Here are the top HealthShares to consider in 2022.
Zion HealthShare
Zion HealthShare consistently ranks near or at the top across various review sites, with a score of 4.5/5 on Google Reviews and 4.8/5 on both HealthShareGuide and HealthSharingReviews. Their short turnaround times help members avoid financial stress after experiencing a medical need.
Zion HealthShare reserves at least 90% of member contributions for need sharing (Essential Memberships/mental wellness add-on). They are making a solid effort to include preventive care options for their members, like wellness visits, health screenings, and routine immunizations.
Zion HealthShare has no annual or lifetime sharing limits Zion HealthShare also treats maternity needs like any other need, meaning there are no additional pregnancy fees or maternity sharing limits. Additionally, maternity sharing is open to single mothers.
Prospective members may want to note that Zion HealthShare is still a relatively new company (founded in 2019, and they currently cap sharing for pre-existing conditions at $125,000 per need.
Sedera
Sedera routinely finds its way to the top rated HealthShares across review sites. They are BBB accredited with an A+ rating, and their member reviews are consistently stellar. For example, they have a 4.7/5 on Google reviews and a 4.9/5 on Facebook.
Sedera shines in pre-existing condition coverage. After a one-year waiting period, members may share pre-existing conditions in a limited capacity until their third year of membership. After the third year, pre-existing conditions are fully shareable. Sedera does not have any lifetime or annual maximums, and they dedicate over 90% of member contributions to need sharing.
A few limitations come in their maternity sharing and lack of preventive care. The maternity IUA is $5,000—no matter which program you sign up for—and no preventive care is shareable (with exceptions for a mammogram or colonoscopy at a set age threshold).
Sedera has a lot to offer and is a HealthShare that instills confidence in the industry.
Samaritan Ministries
As one of the longest-running Christian HealthShares, Samaritan Ministries is still operating on the core values that brought many HealthShares to life: the obligation for Christ’s followers to care for one another. Its longevity alone speaks volumes about how this HealthShare operates.
Though their membership guidelines are strict, Samaritan is very clear about who they are, what they offer, and what it takes to be a member. Samaritan takes their Christian responsibility to care for one another seriously. That translates to a company that works hard to take care of its members and has for a long time. In fact, Samaritan Ministries is one of the founding members of the Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries (AHCSM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to “protecting and preserving the rights of their members, and Christians in general, to engage in healthcare cost sharing as a viable alternative for their medical needs.”
Samaritan Ministries receives generally positive reviews. For example, they have a 4.6/5 on Facebook, and they are one of the few HealthShares recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). They encourage member participation in both big picture decisions as well as prayer and encouragement. They have sponsorship programs available for members in need, special rates for widowed parents with children, and other helpful resources.
Some cons, besides their generally strict requirements, are that Samaritan has per-need sharing caps, no preventive sharing, and long need turn-around times.
To Watch in 2022
Though CrowdHealth doesn’t entirely fit the HealthShare mold, it operates in a similar fashion. One major difference is that CrowdHealth is not a nonprofit, but a tech-focused startup that has raised over six million dollars for its sharing program. The platform’s monthly payments are determined by age and membership size, with a single personal responsibility amount set at $500.
CrowdHealth is open to anyone, with a few exceptions for tobacco users and those exceeding a certain weight threshold. The platform currently does not offer sharing for alternative treatments, certain pre-existing conditions, or mental health. However, the company is transparent about these limitations and intends to expand the scope of shareable conditions as it grows, taking care to avoid overextending its growing membership. More information can be found in their member guidelines.
One point of potential concern is that CrowdHealth operates under a new model that hasn’t yet received regulatory approval. Despite this, the innovative concept presents an intriguing prospect worth watching in 2022.
