Christian Healthcare Ministries Review
Is a Health Cost Sharing Ministry Right For You?
My husband and I made the switch to a Health Cost Sharing Ministry after using traditional health insurance, and are so glad we did!
We were nervous and had lots of questions about it – and if you’re wondering if a health cost starting ministry is right for you, this article should help you make that decision.
I’ll also be sharing my Christian Health Care Ministries review in the process. Be sure to check out my full review including details comparing each of the 3 health cost sharing ministries we compared on YouTube!
Christian Healthcare Ministries has a great referral program that I’d like to share with you, so if you DO decide that CHM is the route you’d like to go, I’d be tickled if you used our referral link to sign up – it gives us a discount for a month at no extra cost to you and it would mean so much.
What is a Health Cost Sharing Ministry?
A health cost sharing ministry is sort of exactly like what it sounds like! It is a ministry in which all of the members of it share medical expenses with each other. Making their medical costs a lot lower than paying for them out of pocket.
It works similar to traditional health insurance but it is NOT insurance.
Some of the Cost Sharing Ministries Out There
These are the 3 that I examined while picking a health cost sharing ministry to be a part of. And after diving into each of them, we decided to go with Christian Healthcare Ministries.
What About the Affordable Cares Act?
Members of health care sharing ministries are exempt from the federal Affordable Care Act and California, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island’s Individual mandate.
Can I Have an HSA While a Part of a Health Cost Sharing Ministry?
Unfortunately no… Not at this time. Because they aren’t “health insurance” under the tax laws – so you can’t have an HSA.
But after some research, it sounds like there are some bills in place to possibly change that in the future.
Not being able to have an HSA while a part of a health cost sharing ministry is one of the major downfalls. However, the savings have outweighed this downfall to us.
What You Need to Be Aware of With a Cost Sharing Ministry
- Lifestyle covenants & statements of faith: You will likely have to sign a lifestyle covenant or statement of faith when joining a medical cost sharing ministry. Which means you will abide by their lifestyle guidelines in regards to your health.
- More work than tradition insurance: You will have to play the middleman between your medical providers and your health cost sharing ministry in order to ensure your bills are shared.
Christian Healthcare Ministries Review
What We LOVE About Christian Healthcare Ministries
It’s been around for 40 years. They have shared over 6 billion dollars of expenses. They have never NOT shared an expense.
They have the prayer page for expenses that go beyond the maximum sharable limit. Members are encouraged to give a few dollars extra each month in order for those medical expenses on the prayer page to get covered as well. AND in the majority of cases, the medical bills are fully covered by the extra giving or the ministry members!
There is no “in-network” and therefore you can have full control over the providers you choose to work with.
While we don’t have any pre-existing conditions, one of the cool things about CHM is that they do at least help with some of the costs of pre-existing conditions.
CHM does offer a free Tele-Health option for its members. Making it easy easier and more affordable to talk to a doctor.
They don’t have a deductible. We are a part of the Gold Plan and basically, if a medical incident costs over $500 for us, CHM shares 100% of the bills from that incident. That means at the end of everything, we only paid our typical monthly contributions and CHM shared the entirety of our medical bills!
Their customer service has been awesome both on the phone and via email. I always hear from someone promptly and they are always so helpful.
We love that they are a faith-based option and that they do have the lifestyle covenant that members need to agree to because this means that we are not paying for any medical expenses that don’t agree with biblical principles.
And obviously, we LOVE all the savings we have had in switching to Christian Healthcare ministries. We used to be paying around $600 per month for the 2 of us, and now we’re paying less than $400!
What CHM Does not Cover
- Routine preventative care
- Infertility
- Alternative care
- Cosmetic Procedures
This is how they are able to keep costs so low for their members.
Most cost sharing ministries are there to help with major health issues or incidents.
Does CHM Actually Pay the Bills?
YES! I received my very first $600 check in the mail after some of my medical bills were processed and approved. It was really exciting to get that first check and know that all of the bills will be shared.
Process to Getting Bills Covered with Christian Healthcare Ministries
- Go to doctor – tell them you are self pay and they can bill you directly.
- You may need to pay for things up front at times
- Make sure to collect an Itemized bill with CPT codes on them
- Call to see if you can get any discounts as a self-pay patient
- You’d be surprised at what kinds of discounts you can get as a self-pay patient
- I received a 55% discount on my hospital bills for my knee surgery!! Crazy!
- Fill out request forms in your CHM Member Portal and explain the medical situation
- Send in your bills to CHM
- Wait for approval (CHM will ensure that you received the best discounts)
- Receive check in the mail!
Downfalls of a Health Cost Sharing Ministry
- A bit more work than traditional insurance – there is definitely more work that we need to do in order to ensure bills are properly shared within the ministry.
- You don’t get to have an HSA
- It can take a while for expenses to be shared
Who Does a Health Cost Sharing Ministry Make Sense For?
- Christians – you have to sign a lifestyle covenant
- Looking to save money
- Have some money set aside for upfront expenses
Tips for a Great Experience with CHM
- Have an emergency fund
- Get to know the process before you need to test it out the first time
- Call them with any questions!
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1. With CHM, if children are under 26 yrs of age, I read they can be part of the parent’s plan only if the children are full-time students! What if the children are employed full-time, that doesn’t count?
2. Are there other options out there other than Carington for dental and vision insurance? If so, what are they?
3. Since every American is required to have health insurance nowadays, and if you don’t, you get penalized on your income taxes, how does CHM affect the requirements?
Hi Holly, great questions!
According to the CHM Guidelines, all dependent children on a membership are combined as a single unit as long as an adult is actively participating on the membership. Which basically means that you pay once price for all kiddos instead of each kiddo being a separate price.
Here is their information on what a dependent child is (copied directly from the guidelines):
Adult children may remain on their parent’s membership if they meet the following criteria:
1) They must be Christians living by biblical principles and embrace the CHM Statements of Beliefs.
2) They must be unmarried.
3) They must be considered a dependent which is defined below as a person who is:
i. Under age 19 at the end of the year -or
ii. Under age 26 and a full-time student for at least five months of the year -or
iii. Disabled
4) Parents are required to submit a signed CHM Dependent Form that must be renewed annually. Forms will be issued prior to a child’s 19th birthday and prior to subsequent birthdays thereafter
For dental, I always recommend checking with your dentist to see if they offer their own “insurance” package. For example, my dentist offers a once a year payment that covers 2 cleanings, x-rays, and discounts on all other procedures. It is much more affordable than dental insurance. But if you foresee dental problems in the future, then sure you should look into dental insurance. Same things with vision. I just go to Sam’s Club or Costco vision centers and they are extremely affordable and offer good prices on glasses/contacts. Vision and Dental insurance is only beneficial if you foresee having major surgery’s or procedures done. If you need to find a new dentist check out this website – you can get paid to find a new dentist!! https://agapeinvests.com/opencare
Lastly, CHM is a federally certified exemption to the individual mandate under the U.S. Affordable Care Act, and as such, is an eligible option for individuals and families under the national healthcare law. They do offer a letter of participation if you need to file it with your taxes. I have run into no issues in the past couple years with ACA.
Hope this helps!!