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Do Health Sharing Plans Use Provider Networks?
Health sharing is not insurance, and sharing is never guaranteed. It is also not a PPO network product. Five of the six payable plans let you see any licensed doctor. Medi-Share is the exception: it publishes access to the PHCS and First Health PPO networks with 900,000+ providers, and still allows out-of-network care.
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People coming from employer insurance look for a provider directory first. Most health sharing plans do not work that way. You pick a licensed doctor, you receive care, and the ministry reviews the bill. Only one payable plan publishes a large PPO list. This page explains the difference so you do not enroll expecting a network card that most ministries never issue.
Is Health Sharing a PPO Network Product?
No. A PPO insurance plan sells you access to contracted doctors at contracted rates, and it can deny or penalize care outside that list. Health sharing is a voluntary community that shares eligible bills under published guidelines. There is no contractual network product underneath it. When a ministry talks about a PPO, it is describing optional access to negotiated rates, not an HMO-style lock.
How Do Members Find a Provider?
On open-access plans you keep your current doctor or book any licensed provider in the United States. No referral is required for a specialist. After the visit you submit the bill, meet the plan's initial unshareable amount, and the community shares eligible amounts above that. On Medi-Share you can start with the published PHCS and First Health directories if you want a provider who already takes those network rates, then still go outside the list if you need to.
Which Payable Plans Publish a Provider Network?
Only Medi-Share among the six payable plans. It uses the PHCS and First Health (MultiPlan) PPO networks and publishes a count of 900,000+ providers. Out-of-network providers are still allowed. Zion HealthShare, CrowdHealth, Sedera, Knew Health, and HSA Secure publish no provider count because they have no network to count.
| Plan | Network | Any doctor? | Published count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zion HealthShare | None (open access) | Yes | Not published |
| Medi-Share | PHCS + First Health PPO | Yes (out of network allowed) | 900,000+ |
| CrowdHealth | None (open access) | Yes | Not published |
| Sedera | None (open access) | Yes | Not published |
| Knew Health | None (open access) | Yes | Not published |
| HSA Secure | None (open access) | Yes | Not published |
Provider counts are used only when a ministry publishes them. We do not invent directory sizes for open-access plans. Confirm current network terms on the plan's own site before you enroll.
Not sure whether a PPO list or open access fits you? Avery, our plan advisor, builds a ranked shortlist in about two minutes.
Find My Plan (2 min) →What Happens If You See a Doctor Outside a Network?
On Medi-Share, out-of-network care is still eligible for sharing review. The practical difference is price: a PHCS or First Health provider has already agreed to a negotiated rate, which usually means a smaller bill before your Annual Household Portion and before the community shares the rest. On the five open-access payable plans there is no in-network or out-of-network split at all. The doctor you pick is the doctor you use.
How Do Open-Access Plans Handle Medical Bills?
You receive care, then the ministry reviews the bill against its guidelines. Zion HealthShare uses reference-based pricing rather than a contracted PPO, so some providers ask for payment up front and Zion negotiates after the visit. That open-access model is the usual no-faith alternative if Medi-Share's Christian statement is not a fit. Read the Zion HealthShare review for how billing works in practice. CrowdHealth, Sedera, Knew Health, and HSA Secure follow the same any-doctor pattern: no published directory, no network card.
What About CHM and Samaritan Ministries?
Both are open-access Christian ministries with no published provider network. Members see any licensed doctor and submit bills for sharing review. We describe them here because readers ask, and we do not link enrollment because neither runs a referral program on this site.
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Editor’s pick
Medi-Share
$115–$470/mo · ★ 4.5
Medi-Share is the payable plan that publishes PPO access: PHCS and First Health, 900,000+ providers, with out-of-network care still allowed. Remember that health sharing is not insurance and sharing is never guaranteed.
So Which Approach Fits How You See Doctors?
Choose Medi-Share if you want a published PPO directory and you can sign its Christian statement. Choose an open-access plan if you want to keep your current doctor with no network card at all. Zion HealthShare is the no-faith alternative in that group. Health sharing is not insurance. Sharing is never guaranteed. Confirm how your own doctor bills before you enroll.
What Else Should You Know About Provider Access?
Is health sharing a PPO network product?
No. Health sharing is not insurance and it is not sold as a PPO network product. Most payable plans have no network at all: you pick any licensed doctor and the ministry reviews the bill against its guidelines. Medi-Share is the payable exception. It publishes access to the PHCS and First Health PPO networks with 900,000+ providers, and it still allows out-of-network care.
How do health sharing members find a provider?
On open-access plans you book any licensed doctor, specialist, or hospital, then submit the bill. On Medi-Share you can search the published PHCS and First Health directories for a negotiated-rate provider, or go outside that list. There is no HMO-style referral gate on the payable plans we track.
Does Medi-Share require you to stay in network?
No. Medi-Share publishes PPO access so members can use negotiated rates, and it also allows out-of-network providers. In-network bills are usually simpler because the provider already recognizes the network. Out-of-network bills still go through sharing review, often at a higher allowed amount.
Does Zion HealthShare have a provider network?
No. Zion HealthShare has no provider network. Members see any licensed doctor and Zion reviews bills with reference-based pricing. That open-access model is the usual secular alternative if you will not sign Medi-Share's Christian faith statement. Read the full Zion review for how billing works in practice.
Do CHM and Samaritan Ministries use a PPO network?
No. Both are open-access ministries with no published provider network. Members see any licensed doctor and submit bills for sharing review. Neither runs a referral program on this site, so we describe them in prose only and do not link enrollment.
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Last updated: August 2026. Network facts come from our own plan data files and published figures already used on live WhichHealthShare pages. Confirm current terms directly with the ministry before enrolling. See our footer disclosure regarding affiliate commissions.
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