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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Before the main topic of today's post, I've gotten some more questions recently on how healthcare sharing ministries work. If you still have questions, I suggest taking a look at this detailed explanation of Christian health insurance. It explains the topic very well.

In our last blog, we talked about Medi-Share and maternity. Today we're going to talk about both prescriptions and dental work. 

Prescriptions are mostly like normal medical expenses eligible for sharing. So long as you start the prescription once you're already a member, the cost will be paid. The only caveat is that there is a maximum length for the prescription, which is usually 6 months. So you will want to call their customer service if you have a prescription that may last for longer than this. 

For seeing a dentist, these expenses are not eligible for sharing like normal medical bills, but there is a discount program. 

Here is a link to the full list of discounts, which includes (as an example) root canals for under $600. 

The most important thing with Medi-Share is that if you have any questions you can't find out online, just call and ask. They are always happy to help members and prospective members any way they're able. 

Medi-Share has just made a very big announcement.

First, they have added significant discounts on dentist visits, eye exams, lenses, hearing aids, and LASIK. All members have been sent new cards to use for dental, vision, and hearing services. 

The biggest news is that they now offer instant online doctor appointments, and this service is available 24/7 to every member at no cost. Simply go online, login to your account, and a list of doctors comes up. You can select them based on their background, specialty, whether you prefer a man or a woman, or any other criteria.

This is what it looks like when you first log-in to the service: A list of doctors all licensed to practice in the state you're in. They can not only diagnose and help you with symptoms, but even prescribe for you. The prescriptions are sent electronically to your pharmacy as soon as the appointment is over.

When you find a doctor you like, you can learn more about their background and what they specialize in before booking. For example, if I click on Dr. J Douglas Adams I see a page with all of his credentials and available appointment times:

Those appointment times were all same-day, with many doctors available to talk immediately. The doctors appointments are provided directly through MDLive, one of the highest rated online doctor appointment companies known for their exceptional service. 

If you wanted to get an instant doctor's appointment through MDLive, the normal rate they charge people is $49 per visit. For Medi-Share members, these appointments are now completely free.

This is a very big development and we will continue providing information about it in future posts.