Founded in 1993, the Florida-based Christian Care Ministry is one of the three largest HealthShare ministries in the United States and currently operates in all 50 states. Their sharing program, Medi-Share, serves more than 400,000 members and has shared in and discounted 2.6 billion dollars of medical bills to date. Unfortunately, this evangelical Christian-based program has some of the strictest member guidelines nationwide.
All adult Medi-Share members must believe in God and a perfectly-translated Bible. Members also must share a written testimony and provide evidence that they attend a worship service weekly and do not have any sexual relations “outside a Biblical Christian marriage.” Additionally, the program guidelines suggest that divorced members may not be able to keep their memberships. Finally, all members must live a healthy lifestyle with no tobacco use and no substance abuse. With this in mind, it is not surprising that Medi-Share will not share in any medical expenses related to non-compliant lifestyle choices.
Like some other HealthShares, Medi-Share offers a health coaching program for prospective members who are not perfectly healthy. The Health Partner program costs extra, but these members get personal help making lifestyle changes to get them in better health. Also similar to other programs, Medi-Share does not accept people over age 65; however, members who turn 65 after joining can either keep their membership or join the senior program, Medi-Share 65+, for members who also have Medicare Parts A and B. Finally, legal non-citizens can join, and parents with dependent children can include them in their membership.
Some positives to note are that Medi-Share uses the Multiplan provider network and GoodRx for discounted prescriptions, and members can suggest and vote for changes to the membership guidelines annually, so they do have some involvement with how the program works.
Membership Requirements:
- Written testimony and statement of belief in the trinity
- Statement of belief that the Bible is God’s word (Medi-Share uses the New International Version
- Regular worship attendance
- Healthy, biblical lifestyle (e.g., avoid substance abuse, sex outside of marriage, and unsafe activities)
Key Considerations:
- Members must open a new bank account (with CCM determined bank) for membership dues
- Fees for late payments
- Limited sharing in first 5 months
- Pre-existing conditions shared after 36 consecutive months of membership
- FDA-approved services and treatments only
- Must pay your AHP toward your medical bills before sharing begins
- Visit fees for office visits or emergency room visits—even after AHP is met
Pros:
- Member involvement in the guidelines
- Adoption expenses (up to 2 events) may be shared—shareable amount determined by AHP
- Reviews indicate that most calls to the company include a prayer
- Options for members who are 65 or older
- Parents with disabled adult children can keep them as dependents
- Multiplan and GoodRx are nationally recognized provider and prescription networks
- Health Partner coaching program
- Small discounts for healthy living
- Online pricing calculator
- Funeral and burial expenses may be shareable when a member dies
- Personalized plan costs account for members’ locations, household size, and medical needs
Cons:
- Strict, exclusionary membership guidelines
- No preventive care
- Penalties for going out of network
- Divorcees may be at risk of losing their membership
- Required to open a new bank account to join
- Unclear pricing and plan options; must provide personal information to get pricing
- Complicated maternity sharing
- Complicated billing requirements for providers
- Confusing AHP system; Only a portion of many bills count toward the AHP
- Pre-existing conditions capped at $100,000 after 36 months; $500,000 after 60 months
- Sharing eligibility is only determined after a service
- Medi-Share offers “pre-eligibility review” for some services but they are not obligated to honor it
- 3rd party review sites contain many unfavorable reviews including issues such as unpaid bills, long turnaround times, unanswered calls, and many needs that are deemed unshareable or only partly shareable.
Ideal Candidates:
- Are strict, devout, conservative Christians
- Are in perfect health
- Can afford to pay all medical bills without help from sharing
