Healthcare Sharing Review: Comparing Samaritan, Medi-Share, Liberty Health & More

If you’re considering a health-sharing plan instead of traditional insurance, you’ll want the best reviews you can find. My team and I have meticulously scoured all the major healthcare-sharing ministries (Samaritan Ministries, Christian Healthcare Ministries, Medi-Share, Christian Care Ministries, Liberty Healthshare, Solidarity Healthshare, CMF CURO, and Zion) in this review and comparison (updated September 2024). Read my overview of how health sharing works here.

How Do Healthcare Sharing Plans Compare?

With so many details to consider when selecting a healthcare-sharing plan, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Here are some key things to consider as you explore your options:

• Coverage limits: Some plans, like Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) and Medi-Share, offer unlimited coverage, while others, like Liberty HealthShare, cap coverage at $1 million.
• Faith-based requirements: Certain plans require members to adhere to specific faith practices, while others are more flexible or secular.
• Monthly costs: Share amounts can vary, with some plans offering more affordable monthly costs than others.
• Electronic bill processing: Some plans require doctors to send bills electronically, which can impact how quickly and accurately claims are processed.
• Alternative treatments: Not all plans cover alternative treatments, so if that’s important to you, be sure to check.
• Pre-existing conditions: Some plans may have restrictions or waiting periods for pre-existing conditions, so it’s important to understand how each plan handles these.
• Direct Primary Care (DPC): Some plans integrate with DPC, providing more personalized care and potential cost savings.
• Provider networks: Certain plans have a network of providers you must use, while others offer more flexibility in choosing your healthcare providers.
• Claims processing: Each plan processes claims differently, so transparency and member involvement can vary.
• Reputation and reviews: Hearing from others who have used these plans can give you valuable insights into what to expect.

The MAJOR difference with Samaritan vs. the other “big two” (CHM and Medi-Share) is that it’s the only one where you send your check directly to the person in need. 

Some people love that – the connectedness to the body of Christ, the personal prayers and notes. Some people just want to automate the process and be more private about it (since if YOU are the one in need, your medical issue is published publicly).

Legally, there’s a small chance that the other two major sharing programs could come under fire someday because of their system because they collect and redistribute funds and may look more like “insurance” than “sharing.” So far, they’ve had no problem though. Samaritan feels that they have an extra layer of protection from the government because no money goes through their hands/offices.

I actually thought I’d really dislike that part because I adore automation, especially when it comes to boring things like paying bills. I’ve been surprised.

Most months, I really do appreciate knowing where our money is going, and we’ve definitely paid a little extra in a separate envelope for “special prayer needs,” medical bills from members that aren’t publishable, either because they’re not within the guidelines (like dental or eye) or because the condition existed before the person became a member.

So I guess I’m saying don’t let that part scare you, and even if you have a pre-existing condition or pregnancy, I’d encourage you to call the Samaritan offices and talk to them. It sure sounds like MANY members end up with even un-publishable needs mostly covered by the community of Christians that makes up Samaritan. It’s amazing…

Samaritan also have a “pay online” feature via Paypal, for all of us who love our tech! I really do appreciate this, because although I still like the connectedness of the Body of Christ…finding cards to send in the mail was starting to feel annoying…

Liberty wasn’t even on my radar (and Solidarity didn’t exist) when we started looking into this in late 2014. They are a little different as well because you send the money online to other members’ “share boxes” but the doctor still sends bills directly to Liberty. With Samaritan, you receive and pay your own bills so the doc may save expenses vs. submitting claims through traditional insurance.

