The CHM Advantages
Obviously, a huge advantage is cost, and the average person/family’s savings can be easily over $10,000 per year if you don’t qualify for an ACA/Obamacare subsidy. (We are specifically using CHM gold plan with CHM Plus examples here – there are even less expensive Christian Healthcare Ministries options, too, but they offer more limited coverage. It also assumes you are following the clearly laid out CHM guidelines.)
- Instead of paying $1,000+ per month to blue cross or anthem and have a $7,000+ deductible before they pay for any treatments – and a 20% copay, you pay $287 per person per month to Christian Healthcare Ministries for your main sharing amount and CHM Plus unlimited coverage (Max $861/family), with a one time annual “copay” of $1.250.
- CHM cost sharing is truly unlimited when you are part of CHM Plus. The cost is an additional $32 per month (included in the numbers above). Multi-million dollar medical costs have been paid in the past and will continue to be paid. With over 500,000 members, CHM has a huge reserve to cover any big claims that need to be shared.
- There is only a $1,250 annual out-of-pocket per person. After that is covered you will have no deductible and no copay – any incident over $1,250 is shared completely. An incident can be several treatments, hospital visits, xrays, prescriptions, etc. You will have to pay for everything where the total cost of the whole incident (prior to any discounts you receive) is under $1,250. Compare those small costs to the cost of traditional health insurance premiums, deductibles and copays, and you can handle the “misc” medical expenses yourself.
- You choose your own doctors, your own hospital, your own location. There is no such thing as a “provider network”. Providers don’t have to be a member of your “plan” or “group” or accept your “insurance”. Want a second opinion? No one has to approve it. Want to see a specialist? No referral needed. Traveling? No problem – any provider, anywhere in the world. You can use a specialist or hospital known for being the best without any “out of network” restrictions. (Note that therapy – i.e. physical therapy – and sleep apnea appliances do require a referral).
- You are not limited to one state – or even to the USA. Own more than one home? Travel overseas a lot? CHM has you covered.
- You can join any time. You don’t need to have a “qualifying event”.
- No one is dropped or denied membership due to medical conditions or preexisting conditions.
- The monthly cost is not adjusted based on medical conditions or history.
- CHM is a federally certified exemption to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and includes coverage for preventative care such as a physicals, colonoscopy and mammograms.
- Preexisting conditions? Covered with generous limits: $15,000 per person the 1st year, another $10,000 the second year, $25,000 the third year of membership, and then unlimited. And it is cumulative. If you have maintained preexisting conditions, but no bills the 1st or 2nd year, the 3rd year you have $50,000 of coverage.
- Pregnancy and delivery – very generous coverage! CHM reimburses 100% of eligible pregnancy and delivery bills on all programs (not just Gold) once the minimum cost and personal responsibility (“copay”) is met. You must be married at the time of conception and must be an active CHM member at least 300 days before your due date. And your copay can be reduced by an additional $500 by contacting CHM’s maternity care team within the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
- 45 physical therapy sessions are allowed per eligible injury or illness.
- 45 home healthcare visits are allowed for medical services per eligible injury or illness..
- 20 days of Skilled Nursing Facility care (under most circumstances) are eligible for sharing.
- Life-sustaining medical equipment (prescribed by a medical doctor) is eligible for sharing (up to $8,000 per illness). For example, sleep apnea equipment, aerosol machines, insulin pumps, and oxygen supply (concentrators, ventilators, and your first oxygen tank).
- You have access to free telemedicine appointments with licensed physicians, over the phone or through video chat, 24/7 and from the comfort of your own home.
- The Christian Healthcare Ministries toll free number is answered by kind USA humans who quickly and patiently answer any questions and provide help if it’s ever needed. (My interactions with the CHM staff have been 100% positive! Can anyone say that about traditional health insurance companies?)
- You are also supporting other Christians by pooling your money and helping others with their medical costs.
- While health care costs and health insurance has skyrocketed in recent years (as you have probably experienced), CHM has had only a handful of increases in monthly costs. They have covered over $11,000,000,000 (11 billion dollars) in eligible medical expenses (before discounts) since 1981. As of this writing there are over 500,000 members pooling their monthly sharing amounts to easily cover each other’s bills.
- Christian Healthcare Ministries is solid and stable. Some health cost sharing organizations have been shown to have really questionable practices. Christian Healthcare Ministries cost sharing stands alone in integrity and living up to every promise. CHM is a non-profit Christian ministry. They humbly try to serve Christian families. Overhead is kept to an incredibly low 10% or less. There is no one making a profit from you and no executives pulling down huge salaries. It is a very well established and respected non-profit organization. CHM is A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau, is a BBB Accredited Charity, and was the first health cost sharing ministry to receive independent accreditation by Demotech in 30 areas of financial and operational standards and accountability. You can confidently join CHM knowing your health incidents will be taken care of as long as you are a member and follow the clear guidelines, no matter how extensive or expensive.
Christian Healthcare Ministries is so different from traditional USA health insurance options it almost seems to good to be true! But it’s not – it really is an absolutely amazing option for Christians!
Would you mind helping us keep this website going at no cost to you? We created this website to help people looking for summarized information about Christian Healthcare Ministries, and our family pays all the costs associated with hosting the site and keeping it updated. If this website has been helpful to you, we’d be grateful if you would help keep it “on the air” by simply using our link to request or download an information packet from CHM. If you use our link and then choose to join CHM, our family will receive a discounted month – and it will cost you nothing. Thank you so much!