Christian Healthcare Ministries

(Originally Published on: Jan 12, 2015)

If you don’t have adequate coverage, or if you’re paying too much for the coverage you have, Christian Healthcare Ministries is a great option. You must be a practicing Biblical Christian and will be required to sign a faith statement.

From the Christian Healthcare Ministries website…

“Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) is an affordable, faith-based solution for Christians to the problems of rising healthcare costs and expensive health insurance policies.

An eligible option under the national healthcare law, CHM is thousands of Christians united in sharing each other’s medical bills.”

CHM is NOT insurance, but it qualifies under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) so you can opt out of the whole health insurance mess. The way it works is that you are a cash customer, so you can go see any doctor or healthcare professional you want to. You are responsible for the bills incurred, but the other members in CHM voluntarily help you cover those bills.

When you have a medical issue, you inform the service provider that you do not have insurance but are a cash customer and member of a Christian healthcare sharing ministry. Then you ask for whatever discounts they would normally provide if you DID have health insurance.

Our insurance costs kept skyrocketing year after year and we kept cutting our coverage to keep it affordable – until January 2014 when Obamacare became law, and our premiums tripled! We made the switch to CHM on February 1st and never looked back.

We pay only $450 per month for our family of four for their Gold Plan plus another ~$30 per month for what they call the Brother’s Keeper program to cover overages that are not covered by the Gold Plan. Under the Gold Plan, we pay the first $500 per healthcare incident. But, CHM applies any discount you are able to negotiate on your own behalf against this $500 member’s share amount.

We had to use CHM for the first time when our son got a concussion on May 1st last year. Because of the discounts offered (it was very easy to ask), we ended up paying $0 out of pocket for an emergency room visit and doctor’s bill – it was covered 100%. And the CHM staff was very caring, helpful and easy to work with.

I love this ministry because it is God’s people helping each other out in their times of need – and not just financially. Members receive a monthly newsletter and are encouraged to pray for and send encouraging cards and letters to others who are suffering from poor health conditions. Also, some members can’t afford to pay for their own share of medical costs. Through the newsletter, we are informed of this added need and members voluntarily cover those additional costs as they feel led to do so. This is the Body of Christ caring for one another the way God prescribed. It’s wonderful to be a part of it!

And finally, if you refer someone to join, once the new member has been a member for three months, you will get one free month of membership!

So, if any of you decide to join, please click here to reveal my membership number and provide it when you apply so I will receive credit. The page is password protected and the password is: chministries.

After you join, when you refer someone else, feel free to refer them to this blog post for background information, but have them use YOUR membership number instead and you’ll get a free month, too.

I hope Christian Healthcare Ministries will be as big a blessing for you and your family as it has been and continues to be for ours!