Structure and Review of Samaritan Ministries Healthcare Sharing

In general, here’s how Samaritan Ministries works in the Classic plan:

• Any medical need under $750 is not publishable – that means you pay for it yourself.
• Any approved need over $750 is “published” and people are assigned to send checks to you or PayPal.me
• You pay your own bills starting with $750 of your own money and then using what you’ve been sent (which is equal to the rest of your bill). Note that there are things that aren’t part of the plan, like dental care, motorcycle accidents, and preventative care like physical, well-child checkups, colonoscopies, and mammograms, as well as several “non-Christian” issues like injuries as a result of abusing drugs or alcohol. See below for how pre-existing conditions are handled. 
• Multiple appointments for the same medical issue/incident all count as “one.” So if you have an $180 bill for a doctor visit for a sprained wrist plus a $250 X-ray plus two follow-up appointments to make sure you healed okay at $180 each, you will only pay the first $750 of all of them added up.
• Your out-of-pocket, to use a regular insurance term, would then be $750 multiplied by your number of disasters and illnesses plus whatever you might spend on preventative/well care. If you’re like many Kitchen Stewardship® readers, you don’t go to the doctor for every little thing, so this might be quite minimal.

If you do go with Samaritan, thank you for using our name (Kristopher & Kathryn Kimball, Michigan) as your referral!

For a family of 6 with our fairly good health history, we were paying about $665/mo. at Samaritan for regular membership plus about $40-50 extra for Save to Share for added maximum coverage.

We dropped down to “Basic” in 2022 because we realized we didn’t use it much, and we decided we would rather pay the first $1500 out of pocket for any need (up from $300 with Samaritan Classic) and save over $250/mo. Our payment as of fall 2024 is just under $400/mo. total We have had a need since we started Basic, and because we got self-pay discounts, we actually didn’t end up having to pay anything out of pocket, so the calculated risk has been a good one so far.

Some Samaritan Ministries Stats (from 2023)

• One of the leading healthcare-sharing ministries in America
• Operating since 1995 in all 50 states.
• More than $411 million across 58,000 medical needs.
• Any size family pays $305-$821, couples $228-$681, individuals $115-348 depending on age. On the “Basic” plan, you can pay far less (and have more responsibility in case of an event). Check the spreadsheet comparison chart for details (updated as of September 2024)!
• Includes a “save to share” option for very large medical emergencies. (We do use this option!)

We submitted a need in the fall of 2019. Read all about what it was like to actually get paid by Samaritan Ministries members…

Structure of Christian Healthcare Ministries Review – How it Works

Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) allows you to choose levels and sort of accept risk – you pay less per month for a higher payment per incident. CHM’s levels are:

• Bronze – pay $5,000 per incident with limited coverage ($125,000); fees would be $276/mo. for our family
• Silver – pay $2,500 per incident with limited coverage; fees $414/mo. for us
• Gold – pay up to $500 per incident with unlimited coverage on anything above that amount; fees would have been $720/mo. for us

You can put different family members at different levels. So for example, if you were trying to conceive, you might put mom on Gold because you know she’ll have a big cost that year.

You send your checks to a central office and the organization divides the money and sends checks to those in need. It’s less of a hassle for the members, certainly, but may come under fire from the government later.

My colleague Amanda has had a great experience with CHM and wrote about how much it has saved them over insurance, plus how it went being repaid for an incident.

Note: People have different experiences – A comment from a reader on our Facebook page alerted me to the fact that CHM doesn’t pay out until 120 days after the event. Her experience has been very poor, discovering that getting discounts wasn’t easy (she had to pay in full to receive it and could not do that) and that CHM didn’t help them negotiate discounts. She also mentioned that the terms and conditions keep changing and it’s been a lot to keep up with. 🙁 

The company saw this reader’s comment and responded:

It sounds like she may have not understood our program and guidelines fully because:

• CHM calls to negotiate discounts on all medical bills that exceed $1,000 and the CHM Member Advocate team is very willing to assist members when they have difficulty.
• Members are requested to not fully pay their medical bills upfront so our Advocacy team can help negotiate further discounts.
• If members have discounts that are contingent on prompt payment, our Guidelines, print material and website state that the member should call CHM and our staff will help them secure those discounts.
• CHM’s policies do not/have not changed.
• The CHM Guidelines (that pre-determine medical bill eligibility) have been clarified because of misunderstandings, but this happens quite infrequently.
  • The only significant Guideline change that has occurred in the past 3 years is the Gold level personal responsibility was removed— which significantly benefits Gold level members! This means that if any bill exceeds $500, a member will have no out-of-pocket expenses.

Structure of Medi-Share (also called Christian Care Ministries)

Medi-Share has levels and a “value” program as well, but in essence has a similar structure to CHM as far as where you send the money.

Medi-Share is also the only ministry we looked into that has a “network” where in and out-of-network docs would cost differently and be covered vs. not fully covered. As of 2024, we have been told that the PPO network is considerably larger and the prescriptions program is more robust than it was when I first looked into things.

Fees are set for office visits and emergency room visits (very reminiscent of traditional insurance), and you can pay using a credit union debit card that gets automatically loaded when you have a medical need.

They may not cover all preventative/wellness visits, although annual physicals are now eligible. If you go to someone “in-network” (PHCS) you pay $35 right away but are still billed the rest later, but you may be able to negotiate a lower fee with the organization’s help. There is some access to telehealth and telemental health as well as dental, vision, and hearing services.

Medi-Shares costs are based on state, zip code, and DOB of the head of household so the monthly fees will vary. However, for the purpose of comparison, the levels for our family of 6 (should be similar for a 4-person family) would be as follows:

• pay out-of-pocket $1250 max per year (called the “Annual Household Portion”), $685monthly payment
• OOP $3,000 max per year, $646 monthly
• OOP $6,000 max per year, $478 monthly
• OOP $9,000 max per year, $377 monthly
• OOP $12,000 max per year, $303 monthly

Note that these costs are all based on the date of birth of the person applying, so born in 1979 in our case and 3+ in the family. There are savings for passing their test of “healthy” based on waist measurement, BMI, and blood pressure. This list reflects the “healthy” rates, which apply to both adults in the household. 

Believe me, those low monthlies under $260 were very tempting! But we worried about the out-of-pocket unknowns eating at us, so we went with a little more “known” security. When I was researching we learned that any preventative/wellness checkups did not count toward the Annual Household Portion at that time.

We figured out the numbers on Medi-Share that show the “Annual Household Portion” you can choose at various levels (similar to what you’re familiar with as a “deductible” in insurance-speak terms – the most you have to pay in case of a medical need). With each option, the “monthly payments,” go down as you assume a higher risk for the AHP.

See those figures plus a lot of $ info in a helpful spreadsheet that my team and I keep up to date (2024)!

A few Medi-Share Stats:

• Over 220K Christians have shared since 1993, over $1.6 billion shared total (as of 2016).
• Health incentives of up to 20% are available for those who meet certain criteria.
• Option for sharing for those over 65 with Medicare Parts A & B.

Here is a YouTube Video that explains the heart of Christian Care Ministry.

If you end up with Medi-Share, I’d much appreciate it if you went through this link, which helps keep the content free at Kitchen Stewardship®. 

From Medi-Share to Samaritan: Laura’s Positive Experience

My team member Laura was updating this healthcare sharing review spreadsheet a few years ago and realized she was actually paying a lot more for Medi-Share than she would with Samaritan Ministries. Her family made the switch and has been very happy with that decision!

Unfortunately, Laura had to submit a few needs in the years after switching, when her daughter developed pneumonia and when her husband was hospitalized for a week and was diagnosed with a heart condition. She says getting on the phone or emailing Samaritan Ministries’ customer service is a much more pleasant experience than any time she had to do the same with Medi-Share. 

Another Medi-Share Experience

I recently received an email from a reader who has been a Medi-Share member for 10+ years and has been having some difficulties. Some providers who were listed as in-network for Medi-Share have stopped accepting that option for them!

The problem is not just Medishare, it’s that many of the healthcare-sharing organizations were slow to pay or would not pay completely. Also, Samaritan, encourages the client to negotiate, which means that the doctors were being paid less than someone with traditional insurance sometimes or other means of payment, so it does make sense why healthcare providers would just quit accepting Medishare, and discourage Samaritans (because of people trying to negotiate excessively, etc). I’m not really sure what’s going on with Medishare, They are blaming other vendors that make payments, but the rationale does not quite ring true. Just a fair warning for people who might be considering healthcare-sharing organizations! We have definitely noticed higher premiums and much lower services covered (sometimes with shady rationales), and even though Insurance everywhere is more expensive, the healthcare-sharing organization quickly became a less helpful option, even though it was great in the past. 

Structure of Liberty (& Solidarity) HealthShare

In the past, Liberty and Solidarity appeared to be exactly the same. That changed in 2021 when their plans became very different in regards to options for how much out-of-pocket expenses you incur before sharing begins. Liberty still has 3 plans. Solidarity now has 4 options, starting with a very high payment-per-incident with a rather low monthly payment.

Other factors are still very much alike. For example, Liberty and Solidarity both require doctors to send bills electronically to their system, then they are checked to see if they fit the guidelines, and members contribute directly to an individual’s “ShareBox” online, and the bills are paid to healthcare providers via the system.

Both of these companies are much more hands-off for you than Samaritan and could save a lot of time when you have a need, as long as your doctor’s office doesn’t give you a hassle about submitting bills. If you want to, you can know about the person your monthly payment is going to so you can still pray for them, reach out, etc., although it’s not a central focus like it is for Samaritan.

2023 Update: Liberty is one of the “big 4” to be sure, but I have heard far too many stories, from real-life friends and people in the KS community and commenters on this post, about terrible experiences. I simply don’t feel like I can recommend them, so although there are some good features, it sounds like their systems and customer service have gotten worse in recent years. We chose to remove them from our comparison spreadsheet for that reason.

Altrua…Another Healthcare Sharing Option?

A reader contacted me after he read this post to let me know about a company called Altrua. They are small, but he says they are one of the 6 healthcare-sharing ministries that existed before 2000 and are CMS Recognized.

Apparently, they’ve added some additional benefits recently, including preventive care, $30 PCP Visits, and $75 Specialist Visits, and there are no per-incident limits. Also, there is no statement of faith required, just a statement of standards.

More info about the options Altrua offers here.

OneShare Health

In 2021 another reader emailed me to tell me about OneShare Health. I see that they’re a member of The Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries, which, during my reading, I learned was founded in 2007 through a collaborative effort of Samaritan Ministries and Christian Care Ministry “for the purpose of 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.”

It looks like OneShare has three different programs ranging from “catastrophic” emergency medical coverage to more complete coverage with competitively priced monthly contributions. Might be one worth looking into more!

Knew Health: A New (Non-Religious) Health Sharing Option Established 2019

Knew Health is a brand new take on healthcare cost-sharing that sets itself apart from all the others I’m aware of by not requiring a statement of faith from its members. They’re open to everyone, not just those who profess to be Christians.

Natural/alternative treatment costs can be shared as well, which is somewhat unusual for a medical bill-sharing company – they just require pre-approval.

I’ve met the co-founder of Knew Health, James Maskell, and I know he has big goals and a good heart. He really wants to see Americans have access to affordable health and wellness care, with emphasis on the WELL. It’s pretty awesome!

If you want to see what Knew Health is all about, visit the Knew Health Webpage.

Use Knew Health’s Cost Calculator to find out what your rates would be,  and if you decide their program is a good fit for you, you can use my code KHKITSTEW to receive a 20% recurring discount on your monthly membership cost for one year.

Zion Health

Zion Health is a newer player in the game, coming onto the scene in 2019. They are faith-based in their leadership BUT accept any members regardless of faith, making Zion a unique choice.

