What about pre-existing conditions?

Most health share plans have a waiting period — commonly 6 to 12 months, sometimes phased in over several years — for pre-existing conditions. Insurance covers them from day one. If you're managing an ongoing condition, this is a big deal.

Which plan should I choose?

Take the 2-minute advisor. It'll recommend the best fit based on your household size, budget, health needs, and faith preference.

How do you make money?

When you enroll through one of our links, the plan pays us a commission — at no extra cost to you. Everything on the site stays free: reviews, comparisons, the advisor, the calculators. Commissions never affect rankings.

Not sure which plan fits? The Advisor takes about two minutes.Start the Advisor

Independent · Unsponsored · Updated July 2026

Find the health share that actually fits your family.

The cheapest plan is usually the most expensive one the year you actually need it. Talk to one of our advisors and they'll 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

Enroll with Zion HealthShare

Our top-ranked plan. When you enroll through one of our links, the plan pays us a commission — at no extra cost to you. Commissions never affect rankings.

Avery — health share 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.

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

Review Enroll

Sedera

4.5/5 · Secular

$88–$413/mo

$500 initial

Secular users seeking alternative to faith-based ministries. Not accredited with major health sharing organizations

Review Enroll

CrowdHealth

4.6/5 · Secular

from $60/mo

$500 initial

Young families. Crowdfunding is voluntary — not guaranteed like insurance

Review Enroll

Medi-Share

4.5/5 · Christian statement of faith

$115–$470/mo

$3,000 initial

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

Review Enroll

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

Review

Knew Health

4.2/5 · Secular

from $142/mo

$1,000 initial

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

Review Enroll

Samaritan Ministries

4.4/5 · Strict Christian statement of faith

from $199/mo

$300 initial

Committed Christian members seeking traditional health sharing. Strict faith requirements

Review

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)

Review Enroll

When you enroll through one of our links, the plan pays us a commission — at no extra cost to you. Commissions never affect rankings. Health sharing is not insurance.

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. Sharing is voluntary between members. 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 isn't insurance. Members contribute monthly and the group helps cover each other's medical bills. It's usually much cheaper than insurance — but there's no legal guarantee anything gets paid. Insurance is regulated and guaranteed, but costs significantly more.

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