Christian health insurance plans.
Learn what Christian Health insurance is and how it can help people get cheap, affordable plans. There are several ministries, non-profits, churches and charities that offer this service. People of the Christian faith can receive access to very affordable medical insurance or dental care. Find how to get Christian health insurance plans below as well as the best ministries to apply at.
The faith-based health insurance programs work in a very similar fashion to traditional private or government plans. Families who have the Christian insurance (members) pay a monthly premium for their health / dental insurance and when a covered individual needs medical care, those costs are covered by the premiums that have been paid to the company. There are also deductibles and different coverage types.
The Christina Insurance plans emphasize faith-based principles though, it that people are responsible for taking care of others under the principles of god. The best known companies that offer the sharing plans, including Samaritan Ministries, Liberty HealthShare and Medi-Share, also keep overhead expenses low, those reducing premiums for members. Note each one of the Christian health sharing policies comes with its own terms, monthly costs, deductibles and conditions.
Also these programs are not the typical health insurance that someone may be used too, as they are not regulated by state or federal government agencies. Therefore anyone that is interested in applying to one of these low cost Christian Health insurance sharing networks should proceed cautiously before they apply.
How does a Christian health insurance sharing ministry work?
Note that there are several Christian medical insurance companies that operate in this industry. They include, but are not limited too, Liberty Health Share, Samaritan Ministries, Altrua HealthShare, Medishare, and Christian HealthCare Ministries among others. In total they cover several hundred thousand people with the health insurance sharing plans, but that number increases each and every month.
Since there are multiple Christian sharing networks that are currently available, all potential customers need to understand that each one will operate a little differently. Some churches and ministries cover all of the patient's medical needs, such as prescription drugs, dental cleanings, and more. Others focus on only certain needs or clients. But in general, a Christian health care insurance plan and the ministry provide the following coverage.
- They will only allow individuals of the Christian faith or a similar church to enroll.
- Generally the applicant needs to abide by all of the correct religious principals. So they can't smoke or do drugs, they need to limit alcohol, and require the patient to adhere to certain Christian lifestyle standards.
- Some of the ministries will assist individuals that already have Medicare or Medicaid, while others only help the uninsured. Some providers of the Christian policies will allow the insurance to be combined with government insurance such as Medicaid or Medicare. Learn more on Christian Medicare supplement plan.
- The plans are usually open to people of any income range.
- Pre-existing medical or dental conditions are generally covered by a Christian medical insurance plan.
- People of all ages can enroll, and in fact some companies focus on the elderly or children to ensure they have both medical and dental care.
- Christian health plans also provide cheap - affordable coverage to people with a disability or a serious medical condition such as cancer.
The list above are just some of the examples of conditions that may be required. Note those are only some of the rules and regulations that may be put into place by a Christian medical or health insurance plan sharing network. It is recommended to read any policy very closely before enrolling.
Monthly costs of Christian medical insurance plans
When it comes to monthly payments and premiums that the member needs to pay, these will vary based on the sharing ministry. Some of the providers, including Christian Health Care Ministries, offer bronze, silver, gold, and platinum packages. Others have policies that go by different names. But in general, the church run health company will collect monthly “dues” from each member of the program. All of these funds are then pooled together by the ministry and the money is used to pay some qualified medical or dental costs.
The total cost will vary. Some Christian sharing health insurance plans may only cost a few couple hundred dollars per month for coverage, while others may be slightly higher. The bottom line is that the total out of pocket cost for the customer will be maybe 20-30% of a private health insurance policy. In effect the monthly health insurance savings in using a ministry or a local church can be substantial. The monthly costs will generally be higher if the family has kids or for senior citizen coverage. Or find programs that help with paying medical insurance deductibles.
The member of the Christian health insurance plan is responsible for a certain, minimum dollar amount each and every year. This can be thought of as an “out-of-pocket” maximum. The amount will vary based on the company and plan the family enrolls into. One company (Medi-Share) will have maximum amount due of around $10,000, but this will vary and can change each year. The amount may also be lower or higher based on the plan selected.
Medical and dental coverage provided by Christian Health insurance
The member of the Christian health insurance sharing plan than gets the standard medical, prescription drug and/or dental care they need throughout the year. Provided that the expenditure is covered by the plan selected, the amount of that bill is added to the “out-of-pocket” maximum. The coverage only pays for certain expenses that any person abiding by Christian values may be faced with. For example, the networks won't pay for alcohol related accident costs, bills due to smoking, some illegal pregnancy expenses, etc.
The sharing networks as well as churches, including Samaritan Ministries and Medishare, also arrange for extra services. This is done to drive down medical costs, to provide information to the patient, and to limit any future increases in the monthly insurance. Depending on the company, the Christian Health insurance companies may offer the following care. Note some of this may be free as well.
- Discounts to Christian approved health and fitness clubs as well as coupons for prescription.
- Wellness check ups for children.
- Tele-medicine, which is 24 access to a doctor.
- Ministries have discount cards for prescription medications.
- Help in negotiating hospital bill payment plans.
- Access to emergency rooms at church and/or religious affiliated hospitals or urgent clinics.
- Possible emergency financial assistance for transportation, ambulance ride, or volunteer to get to a doctor or hospital.
Then if the patients total dental or medical needs exceed the maximum out of pocket allowed by the faith based insurance plan for that year, this is where the sharing concept comes into play. At that threshold the patient will be able to receive a one-time check from the Christian insurance company to pay their other medical or hospital bills. Or it can cover any needed medications.
Apply for Christian health care sharing insurance plans
The leading Christian Sharing Health Insurance companies are listed below. They all provide low cost medical and dental insurance policies to hundreds of thousands of families and single adults, many of whom just can't afford private care. The application process for Christan share insurance as well as terms and conditions can be obtained from each provider.
Call for information on all of the affordable cost hearing plans from these companies.
- Medical Cost sharing – 800-860-9913
- Medi-Share - Dial (800) 264-2562
- Christian Health Care Ministries - (800) 791-6225
- Samaritan Ministries - 1 (877) 764-2426
- Altrua HealthShare, phone 1-888-244-3839
- Liberty Health Share, (855) 855-585-4237
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