What about pre-existing conditions?

Most health sharing plans phase in pre-existing conditions over a waiting period that typically runs 12 to 36 months. Zion HealthShare is the notable exception, with day-one sharing for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. ACA insurance covers pre-existing conditions from day one, so a household managing an ongoing condition should compare the pre-existing column before choosing a health share.

Which plan should I choose?

Zion HealthShare is the WhichHealthShare top pick at 4.8/5, and health sharing plans start around $114/month for an individual. The best health share for a specific household depends on household size, budget, ongoing health needs, and faith preference. The free 2-minute advisor matches those four answers to the best-fit plan.

How do you make money?

Everything on the site stays free: reviews, comparisons, the advisor, the calculators.

Independent · Unsponsored · Latest plan record verified 2026-11-02

Find the health share that actually fits your family.

Top pick: Zion · from $114/mo →All 8 ranked ↓

Avery — plan advisor

Free · no email needed to start

Hi, I'm Avery. I'll help you find your best-fit plan in a couple of minutes. To start: who are you shopping for — just yourself, a couple, or the whole family?

Start the conversation

A real back-and-forth, not a form. Ask it the awkward questions — whether bills actually get shared, how pre-existing conditions are handled, if you can keep your doctor.

The cheapest plan is usually the most expensive one the year you actually need it. Our free advisor will walk you through the plans that fit your family — including the catch each one buries in the fine print.

$114

lowest monthly share to start a plan

plans reviewed independently, no sponsors

plans with no faith requirement

How we rank:Editorial scoring across cost, coverage and claim-sharing track record · no plan pays for placement.Read our methodology

The 2026 rankings

All 8 health shares, side by side

Monthly costs shown are each plan's published entry price for an individual. Every row includes the one thing that plan is worst at.

Full comparison table →

Our top pick overall

Zion HealthShare

4.8/5 · No faith requirement

from $114/mo

$1,250 initial

Anyone without faith requirements. Telehealth not fully covered

Enroll Review

Medi-Share

4.5/5 · Christian statement of faith

Monthly share varies

$3,000 initial

Christian families. Christian faith requirement (Trinitarian statement of faith + active church involvement)

Enroll Review

CrowdHealth

4.6/5 · Secular

from $60/mo

$500 initial

Young families. Crowdfunding is voluntary — members fund eligible bills by choice, not a legal insurance obligation

Enroll Review

Sedera

4.5/5 · Secular

Current quote required

$500 initial

Members comfortable with the published Member Principles and voluntary medical cost sharing. Not accredited with major health sharing organizations

Enroll Review

Knew Health

4.2/5 · Secular

from $178/mo

$1,000 initial

Wellness-focused. Pricing is quote-based (varies by age, household size, and chosen IUA) — no public rate card

Enroll Review

CHM (Christian Healthcare Ministries)

4.4/5 · Strict Christian statement of faith

from $115/mo

$300 initial

Strict Christians seeking lowest cost option. Strict Christian faith requirement + church attendance required

Read review Compare alternatives

Samaritan Ministries

4.4/5 · Strict Christian statement of faith

from $210/mo

$1,000 initial

Committed Christian members seeking traditional health sharing. Strict faith requirements

Read review Compare alternatives

HSA Secure

4.0/5 · Secular

from $114/mo

$1,250 initial

Self-employed individuals and small business owners who want HSA tax advantages paired with affordable health sharing. Mental health expenses are not shareable (tele-mental health add-on available)

Enroll Review

Start from where you are

Most people don't need all eight. Pick the situation closest to yours.

Self-employed

Off the ACA, no subsidy

You're paying full freight for a plan you barely use. See the plans built for that.

See the picks →

Young & healthy

Rarely sick, budget-first

Catastrophic protection is what you're buying. See the cheapest real options.

See the picks →

Families

Kids, maternity, urgent care

Household caps and maternity waiting periods matter more than the monthly number.

See the picks →

Pre-existing

A condition on the record

Phase-in schedules differ wildly. For some conditions, sharing is the wrong answer — we'll say so.

See the honest take →

Free tool

What would this year have actually cost you?

Enter last year's doctor visits, prescriptions and procedures. We run them through all 8 plans and your current premium, and show the real total — not the sticker price.

Run my numbersTakes about 90 seconds · no signup

Sample: family of four, one ER visit

ACA silver

$21,400

Medi-Share

$11,900

Zion

$9,350

Illustrative example. Your result depends on household size, state and the year you actually have — run your own numbers on the calculator.

How health sharing works

You pay a monthly share

It goes into a member pool, not to a carrier. Typically well below an unsubsidized ACA premium.

You cover small costs yourself

Each medical event has an initial amount you pay before sharing starts — the amount varies by plan.

Members share the big bills

Above that amount, eligible costs are shared by the community — often at negotiated cash-pay rates below billed charges.

Where it goes wrong

·Nothing is guaranteed. No state insurance department backs it.

·Pre-existing conditions wait. Most plans phase them in over a year or more; a few cap or exclude specific conditions permanently.

·Maternity has a clock. Conceive before the waiting period ends and the entire pregnancy is on you.

·If you qualify for a real ACA subsidy, a marketplace plan is usually the better deal. We say so on the plan pages when that applies.

Questions people actually ask

Health sharing is not insurance. In a health sharing plan, members contribute a monthly share and the membership shares eligible medical bills. Health sharing plans usually cost much less than ACA insurance, but no health sharing plan legally guarantees payment. Health insurance is state-regulated, guaranteed, and covers pre-existing conditions from day one, at a higher monthly price.

The buyer's guide

Every plan's waiting periods, caps and enrollment quirks in one email — plus the questions to ask before you sign anything.

One email. No drip sequence, no plan gets your address.

Let the Advisor do the sorting.

A short conversation, about two minutes. No email, no phone call, no sales rep — just the 8 plans that fit your household, ranked by what they would really cost you.

Start the Advisor

When the lowest monthly share is not the best choice

Zion Direct's 2026 individual starting contribution is from $114/mo. Its IUA choices are $1,250, $2,500, or $5,000 per eligible medical need. Age, household, and IUA determine your actual contribution; this is not your quote or an insurance out-of-pocket maximum.
Start with the care you already know you need: current prescriptions, ongoing treatment, and any planned procedure. Ask the membership for its applicable exclusions and existing-condition rules before comparing monthly prices.
Put the monthly contribution, per-need responsibility, routine care, and excluded bills into separate lines of your household budget. A sharing limit or initial unshareable amount is not an insurance out-of-pocket maximum.
Choose insurance if a contractual payment obligation is essential to your decision. Health sharing relies on voluntary contributions; a recommendation on this site cannot guarantee that a medical bill will be shared.

Read the source documents before enrolling: