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Is CHM Health Insurance?
No. Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) is a Christian health sharing ministry — not insurance. Members send monthly financial gifts; eligible bills are shared among the membership. Sharing is voluntary. There is no legal guarantee a bill will be paid, and no state guaranty fund backs it. Founded 1981, 300,000+ members, Barberton, OH. This page does not enroll CHM.
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Editor’s pick
Medi-Share
$115–$470/mo · ★ 4.5
Christian ministry with a lighter faith bar than CHM, telehealth included, and no per-illness sharing cap. The enroll path on this page — not CHM.
CHM is not an insurance company and it is not a regulated insurance policy. On our CHM review, it is a health sharing ministry: you are a self-pay patient who submits itemized bills for sharing. Typical processing on that review is 30–45 days. Any doctor — no network.
Updated August 2026. Facts match the live CHM review and plan file. The general “is health sharing insurance?” explainer is a separate live URL. This page answers the CHM leftover question only.
What “not insurance” means for CHM
| Published fact | CHM |
|---|---|
| Legal type on this site | Health sharing ministry — not insurance |
| Payment guarantee | None — sharing is voluntary |
| State guaranty fund | Does not back CHM |
| Founded / members | 1981 · 300,000+ · Barberton, OH |
| Faith rule | Strict Christian faith + church attendance required |
| Network | Any doctor — no network restriction |
We are not inventing a state-by-state legal status or an ACA exemption citation on this page. The CHM plan file and review say it is not insurance. For the broader health-sharing vs. insurance frame, use the live is health sharing insurance page — we are not retargeting that URL.
Published CHM shares (not a cost page)
Monthly shares on the live review are $115–$299 individual, $230–$598 couple, and $345–$897 family. Bronze is the $115/month individual floor. IUA is $300, $500, $1,000. The optional CHM Plus add-on is $42 per unit per month. Full cost breakdown: how much does CHM cost.
What CHM shares vs. does not share
| Category | On the CHM review |
|---|---|
| Maternity | Shared |
| Preventive | Shared |
| Emergency | Shared |
| Surgery | Shared |
| Prescriptions | Not shared |
| Telehealth | Not shared |
| Mental health | Not shared |
| Dental | Not shared |
| Vision | Not shared |
| Base sharing cap | $125,000 per illness |
| Pre-existing wait | 12 months symptom/treatment-free; cancer 5 years cancer-free |
Category-by-category detail lives on what does CHM cover. This page does not replace that URL.
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Find My Plan (2 min) →The Bottom Line
CHM is a long-running Christian sharing ministry (1981, 300,000+ members). It is not health insurance. If the church-attendance rule, the coverage gaps, or the voluntary sharing model do not fit, Medi-Share is the enrollable Christian alternative on this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CHM health insurance?
No. Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) is a Christian health sharing ministry, not insurance. Members send monthly financial gifts and eligible medical bills are shared among the membership. Sharing is voluntary. There is no legal guarantee a bill will be paid, and no state guaranty fund backs it. Those facts match the live CHM review.
Is CHM the same as Christian health insurance?
No. CHM is not an insurance policy. The broader “is there Christian health insurance?” question already has its own live page. This URL answers only whether CHM itself is insurance.
If CHM is not insurance, what do members actually get?
CHM shares eligible bills for maternity, preventive care, emergency care, and surgery, with any doctor (no network). It does not share prescriptions, telehealth, mental health, dental, or vision. The base program shares up to $125,000 per illness. Monthly shares on the live review are $115–$299 individual, $230–$598 couple, and $345–$897 family. Cost and coverage each have their own answer pages.
Is CHM a legitimate ministry?
CHM has operated continuously since 1981 — the oldest health sharing ministry in the US on this site — and reports 300,000+ members, based in Barberton, OH. It is a real, established cost-sharing ministry. It is still not insurance.
What is the enrollable alternative if CHM’s rules do not fit?
Medi-Share is the enroll path on this page. It is also a Christian ministry, with a lighter faith bar (statement of faith, no church-attendance mandate) and telehealth included. This page does not enroll CHM.
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Largest community
Medi-Share
$115–$470/mo · ★ 4.5
The biggest health sharing ministry — 400,000+ members, Cigna PPO network access, and no per-illness sharing cap.
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