Health Sharing Ministries and Health Sharing Organizations are NOT considered health insurance.
However, they have proven an effective way to help individuals, families, and some businesses share in medical costs among large communities of people from around the nation.
When paired with a direct primary care membership (like Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center in Yakima), they are a very powerful and affordable way of paying for health care.
Please note that ALL health sharing ministries and organizations (since they are NOT INSURANCE) have guidelines on how they treat pre-existing medical conditions. Very few groups will prevent someone from joining entirely because of a pre-existing condition – they will simply treat that pre-existing condition and any other medical issues related to that condition differently than other healthcare issues.
As always, we will inform our clients if we have any affiliation or receive any compensation from referring people to any entity – any health sharing ministry or organization marked with a “*” indicates that we have a formal relationship and may receive a small compensation for referring you to their website. You do not receive any increase in pricing as a member, we just get credit for referring you.
Please ask if you have any questions regarding our affiliations.
Health Sharing Organizations
These are NOT considered Health Sharing Ministries, and therefore do not exempt individuals from the Affordable Care Act mandate to purchase health insurance. However, there is no penalty for not purchasing insurance, so there is no effect
Sedera* (currently NOT available in WA State)
Sedera medical cost sharing is our most recommended health sharing organization, and the ones we trust the most. Unfortunately they are not currently accepting members in WA State. Contact us for more information.
Zion Health* (currently NOT available in WA State)
Zion Health is the only other medical cost sharing organization that Frank Benefits recommends at this time. Unfortunately just like Sedera, they are not currently accepting members in WA State.
If you have any other health sharing organizations that you are considering, feel free to contact us to have us research and inspect that cost sharing organization. We’ll be open and honest about our findings!
Pro tip: research their “membership guidelines” in order to fully understand what being a member of the Zion Health community entails.
Health Sharing Ministries
These are the 4 official Health Sharing Ministries that will exempt members from the requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Yes, it is possible that others exist, but they are most likely a subsidiary or ‘sister’ organization of one of the below ministries.
Liberty HealthShare
https://libertyhealthshare.org
Liberty HealthShare is the one health sharing ministry that, while it was started as a Christian sharing organization, they currently call themselves a “healthy living community,” which leaves room for more than just those that call themselves Christian to join.
Members still have to sign a statement of belief, but most people feel comfortable signing that statement.
Because of their recent price increases, the above Health Sharing Organizations are likely more attractive to those who are drawn towards a non-religious health sharing option.
Samaritan Ministries
https://samaritanministries.org
Samaritan Ministries is one of the more administratively heavy health sharing ministries for members, but for those that want to feel more like part of a community of people that is helping each other, this is a good thing. One payment per year is sent directly to Samaritan for administrative costs, but the remaining eleven payments are sent directly to a fellow member (as directed by Samaritan Ministries).
Consider Samaritan if you are a church-attending Christian and don’t mind doing a little more administrative work.
Christian Healthcare Ministries
Quite similar to Samaritan Ministries, but with slightly less administrative work, Christian Healthcare Ministries is another solid option for the church-going Christian who feels comfortable signing their statement of faith and abiding by their policies and ethical standards.
Medi-Share
Medi-Share is a much more expensive, and much more limiting (in the form of in-network providers) health sharing ministry compared to the others. While many people are in this health sharing ministry, we see many people turning to other options because of the cost and limitations with this particular ministry.