I don’t personally know anyone using Zion but would love to hear from you in the comments if you are.

Here’s what I notice that makes Zion stand out:

• They have a prescription-sharing option that doesn’t seem to have a cut-off like Samaritan does (Samaritan will only pay 3 months of a prescription, no matter what).
• Zion accepts members with pre-existing conditions, and this is huge. If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes (type I and II), you can still share needs as long as you weren’t hospitalized for it in the last 12 months. They offer graduated sharing options for other pre-existing conditions such that during the first year you can’t share related needs, but by year four, you can share up to $125,000/year. Go to the member guidelines here and search for the word “conditions” to read specifics.
• On an individual basis, alternative medical treatments may be accepted. Wow!
• Like some other sharing programs, Zion does not cover mental health needs.
• Zion allows tobacco use, but only with a $50 additional fee per month.

Overall Zion feels like a really good option for people who might not attend church or who have certain pre-existing conditions. They’re on our comparison spreadsheet!

Catastrophes Are What Insurance Is For

With the classic Samaritan plan, you only get $250K coverage per incident, max ($236,500 for Basic). We added the Save-to-Share option via Samaritan (which isn’t much more money, only about $33/month) and will get covered if something absolutely catastrophic happens.

Save to Share guidelines have changed since we started – the cap used to be $1 million, but now basically if your need is more than half of what is held in the “savings,” you can only be reimbursed for half during that year. It’s probably best if you just read the example in the guidelines!

The Save-to-Share information is a little bit confusing on the Samaritan site – just to be clear, your catastrophic need becomes shareable using the fund Samaritan has accrued, not only what your family personally has paid in. 

Christian Healthcare Ministries has unlimited coverage at the gold level (more expensive per month) and Christian Medi-Share has 100% unlimited all the time. Liberty and Solidarity cover up to $1 million at their highest level of membership.

See the breakdown of all the numbers in one place in our up-to-date comparison spreadsheet!

Help for Chronic Conditions in Health Share Plans

What’s really fascinating about these ministries is that they truly DO care for the health of their members!

Samaritan’s newsletter is one of the only print items I continue to read, and they’re constantly adding more resources for members to stay healthy, get healthy, find alternative treatments, lower their costs, etc. One of the new features is their Health Resources app, including:

• Healthcare Bluebook: Search specific treatments in your area and get quality and price comparisons.
• Medibid: Receive bids from doctors for treatments you are seeking.
• Email a medical professional, call a nurse (free), or call a doctor who can write a prescription ($25).
• Discounts on prescriptions and labs.

There is such cost savings with these resources!! Member stories and letters are being published constantly with great success using these tools.

I’m also impressed by “HealthTrac,” an optional feature at both Liberty and Solidarity. For an extra $80/month, someone with struggles such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, and obesity gets a health coach, develops a personal plan, and goals, and has regular communication and progress tracking.

Coverage – What Counts in the Various Options for Healthcare Sharing?

All 4 Christian health cost-sharing ministries have slight differences in what they cover, but none of them were major factors in our decision. It’s worth reading the FAQs or terms and conditions at each though to watch for that.

If you have any chronic or current conditions, you’ll want to research those in depth. All 3 ministries do not cover currently active chronic diseases, but some (Samaritan included) will cover something like my husband’s Crohn’s Disease if it’s been inactive for at least 3 years without any treatment (it has, thanks be to God).

A reader shared a bit more about how CHM works with pre-existing conditions:

They pay for pre-existing conditions on a sliding scale – $15,000 the first year, $25,000 the second year (15,000 from the first year plus an extra 10,000), and $50,000 the third (15,000 first year, 10,000 the second, and 25,000 the third). After the third year, the condition is no longer considered pre-existing. We filed a claim for my husband’s recent medical issues and they paid all the bills without question and gave us credit off of our deductible for the discounts I arranged.

I looked up a little more and if a condition is treated only with “maintenance” then anything that pops up will be covered via CHM.

