How Christian Healthcare Ministries Health Cost Sharing Works
First you need to request or download an information packet. Simply go to the Christian Healthcare Ministries website (link) and request or download the packet. You will receive an information packet to read over. It includes plenty of information and the forms you need to sign up. If you choose to join CHM, fill out the forms and send them in.
Then, every month you pay in your sharing amount. On the Gold plan, for a single person, that is $255/mo., for a family of two (or a single parent with any number of kids), $510/mo., for a family of 3 or more it is $765/mo., and for SeniorShare medicare-style supplement it is $115/mo. We have ours automatically charged to our cashback credit card. There is an additional amount of $32 per month per person for “CHM Plus” which provides completely unlimited coverage.
When something medical is going on, you go to the doctor or hospital of your choosing. This is the start of an “incident”. An incident can include multiple doctor visits, hospitals, tests, x-rays, operations, second opinions, physical therapy, prescriptions, etc. etc. It all counts as one incident as long as no treatment is more than 90 days apart from the last.
You receive the bills and pay them or get on the medical provider’s payment plan if you don’t want to pay in full up-front. All providers offer this and it is easy. Before you pay you need to ask for and almost always will receive a “self-pay” discount. Insurance companies and the government have negotiated huge discounts, so practically all healthcare organizations also offer individuals “self-pay” discounts but only if you ask. This is usually between 20% and 90% (we received an 85% discount once). For large bills (over $1,000), Christian Healthcare Ministries has a department that will negotiate discounts with your providers for you if you want help.
Next you need to submit the bill to Christian Healthcare Ministries. You have six months from when you receive a bill to submit it. Take a picture of the bill then log into the CHM website and click upload to send them the bill. Note that for each completely new “incident” there are a few other simple forms from their website you will need to fill out as well.
Once a bill is reviewed by the Christian Healthcare Ministries staff, you will get a check for the full amount – normally within 90 days. No deductible, no copay, but net of the $1,250 per person one-time annual out-of-pocket. If anything is missing (need more detail about a bill, need to submit another form), they will send you a letter telling you what else is needed.
That’s it! It’s very simple! In 7+ years, our family has had nearly $100,000 of bills covered by CHM, with less than $3,000 total out of pocket for “under $1,000” costs, and none of the headaches of networks or preapprovals or huge deductibles or copays. As a self-employed family, we are saving so much on healthcare premiums, and also helping others by sharing their healthcare costs. Win-Win!
Be sure to check out our pages about the “advantages” and “requirements & limits“. We also have a page with short (and longer) videos explaining CHM. Please explore these pages if you are interested in learning more.
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!