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The Rich History of Healthcare Sharing

12/6/2022

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First, I'm happy to say that we have now been members of Medi-Share for right around 8 years. If you haven't yet, take a look at our 7-year retrospective!

Today I wanted to talk a bit more generally about Christian healthcare. People often treat healthcare sharing like a new alternative to insurance, when in fact the concept has a wonderful history going back at least two centuries.

Healthcare sharing has its roots in a concept called “brotherly love” that was used by early Christian churches. It was a system of mutual aid between members of the church, with each member contributing a portion of their income to help pay for the medical expenses of another member in need. This type of healthcare sharing was seen as a way to show compassion and solidarity among believers.


Healthcare Sharing and the Church

Healthcare sharing continued in the 1800s when a group of German immigrants formed the Hutterites. This communal religious group was founded on the belief that members should support one another in times of need, including medical expenses. To ensure that everyone in the group had access to healthcare, members pooled their resources to pay for medical bills and expenses.

The practice of healthcare sharing was also popular among the Amish -- the Protestant religious group that immigrated to the United States in the early 1700s. Like the Hutterites, the Amish believed that members should take care of each other, and that no one should be left to fend for themselves. To meet this goal, they formed a communal sharing system, where members could pay each other’s medical bills.

The healthcare sharing model was also popular among various religious groups in the United Kingdom. In the late 19th century, the British Quakers were among the first to establish a healthcare sharing system. Similar to the Hutterites and the Amish, members of the Quakers pooled their resources to pay for medical bills. This idea of mutual aid was also embraced by other religious groups, such as the Plymouth Brethren, who established their own healthcare sharing system in the late 19th century.

Modern healthcare sharing systems were developed in the late 20th century, when a group of Christian medical professionals founded the first healthcare sharing ministry -- Medi-Share. The ministry was founded on the belief that healthcare should be available to everyone, regardless of their financial situation. 

Healthcare sharing is a unique and innovative alternative to insurance that has come a long way since its humble beginnings. It allows individuals and families to join together and pay each other’s medical bills and expenses, while maintaining their autonomy and independence. It's vastly more efficient, moral and cost-effective compared to the major insurance company labyrinths.

I'm happy to say that healthcare sharing and Christian healthcare organizations like Medi-Share are here to stay. 
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The Keeler Family Update: Seven Years of Medi-Share Membership

12/31/2021

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In honor of our family approaching seven years as faithful Medi-Share members, here are my current top Seven favorite aspects of membership. 

Savings: As we talk about in the main Medi-Share review and price comparison pages, most will save over 60% compared to traditional health insurance. And that’s just on a cost basis not factoring in the perks discussed below. If you’re self-employed or otherwise need to provide for your own healthcare, savings of thousands of dollars per year can be invaluable for you and your family.

Customer Support: There is no better health insurance-related customer support. It’s that simple. Many issues can be quickly resolved over chat or email. Phone support requires almost no waiting and you quickly speak with an empowered Christian customer care agent who genuinely cares about you and your family. If you don't believe me, try calling! 


Medi-Share Customer Service and Support Information
Physicals, Covid Testing, and Mental Health: The Medi-Share offering evolves with time based on member feedback and voting. Recent changes have included one annual physical per year being eligible for sharing, as well as Covid tests and Coronavirus treatment. You can also get 30-minute Christian counseling sessions as needed.

Free Telehealth: See a doctor almost instantly for an online consultation. Perhaps most importantly, they can prescribe. So if you need antibiotics for a child in the middle of the night, for example, you can just make an online appointment and easily get the prescription (assuming the doctor agrees that’s the right treatment option, of course).



Telehealth Medical Visits

Careington Dental and Vision
: I’ve had more and more appreciation for this perk recently. While most dental and vision-related expenses aren’t eligible for sharing, you automatically become enrolled in the Careington discount program. These are significant discounts at a tremendous number of dentists, periodontists, eye exams, frames, etc. I have personally saved over three thousand dollars worth of dentist bills from Careington discounts.


Everything Online: While there are plenty of paper options available for those who prefer the old-fashioned way, you can now do almost anything online as a member. This includes: Seeing new bills as soon as Medi-Share receives them; automatic share payments; virtual copies of your membership card; customer support chat; finding providers; and much more. Do it on your computer or through the phone app quickly and easily.

