Does Health Sharing Cover Dental?
For almost every health sharing plan, the answer is no. Routine dental care — cleanings, fillings, crowns, root canals, and orthodontics — is not shared by CHM, Medi-Share, Samaritan, Zion, Sedera, or CrowdHealth. Health sharing is designed for major medical needs, not routine dental. The only options in our directory that include dental are United Refuah HealthShare and Presidio Healthcare (which is licensed insurance, not health sharing).
15 of the 17 plans WhichHealthShare tracks do not cover routine dental, including CHM, Medi-Share, Samaritan, Zion, Sedera, and CrowdHealth. Only United Refuah HealthShare and Presidio Healthcare (licensed insurance) include dental and vision. Dental work tied to a shareable medical incident (e.g. facial trauma) may be eligible; routine cleanings, fillings, crowns, and braces are not. Members typically use standalone dental insurance, a dental savings plan, or pay out of pocket.
Why Health Sharing Plans Exclude Dental
Health sharing ministries pool member contributions to share large, unexpected medical expenses — surgeries, hospital stays, emergencies, and serious illness. Routine dental care is predictable and recurring, which does not fit the cost-sharing model the same way major medical events do. As a result, nearly every ministry treats cleanings, fillings, crowns, and orthodontics as the member’s own responsibility.
The same is true of vision. Most plans that exclude dental also exclude routine eye exams and glasses. The exception is plans that are structured more like comprehensive insurance — which is why Presidio Healthcare (licensed insurance) and United Refuah HealthShare are the two options in our directory that include both dental and vision.
Dental & Vision Coverage by Plan
| Plan | Dental | Vision | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zion HealthShare | No | No | Health Sharing |
| Presidio Healthcare | Yes | Yes | Insurance |
| CrowdHealth | No | No | Crowdfunding |
| CHM (Christian Healthcare Ministries) | No | No | Health Sharing |
| Medi-Share | No | No | Health Sharing |
| Samaritan Ministries | No | No | Health Sharing |
| Sedera | No | No | Health Sharing |
| Knew Health | No | No | Health Sharing |
When Dental Work Might Be Shareable
There is one situation where dental care can be shared: when it is part of a larger shareable medical incident. If you break your jaw in an accident, need oral surgery after facial trauma, or require dental reconstruction tied to a covered medical condition, the dental portion may be reviewed and shared as part of that incident — subject to your IUA. This is very different from routine dental coverage. Elective and preventive care (cleanings, fillings, crowns, whitening, braces) is never shareable on a standard health sharing plan. Always confirm with your plan’s guidelines before scheduling treatment.
How Members Handle Dental Without Coverage
Because health sharing contributions are usually well below ACA insurance premiums, many members put the monthly savings toward dental separately. The three common approaches are: buying a standalone dental insurance policy, joining a dental savings (discount) plan that lowers cash prices at participating dentists, or paying out of pocket and using transparent cash-pay dental offices. For families who expect orthodontics or major dental work, a standalone dental plan is usually the most predictable option.
The Bottom Line
If routine dental coverage is a priority, do not count on a health sharing ministry to provide it. CHM, Medi-Share, Samaritan, Zion, Sedera, and CrowdHealth all exclude routine dental. Plan for dental separately — through standalone dental insurance, a dental savings plan, or cash-pay — and use health sharing for the major medical expenses it is built to handle. If dental inclusion is essential and you qualify, United Refuah HealthShare and Presidio Healthcare are the two options in our directory that bundle it in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does CHM (Christian Healthcare Ministries) cover dental?
No. CHM does not cover routine dental care such as cleanings, fillings, crowns, or orthodontics. Like most health sharing ministries, CHM is built for major medical needs. Dental work may only be eligible if it is part of a larger shareable medical incident — for example, jaw reconstruction after an accident. Verify any specific situation against CHM's program guidelines.
Does Medi-Share cover dental?
No. Medi-Share does not cover routine or preventive dental care. Routine cleanings, fillings, crowns, root canals, and orthodontics are the member's responsibility. As with other ministries, dental treatment tied to a shareable medical emergency (such as facial trauma) may be reviewed as part of that incident.
Which health sharing plans include dental?
In our directory, only two options include dental and vision: United Refuah HealthShare, and Presidio Healthcare — which is licensed health insurance, not health sharing. Every traditional Christian and secular health sharing ministry we track (CHM, Medi-Share, Samaritan, Zion, Sedera, CrowdHealth, and others) excludes routine dental.
Is any dental work ever shareable?
Sometimes. Dental treatment that results from a shareable medical incident — facial trauma from an accident, jaw reconstruction, or oral surgery tied to a covered condition — may be eligible for sharing as part of that incident. Routine and elective dental care (cleanings, fillings, crowns, whitening, braces) is not shareable on any standard health sharing plan. Always confirm with the plan's guidelines before treatment.
How do health sharing members pay for dental care?
Most members cover routine dental in one of three ways: a standalone dental insurance policy, a dental savings (discount) plan that cuts cash prices at participating dentists, or simply paying out of pocket. Because health sharing premiums are typically much lower than ACA insurance, many members put the monthly savings toward dental and vision separately.
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