United Refuah HealthShare, headquartered in Ohio, was founded in 2018; however, they took over the health sharing program of Maysville Fellowship Medical Aid Plan (founded before 1999). “Refuah” means healing or recovery in Hebrew, and unlike many healthshares, which have Christian roots, United Refuah is a Jewish organization. Refuah values the religious community it serves and promotes caring for one another. United Refuah HealthShare was founded by Baruch Chaim Manies, an entrepreneur who wanted to provide a medical cost sharing option to his Jewish community after many Christian healthshares were unwilling to accept Jewish members.
This HealthShare provides an option for Jewish people who want to participate in a medical cost sharing organization that shares their values. Comments from Moishe Katz, CEO of United Refuah HealthShare, indicate that while members must belong to the Jewish community and share Jewish values, they do not necessarily have to be practicing Jews.
United Refuah’s member responsibility
United Refuah members pay an “Annual Pre-Share Amount (APA),” which resets on the anniversary of their membership each year. The Pre-Share amount is $500 for a single member, $1,000 for a couple, and $1,500 for a family. After the Annual Pre-Share Amount, United Refuah will share in 80% of eligible medical expenses. Members have responsibility for 20% of their medical expenses until they meet an “Annual Co-Share Responsibility.” The maximum Co-Share responsibility is $1,000 for a single member, $2,000 for a couple, and $4,000 for a family. After the Co-Share amount is met, United Refuah will begin to fully share a member’s eligible medical costs. For example, a family could pay up to $5,500 in medical costs before their needs are fully shareable.
Refuah charges pregnancy fees in addition to the Annual Pre-Share and Co-Share amounts. However, once these amounts are met, United Refuah HealthShare fully shares eligible maternity costs.
Pre-Notification with United Refuah HealthShare
One key consideration with United Refuah HealthShare is its strict pre-notification policy where many medical needs are only shareable after preapproval. United Refuah also has sharing limits for specific services (generally based on the caps placed by Medicare). For example, United Refuah reimburses doctor visits up to 50% above the Medicare rate. In these cases, United Refuah helps negotiate rates for patients too.
For emergency care, United Refuah asks for notification as soon as reasonably possible after admission. Any emergency admission that is reported will be reviewed by United Refuah to determine if treatment was medically necessary. For maternity services, members must notify United Refuah upon admission or anticipated admission.
Wellness with United Refuah HealthShare
United Refuah shares costs for some types of therapy and mental wellness visits, such as psychological counseling ( with certain restrictions). They also share in some preventive care, like annual wellness visits, Pap smears, mammograms, and colonoscopy screenings, which are not subject to the Annual Pre-Share Amount or Annual Co-Share Responsibility.
Some prospective members may be required to sign a Limited or Permanent Waiver for certain per-existing conditions as part of enrollment.
Noteworthy
Here is some of the top information we believe potential members might want to know about this HealthShare.
Key considerations
- Expenses shareable up to $1,000,000 incident limit
- No smoking or tobacco use allowed
- May deny membership/require permanent waivers due to pre-existing conditions
- Pre-existing conditions fully shareable after four years of membership
- Sharing for medical expenses during the first 60 days of membership is limited
Membership requirements
- Share Jewish beliefs and maintain Jewish lifestyle
- Provide detailed health information to United Refuah
- Be under 65 years of age
Pros
- No lifetime sharing limit
- Affordable monthly contributions and member responsibility
- Sharing for three dental visits up to $100 each per membership year
- Sharing for one vision visit up to $50 each per membership year
- $600 combined annual allowance for preventive care per person
- Some therapy and mental health services shareable with pre-approval
- No pregnancy responsibility amount for a family membership
Cons
- No maternity sharing for mothers who are unwed at the time of conception
- Pregnancy responsibility amount for mothers in a single or couple membership
- Enrollment fee of $125; annual renewal of $75; $10-$20 credit card surcharge
- Many types of sharing only eligible after pre-notification to Refuah HealthShare
Ideal candidates
- Belong to the Jewish community
- Don’t participate in hazardous hobbies or professional sports
- Appreciate a simple program structure
Learn about United Refuah HealthShare by watching their video
Page Updated: 11/24/2025