Online Members Portal Bills Processed
Personal Choice: I want to say one more thing that I appreciate about Medi-Share: They respect the intelligence of their members. I don't know about you, but I value having the decision-making power for my own body. Tell me the facts, and let me decide what to do. Too much of what we hear from the government and media is simply fear-mongering.

This is why I appreciated Medi-Share's stance on the vaccine so much. Quoted directly from a letter written by Medi-Share's medical director, Dr. Alesia Greene, and posted right on the site:


"Remember, whether or not you choose to receive the vaccine is a personal choice, and one only you can make. What a privilege that we can take our cares and concerns before the Lord in prayer and ask for His wisdom and guidance in all things.

"'Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.' 3 John 2"


How well said. 

Our six years so far have been a true blessing, saving our family a large amount of money each year while providing excellent service and faithfully sharing our medical expenses. If you’re thinking of joining or have any questions, please feel free to post here or get in touch over email anytime and we would be happy to help!
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The California Health Insurance Mandate and Medi-Share

12/8/2020

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We believe that people who are not provided health insurance and can't afford it shouldn't be further punished with fines and other penalties. Fortunately, there is no longer a nationwide health insurance mandate. 

I've recently learned that there are certain states that do still have health insurance mandates, however. As of the time of writing, it appears that the states with mandatory health insurance are:


  • California
  • New Jersey
  • Massachusetts
  • Vermont
  • Rhode Island

The District of Columbia also requires individual health insurance. In each of these states besides Vermont, membership in a healthcare sharing ministry appears to be a fully recognized exemption.

California and Medi-Share

In other words:

If you live in California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, DC or Rhode Island, you can likely avoid any health insurance penalty if you're a member of Medi-Share.

(Disclaimer: The above is not legal or financial advice. Laws/regulations can also change at any time. Please double-check and do your own research on mandate penalties before making any health insurance related decision. And if you believe that anything I say in this blog entry is incorrect, please do let me know that so I can update it right away.)


Medi-Share can be an excellent way for many to opt out of the penalty for significantly less money than it costs to buy traditional health insurance, while getting excellent sharing, support, and benefits in the process.
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Medi-Share and Pregnancy

12/10/2019

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MediShare Maternity and Pregnancy Pamphlet
We've talked before about Medi-Share and Maternity and I wanted to give a current update on this important topic.

My wife recently gave birth to our second child. We did a home birth with midwives, and as a slight aside, I would highly recommend considering that route if you anticipate a low-risk pregnancy. Home births are more comfortable, treat pregnancy/birth as a significant family event rather than a purely medical one, have lower c-section rates, and tend to be much less expensive. 

Whether you choose to consider the home birth option or go the traditional hospital route, the process is similar in terms of billing.

You begin by letting Medi-Share know that the mother is pregnant.

Medi-Share sends you a Maternity Packet and sets up a call to discuss any questions you have on how billing works.

As you go along, bills are sent directly to Medi-Share. This includes blood work, ultrasounds, and the global bill at the end.

They negotiate the best discount they can, and you'll then receive a bill for the remainder if you're under your AHP (deductible). Otherwise they pay the bill for you.

The baby is automatically a member from birth so long as the parents are members. The only thing you need to do is fill out a form at some point in the month after the birth. 

The amount you pay per month will increase if it's your first child, and usually stay the same if it's your second or more child. 

I've talked elsewhere in this blog about Medi-Share's negotiation of discounts for member bills, and it's impressive. All bills show up as soon as Medi-Share receives them in your online member's portal. The bill below is an example. It's for a lot of the early blood tests including a Complete Blood Count from Quest Diagnostics which is part of the PHCS network. 


MediShare Maternity and Pregnancy Bill
We were under our AHP at the time and "should" have paid the full $108 bill. But with the negotiated in-network discount, the final bill blood work bill we received was for $18.38. 

Medi-Share also has a dedicated Maternity department that is very knowledgeable and has exceptional customer service. They are always happy to answer your questions.

If you have any questions on Medi-Share and Maternity, or Christian home births generally, please feel free to post them here. For us it was another outstanding experience having a child as members.
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Sen. Rand Paul Speaks on Medi-Share

6/21/2019

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Reader James S. of Pensacola, FL was kind enough to write in telling me his family joined Medi-Share at the start of this year after seeing our main Medi-Share review. He writes:

"So far everything went very smooth. We get to see all our same doctors in-network. Our deductible is high but that means we pay something like $2000/month less than we would with Obamacare insurance. Plus Medi Share lowered most of the bills we've gotten by at least half just like you said."