The bottom line on pre-existing conditions: You’re really going to want to read alllllll the Guidelines for each ministry you’re interested in and perhaps call the office to make sure you fully understand your exact situation!

Here are a few specifics that may catch your eyes as they caught ours:

• Natural/alternative treatments are covered with approval at Samaritan (some are, some aren’t); no alternative treatments are covered with CHM or Medi-Share.
• Maternity is fully covered at Samaritan and CHM (Gold only) as long as the pregnancy was completely within membership dates. Medi-Share is similar at the $3,000 level and up. It looks like all three will cover midwives under certain conditions (which may make participating in a sharing ministry less expensive than traditional insurance if yours won’t cover the kind of birth you want!)
  • If you want a natural birth, by the way, this is the class you need, 100% online. Don’t you love it!?
  • You can read about my friend Katie’s experience with Samaritan for births here.
• Prescriptions related to an eligible condition are published for 6 months with Medi-Share.
• Well-child care through age 6 is eligible at Medi-Share. In general regular well checkups/physicals are probably less expensive via Medi-Share because they have a set rate. We were not able to get a discount at our family doctor, so every visit was $160-180 with Samaritan through our previous family doctor, but now we use the Direct Primary Care model and it’s just lovely.
• Motorcycle accidents are not fully covered via some of the options; if you drive a motorcycle, read carefully!!!

Health Insurance Options Changed in Late 2017/2018 for Self-Employed Business Owners

As 2017 flipped to 2018, it got a little crazy out there – major insurance companies are leaving the private market in droves, making it impossible or prohibitively expensive for solopreneurs to keep coverage. Many counties and some entire states are left with no “major” options in the Marketplace. (sources: 1, 2, 3) Affected states include MO, KS, AK, OH, WI, IN, MI, AZ, CO, WA, WY, NC, SC, TN, GA, MS, KY, OK – who will be next to join?

Choosing a smaller insurance company can be big trouble – if you’re in that situation, call your closest hospitals to make sure they accept the little guys. Some don’t at all!

Some do, but they’ll send your children to a nearby children’s hospital, which may not – meaning you’ll get a surprise bill. ;( And since then, things haven’t changed in that arena.

There is a better way. We are huge proponents of healthcare-sharing plans (but note that we fit the profile of a family who is a good fit; not everyone is).

Conclusion

In conclusion, choosing a healthcare-sharing ministry can offer a compelling alternative to traditional health insurance, but it’s essential to weigh the differences between each option. Samaritan Ministries, Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM), Medi-Share, Liberty, Solidarity, and newer players like Zion Health and Knew Health each provide unique benefits tailored to varying preferences, whether you prioritize personal connections, automation, faith-based requirements, or coverage for pre-existing conditions. 

While Samaritan emphasizes direct, personal involvement in sharing medical costs, CHM and Medi-Share operate more like traditional insurance in their structured payment systems. Newer options like Zion and Knew Health are expanding the scope by offering flexibility with pre-existing conditions and even opening their doors to non-Christians.

Ultimately, your choice will depend on your values, health needs, and financial risk tolerance. Whether you prefer a more personal experience like Samaritan or the automated convenience of Liberty, these ministries allow you to align your healthcare with your faith and lifestyle. Be sure to examine the fine details, such as coverage limits and the handling of pre-existing conditions, to find the plan that best fits your family’s needs.

If you find this comparison helpful and end up signing up for Samaritan Ministries, please mention us as your referral: Kristopher & Kathryn Kimball, Michigan. We’ll get a credit on our share (and you can do the same by passing on the news to others).
Medi-Share reached out to me after discovering this post and offered referral credit as well, and I’m happy to support their organization too. Here’s the referral link to check out Medi-Share, but keep reading because there’s a lot of good comparison info in the post.

If you decide to go with Knew Health, you can use my code KHKITSTEW to receive a 20% discount on your monthly membership cost for one year.