Here are some of the differences between insurance and faith-based health care programs:
| Health Insurance | Faith-based Health Care Programs |
| To comply with the ACA guidelines, you must accept members with existing medical conditions. | Membership eligibility depends only on the criteria set by the Ministry of Health sharing. |
| To comply with ACA guidelines, you need to accept members who can choose from all lifestyles. | Members are expected to share common beliefs and adhere to lifestyles that reflect those beliefs. |
| For-profit | Non-Profit |
| Complaints will be processed in accordance with the signed terms and conditions. | Members send inquiries to the shared program through established provider billing procedures to facilitate and pay for eligible medical costs.
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| You must present a Explanation of Benefit (EOB) when processing your application. | When the sharing request is processed, an explanation of sharing (EOS) will be presented. |
Who Uses Health Sharing Programs?
Health sharing Programs may be used by the following-
- People with Good Health – To keep membership fees low overall, most health care programs limit eligibility to people without a complex medical history.
- Live a Healthy Lifestyle and Avoid Smoking and Excessive Alcohol Use – Health is a requirement for participation in a health sharing program and people engaged in dangerous activities may not be eligible to register.
- You may be Looking for a Cheaper Option than Traditional Health Insurance that can Offer – Health insurance is expensive, so participating in a medical sharing program can save you up to 50% each month compared to traditional health insurance.
- Run Small Businesses and Nonprofits with Employees who Need Health Insurance – Companies with a small number of employees may need a health care program, and a health sharing program can be an affordable option.
- A Self-Employed Person, a Freelancer, an Independent Contractor, or a Citizen who can Run a Family Business – Non-employees may not have access to employee-backed insurance programs or may be able to purchase general health insurance programs. Health sharing programs can be a viable alternative.
- The Family of the Person Receiving the Employer Benefit – Many people seek insurance from their employer’s health insurance company. However, many employers do not want to bear the cost of insuring, their spouse or dependents, as the cost of insurance is very high. Health sharing programs are cheaper and provide the ideal solution for the whole family.
- Make a Lot of Money with the Traditional ACA Plan and are not Eligible for Subsidies – Those who are well above the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) and are not eligible for subsidies can find health sharing programs affordable.
Why Use Health Sharing?
There are several benefits associated with health sharing participation service.
- Low Monthly Fees: Monthly donations are voluntary and are based on certain programs
- Cheaper than Traditional Health Insurance – Many members of the Health Share program can save up to 50% when compared to health insurance.
- Negotiated Rates for Medical and Pharmaceutical Services –High Quality Medical Sharing Program contracts with a network of established providers and is fair and rational for common services such as doctor consultation and 30-day delivery of generic medicines.
- Program Tailored to Your Specific Needs –The Health Sharing Program offers a wide range of programs to meet your budget and medical needs.
- Exclusive –The Health Sharing Program gives members the freedom and ability to share costs with other like-minded families.
- Freedom of Choice – The Medical health share plansdo not limit the types of doctors or specialists that members can see. However, they must be part of the health sharing program provider’s contract network.
- Opportunities to Help and Support Fellow Believers –As a member of the Faith-based Health Exchange Program, you can be confident that your monthly donations will be used for the service of believing in people.
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