Altrua HealthShare is a Christian-focused, nonprofit, medical cost sharing community administered by Altrua Ministries, based out of Bee Cave, Texas. Although members must agree to live a healthy lifestyle and follow their Statement of Standards, anyone can join. Altrua HealthShare has over 25,000 members and has reportedly shared more than $100,000,000 of its members’ medical expenses since being founded in 1996. In addition to attesting to Altrua’s Statement of Standards, applicants must have refrained from using tobacco or abusing any substance for at least the 12-month period before their membership start date.
How does an Altrua HealthShare membership work?
Upon joining, members pay a $100 application fee and a $25 donation fee. There is a $100 membership renewal fee for each subsequent year, but the $25 donation becomes voluntary after the enrollment year. Members make monthly contributions, which are deposited into an escrow account and used to share the community’s eligible medical needs. Members present as self-pay patients when seeking treatment, and present their Altrua HealthShare Member ID to their provider to help explain the sharing process. Providers then submit eligible medical needs to Altrua HealthShare, either online or through mail, to facilitate sharing. While Altrua HealthShare negotiates discounts for their members, they do not have a provider network.
Altrua offers four membership types with varying features, restrictions, and sharing limits. While all membership options include lifetime sharing limits, only the two least expensive options—Ruby and Sapphire—also have annual sharing limits. Despite their differences, some features, such as pooled office visits and telemedicine, come standard with any membership.
Members have a variety of Member Responsibility Amounts (MRAs) before their medical needs are eligible for sharing. These amounts depend on the services received, the chosen program, and the number of members included in the household, with each household member increasing the required amount according to their membership type.
Member MRA: This is the first responsibility amount per person, per calendar year, that must be met before eligible expenses are shared. This applies to any amount that is not related to office, wellness, follow-up, or sick visits. There is a separate MRA for those types of visits.
Office, urgent care, and specialist visit MRA: This requires the member to pay $35 per visit (for Diamond and Emerald), which does not apply toward the member MRA. For Sapphire and Ruby, up to $300 of charges per visit apply toward the member MRA.
Maternity and Adoption MRAs: These responsibility amounts are $5,000 per pregnancy or adoption event and are available only to Diamond and Emerald members. They are not available for Sapphire or Ruby members.
Cancer MRA: This amount also varies by program. For Diamond and Emerald members, the cancer MRA decreases from $4,000 in year one, to $3,000 in year two, and to $2,000 from year three onward, and is subject to annual and lifetime limits. For Sapphire and Ruby members, their member MRA applies and is subject to annual and lifetime limits.
Altrua HealthShare offers a free 30 day trial membership to all prospective members, and refunds members’ first monthly contribution if they choose not to continue their membership once the trial expires.
Cancer and pre-existing conditions
Altrua HealthShare has strict rules and restrictions on sharing pre-existing conditions. According to their guidelines (pg. 30 “Limitations for Pre-existing Conditions”), any condition(s) for which a member has received medical advice or treatment during the ten years prior to their membership start date are considered pre-existing conditions and are subject to wide-ranging limitations, which can span from two to five years, or last the lifetime of the membership, depending on the condition(s) in question. Cancer, for example, is subject to a 5-year limitation, meaning members who have had cancer within the ten years leading up to their membership start date will have limitations for testing and/or treatment that is related to that specific cancer.
Even if a member’s cancer is not considered a pre-existing condition, it is still subject to additional limitations. Medical needs related to cancer treatment are subject to a waiting period (depending on membership type) of 90 days to 12 months. Additionally, they have a separate MRA ($4,000 in the first year; $3,000 in the second year; and $2,000 in the third year and thereafter) and separate maximums ($10,000 sharing maximum in the first year, with lifetime maximums applying thereafter).
Noteworthy
Here is some of the top information we believe potential members might want to know about this HealthShare.
Key considerations
- No provider network
- 1st and 2nd MRAs
Membership requirements
- Agree to the Statement of Standards
- No tobacco use or substance abuse
- Submit a signed Membership Commitment Form
Pros
- 30-day trial period
- Six pooled office visits per member
- Unlimited telemedicine
- Dental, vision, hearing, and prescription discounts
- Adoption shareable
- Children may have a membership with or without their parents
Cons
- $100 annual renewal fee
- Lifetime sharing limits apply
- Dependents only qualify until age 23 (typical is 26)
- Limited sharing for pre-existing conditions; 10-year lookback period
- Separate member, office visit, cancer, maternity and adoption MRAs
- Must be married to be eligible for maternity sharing
Ideal Candidates
- Want a plan for growing families
- Want the flexibility of pooled office visits
Learn more about Altrua HealthShare by watching this video
Page Updated 11/17/2025