Sen Rand Paul Talks about Medi-Share

Besides this great report about his Medi-Share experience, he also asked me about a quote from Senator Rand Paul. I hadn't seen it before but was immediately interested as I'm a fan of both Dr. Rand Paul and his father Dr. Ron Paul. Both are conservative men of faith who are also doctors and significantly more qualified to speak about health and medicine than the average DC politician.

While it comes from a couple of years ago, Sen. Paul's quote is particularly apt today. He says:

"That's why I am big on these buying plans. You know there are Christian organizations where people join together. I think it's Medi-share—join together and they get cheaper prices. I want everybody in America to have access to something like that."

​The article says he wants more competition and for consumers to be king again. These are both vital goals. If you go to a mechanic, you can find out exactly how much something will cost beforehand. They compete for your business and reviews. It should be the same with healthcare. Doctors need to compete for our business.

Health being most important is an argument for competition rather than against it. And Dr. Paul sees Christian healthcare sharing ministries such as Medi-Share as being vital in this process of putting the power back in the consumer's hands.​
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The Top Ten Reasons to Join Medi-Share

4/20/2019

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10. Free 24/7 Doctors Appointments. This is a tremendous perk of membership. Even if you pay less than $50 a month as a member,  you still get access to free online phone/webcam doctor appointments that are available almost instantly.

So, for example, if you need antibiotics on a Saturday night for your toddler, you can easily and conveniently make an appointment to get this prescription called in to your pharmacy at no cost.

9. Discounts on Bills. Even if you're below your AHP (the Annual Household Portion works like a deductible), so long as you're in-network, Medi-Share will negotiate the largest discount they can on your bills -- which I can tell you from experience is often 70% or more.

8. Customer Service. Calling in and want to speak to a human? You can usually reach a member of Medi-Share's customer service team within a minute or two of dialing. They're also almost always both friendly and knowledgeable.

For slightly more detail on how they accomplish these short wait times, take a look here.

7. No Preliminary Approval. An under-rated benefit of Medi-Share membership is that you don't need prior approval for a procedure to have it eligible for sharing. In our case, saving these weeks of delay was vital for treating our daughter's plagiocephaly.

6. Vision and Dental. Discounts are now available for both as part of membership. Here is a short post with more on vision, dental and prescriptions.

5. The Vast Number of In-Network Doctors and Specialists. The PHCS Network of doctors and specialists is mammoth. The vast majority of doctors accept it, and it's almost always easy to find the type of doctor you're looking for in your area.

4. Online Portal. You can see recently submitted medical bills, book an online doctor's appointment, find a close-by in-network doctor, or do almost anything else just by logging in to the excellently designed Member's Center.

To see a live look in the Member's Center, take a look at our Medi-Share Review Video.

3. Mobile App. Related, download the Medi-Share App for your iPhone or Android phone and do almost all of these things directly from your mobile device.

2. Christian Values. Rather than supply the profits to a large, impersonal insurance company, you can share medical bills with fellow Christians who decide together what medical expenses are eligible for sharing. 

1. The Monthly Savings. We're all looking to make the best possible financial decision for our families, so for that reason, I have to make the 65% average monthly savings relative to traditional insurance the top reason to join Medi-Share. 

​
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YouTube Video for our Medi-Share Review Now Live

1/26/2019

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Or check out our video version of the Medi-Share review directly at YouTube. Please let me know if you have a topic you would like to see covered in future videos.


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The Most Common MediShare Complaints

1/15/2019

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I want people to see this site and come to it when they're considering joining a Christian healthcare sharing ministry. I want everyone to see how huge a blessing Medi-Share has been to us and so many families like us -- thousands of dollars in yearly savings, exceptional support, and true compassion. 

One thing I do as part of this mission is try to understand any possible concerns or problems people have when it comes to Medi-Share. Potential new members will often search to learn about any complaints, which is the smart thing to do -- before trusting your family's health, you need to do your due diligence!

First, let's begin with the Better Business Bureau.

Medi-Share's BBB Status

Medi-Share has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau as of 2020. After 26 years of consistently getting its members' medical bills paid, with hundreds of thousands of current members, there are only 14 complaints currently on file with the BBB. For comparison, Esurance has over 300 complaints in the past three years alone with an A- rating, and Aetna has almost 600 complaints.

