Altrua HealthShare is a Christian-focused, nonprofit medical cost sharing community administered by Altrua Ministries based out of Austin, Texas. Altrua HealthShare has over 24,000 members, and has reportedly shared more than $100,000,000 of its members’ medical expenses since being founded. In addition to attesting to Altrua’s statement of standards, applicants must also have not used tobacco or abused 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 $25 startup fee, and an additional $100 membership renewal fee after each year of subsequent membership. Members pay monthly contributions, which are deposited into an escrow account, from which the community’s eligible medical needs are shared. 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 have lifetime sharing limits, only the two least expensive options, Ruby and Sapphire, have annual sharing limits). Despite their differences, some features, like pooled office visits and telemedicine, come standard with any membership.
Members must pay two member responsibility amounts (MRAs) before their medical expenses may be eligible for sharing. The first MRA amount depends on the type of membership and how many members are part of the same household membership (each household member increases the member’s responsibility by a set amount based on their type of membership). The second MRA is a percentage of medical expenses incurred, with the percentage and maximum amount of additional member responsibility depending on their choice of membership.
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 (section 4.12), any condition 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 limitation, 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 must wait 5 years before medical expenses associated with that condition are eligible for sharing.
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-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 afterwards) and limit ($10,000 sharing limit for the first year) depending on how long a member has been with Altrua HealthShare.
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 statement of standards
- No tobacco use or substance abuse
Pros
- 30-day trial period
- Pooled office visits
- Telemedicine
- Dental, vision, and prescription discounts
- Adoption shareable (2 adoption events, $5,000 each)
- Children may have a membership with or without their parents
Cons
- $100 annual renewal fee
- Lifetime sharing limits
- Limited cancer sharing
- Dependents only qualify until age 23 (typical is 26)
- Limited sharing for pre-existing conditions; 10-year lookback period
- Separate cancer, maternity MRAs
- No tobacco use/substance abuse
Ideal Candidates
- Want a plan for their children
- Want the flexibility of pooled office visits
Learn more about Altrua HealthShare by watching this video
Page Updated 03.01.23