MediShare BBB Reviews from Better Business Bureau
So when it comes to the BBB, Medi-Share has the highest possible rating and very few complaints relative to the number of members they have. 
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Medi-Share Health Insurance Complaints

On Google, it appears that some people are searching specifically for health insurance complaints. It is important to keep in mind that while Medi-Share acts very similarly to insurance in most ways, there are important differences between health insurance and Medi-Share.

Every member of Medi-Share that I personally know has loved their experience, but with that said, here are the three most common complaints I've seen online along with my responses to them.


Medi-Share Didn't Accept Me

If you look at the Medi-Share BBB complaints, this is the top one -- someone completed the application and wasn't accepted into Medi-Share. (They wanted their $50 application fee refunded as well, which Medi-Share replied promptly saying that they had done.) This is one of the differences between Medi-Share and insurance. Typically the way insurance works is that the questions they ask when you join are just to set the price. They don't care if you smoke, for example, so long as you're willing to pay more.

To become accepted as a Medi-Share member, you must meet certain standards such as living a Christian way of life. You will be asked about this on the application including your denomination and whether you do drugs or have other non-Christian habits. If you do, it's not a matter of price -- they simply won't accept you.

Medi-Share Requires In-Network Treatment from Doctors and Hospitals

MediShare In-Network Doctors

While you can actually use any doctor, hospital, lab, or treatment facility you'd like as a Medi-Share member, what's true is that the ones that are in-network will be at by far the lowest cost with the largest negotiated discounts. Keep in mind that Medi-Share's PHCS network of doctors is tremendous. We have always had a very easy time finding in-network doctors or specialists. 

So if you want to pay the minimum, just use the easy search feature to find the closest in-network doctors and specialists.

Medi-Share Didn't Pay My Bill


Members of Medi-Share vote on what expenses are eligible for sharing. Some expenses are eligible that normally wouldn't be with traditional insurance. See my family's cranial band story here for an example. Other expenses work the other way. For example, prescription drugs and chiropractors are examples of expenses that can be eligible for sharing but with limitations. 

Remember you can always Google or look at the guidelines to find if a particular type of expense is eligible for sharing. If you're ever not sure, give Medi-Share a call or do the online chat option, and you'll usually be talking with a representative in a few minutes or less.

As Dave Ramsey has pointed out, Medi-Share has the longest and most consistent track record of paying member bills of all the Christian healthcare sharing ministries. So long as it's a normal medical expense eligible for sharing, your bill will absolutely get paid.​​
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Info Packet and Next Steps


​As always, let me know if you have any questions or comments, I am always happy to hear from my readers. If you're ready to take the next step, click here to request your free info packet directly from Medi-Share, providing many more details and telling you exactly how much you would pay each month as a member.
​
 
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Features of the Medi-Share App

11/5/2018

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First, in some news I'm very proud of, Medi-Share has published a guest blog post I wrote for their site. Please check it out here!

The topic of today's blog post is the Medi-Share app. It's available for both iOS and Android, and since I have an iPhone, I'll be looking today at the iOS version. To get the app, simply do a search for "Medi-Share" in the Apple App store and it will be the top result as a free app.

Once you've downloaded it, begin by putting in your Medi-Share login and you're immediately on the app's homepage. This screen lets you: Make a one-click call to customer service, see who your share has gone to help, get copies of your member cards, or find a provider. At the bottom of the screen, you can also book a Telehealth appointment, see all your recent medical bills, or do a live chat.

Here is what the app's homescreen looks like:

Medi-Share Mobile App for iOS and Android

​And here are more details on the different features:

Calling Medi-Share: This is easy to do through the app just by pressing the button that says "Call," but since I sometimes get requests for contact info, I'm also including everything you need to know to contact Medi-Share at the bottom of this blog entry.

See Who Your Share has Helped: Each month you pay your share, it goes to help with the bills of other members. Our monthly share payments have helped dozens of other members. Through the app, we can see their names, messages to us, and write words of support directly to them.

Member Cards: When you join Medi-Share, you get a member card -- just like you would when buying traditional insurance -- that has all of your information needed for providers to send your bills directly to Medi-Share. If you lose your physical membership card, you now have instant access to a replacement through the app.

Find a Provider: Search Medi-Share's vast database of in-network providers. This is an extremely user-friendly search allowing you to save providers you have found also. As an example, here is what it would look like to search for a pediatrician within 10 miles of Winter Park, FL near Orlando. (This 10-mile radius turns out to be overkill; the first 20 results are all for pediatricians within 2 miles of the zip code entered.)


Medi-Share Providers Search Feature

Here is more information on Medi-Share providers and the PHCS network of doctors and specialists.

Book a Telehealth Call: Did you know that you have 24/7 access to free online doctor appointments with Medi-Share? This is a significant benefit of membership. As one example, If your one-year-old needs antibiotics, you can get a prescription almost instantly in the middle of the night without having to wait to take your child in or make an expensive doctor's appointment.

See Bills: You can see any bill that has been sent in for you, the negotiated discount, and how close you are to your annual household portion.

Live Chat: Start a live chat instantly with customer service.

By the way, the earlier versions of this app had a couple of stability issues leading some to leave negative reviews. These have all been fixed and the app now works great. If you find the app extremely useful like I do, please give it a 5-star rating in the app store so that more people can discover and use it.
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Medi-Share Guidelines, Address and Phone Number

Medi-Share Guidelines: Here are the complete Medi-Share guidelines in PDF format. If you click Ctrl-F on your computer, you can search for any term you're looking for more information about. 

​Medi-Share Phone Number: Here are the Medi-Share customer service phone numbers.

Medi-Share Address: Here is the primary email for members.

​Medi-Share Info Packet: Here is a short form to fill out for an info packet on joining Medi-Share that should answer all questions you have.
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Visiting Medi-Share Headquarters

9/3/2018

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Christian Care Ministry Sign

I recently had the privilege to visit Medi-Share headquarters in Melbourne, FL. I was invited to discuss how Medi-Share had worked for my family, as well as this site and my mission to help show new members the program.

Exiting from I-95, it's only a short drive before you reach Medi-Share.
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Medi-Share Headquarters in Melbourne, Florida

The first thing I noticed on entering is that security is taken seriously. There is a security guard at the entrance, plenty of cameras, and a badge required to enter the building. The reason for this is because of their responsibility to keep all member information totally secure. In fact, when I asked to take pictures for this blog, I was told that was great except they had to make sure that the pictures didn't show what was on any of the computer screens being used. 


Medi-Share Customer Service


One thing you will notice as a member is that call wait times are very short. Sometimes you don't wait at all when you call in. Hold times longer than 3-4 minutes are rare. I got some great insight as to how Medi-Share accomplishes this with the multi-colored board. Dark green means good call wait times of under a minute. Dark red is their worst possible wait time, which means ... five minutes! Having recently called Ikea and been told to wait 72 minutes, I particularly appreciated these standards.



Medi-Share Call Wait Times

Another theme I noticed was that while Medi-Share clearly cares deeply about all of their members, they're always very good to everyone who works there -- which is one of the reasons employees are always so motivated to help. For example, the headquarters has a gym and a cafeteria on-site. It also has The Giant Wheel. When employees are frequently singled out for being of exceptional help to members, they get to spin the wheel and win a prize as their reward for top-level customer service.

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Medi-Share Employees Wheel

Another reason everyone is so motivated is of course that they share a strong faith. Right inside the building is a beautiful chapel so that all who work there can come together in prayer.  My family and I were even invited to come speak about our experiences with our daughter's cranial band during one of their services.



Medi-Share Church

On the day I came, they were doing a Star Wars theme as a fun way to finish a software upgrade they've been working on. Here I am with Medi-Share's Director of Marketing, Michael Gardner (Center), as well as Communications Director and Campus Pastor Wesley Linsey (Left). 



Michael Gardner, Wesley Lindsey and Me

And lastly, here are a few fun things I learned:


Medi-Share is planning a major charity initiative for their 25th anniversary, which has now been written about on their blog;

A large part of new member enrollment always takes place near the end of the year;

Medi-Share has become so widely known, people will sometimes refer to Christian healthcare sharing ministries generally as "Medi-Share programs." 

Thank you to Medi-Share for inviting me, and if any reader has a question on the program, you are welcome (as always) to post a comment on this blog or message me through email.
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    Author

    Hi! My name is Colin. My family and I switched to Medi-Share when we could no longer afford normal health insurance. It has changed our lives and now we want to help others and spread the word.

    Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. I will always be happy to help.

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