Get your personal plan match in 2 minutes
Free, no forms. Matched on your answers — not commissions.
Healthshare Ministries Compared
With over a dozen healthshare ministries to choose from in the US, selecting the right one for your needs can be overwhelming. In this article, we'll compare some of the most popular healthshare ministries, including their costs, networks, and services.
Here's the thing nobody tells you upfront: these plans look almost identical on a brochure and behave completely differently when you actually have a bill. Two plans can both say “starts at $115/month” — one will share your costs with no annual cap, the other tops out at $125,000 per incident and asks about your church attendance. The price tag is the easiest number to compare and the least important one. What matters is the cap, the pre-existing waiting period, and whether you can live with the fine print.
We vet six plans in depth on this site, and we've pulled every number below straight from each plan's current guidelines — no rounding for a cleaner story. If you'd rather skip the reading, the side-by-side comparison tool lets you stack any two plans against each other, and the 5-minute quiz will narrow it to a single recommendation based on your age, household, and health.
One thing we're blunt about: health sharing is not insurance. There's no legal guarantee your bills get paid — sharing is voluntary among members. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has flagged this explicitly: health sharing organizations are not regulated like insurance, and members have no state guarantee fund backstop if a ministry fails to pay. The reputable plans here have strong track records, but if you need a federally guaranteed contract, this isn't it.
The 60-second cost picture
Monthly cost is mostly driven by two things: your age, and the IUA you pick (the “Initial Unshared Amount” — the deductible-like sum you pay before sharing kicks in). A higher IUA means a lower monthly cost, and vice versa. The ranges below span individual to family-of-four, lowest IUA to highest age band.
| Plan | Individual / mo | Family / mo | Sharing cap | Faith required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zion HealthShare | $114–$320 | $334–$899 | Unlimited per need | No |
| CHM | $115–$299 | $345–$897 | $125K/incident* | Yes + church |
| Medi-Share | $115–$470 | $390–$850 | No cap | Yes |
| Samaritan Ministries | $199–$365 | $699–$715 | $250K/need** | Yes + church |
| Sedera | $153–$742 | $378–$2,088 | Unlimited | No |
| CrowdHealth | $60–$200 | $240–$660 | No cap per event | No |
*CHM's $125K-per-incident cap extends to $1M per illness with the optional Brother's Keeper program. **Samaritan's $250K per-need cap (Classic) is supplemented by Save to Share for amounts above it. CrowdHealth is technically healthcare crowdfunding, not health sharing — more on that below. Prices may vary depending on membership elections.
Networks: most of these don't have one (that's good)
Traditional insurance locks you into a network and penalizes you for stepping outside it. Most health sharing plans flip that — there's no network at all, so you can see any doctor or specialist and pay cash rates (which are often negotiable, sometimes 30–60% lower than the sticker price).
- Zion, Samaritan, Sedera, CHM, CrowdHealth: No network. See anyone, anywhere.
- Medi-Share: The one exception — it runs on the PHCS and First Health PPO network (900,000+ providers), though out-of-network providers are still allowed. If you like the structure of a PPO, this is a plus.
The flip side of “no network” is that you are the one negotiating and submitting bills. Plans like CrowdHealth and Sedera lean hard into bill-negotiation help; older ministries expect more legwork from you. For context on why Medi-Share's PHCS and First Health PPO network matters, the KFF 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey found average single-coverage premiums now exceed $8,900/year — which is why so many people are looking at alternatives in the first place.
Pre-existing conditions: where the real differences hide
This is the single most important section for most people, and it's where plans diverge the most. A “pre-existing condition” is generally anything you were diagnosed with or treated for in a look-back window before joining. Almost no plan shares those costs right away. Worth noting: under the ACA, pre-existing conditions must be covered from day one — health sharing carries no equivalent obligation.
| Plan | Pre-existing handling |
|---|---|
| CHM | A condition stops counting as pre-existing after 12 months symptom/treatment-free (5 years for cancer), then shares like any other need. Gold members can share a “maintained” condition from year one under a dollar cap: up to $15K in year 1, $25K cumulative by year 2, $50K by year 3, uncapped from year 4. |
| Medi-Share | Nothing shared for 36 months. After that, shareable up to $100K/year; after 60 months, up to $500K/year. |
| Samaritan | 12-month wait; 50% shared in the first year. |
| Zion | Phase-in period — but high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes are shared from month one (if no hospitalization in the prior 12 months). |
| Sedera | Nothing shared the first 12 months; graduated caps months 13–36; fully shareable after 36 months. 36-month look-back. |
| CrowdHealth | Not eligible years 1–2; from year 3, up to $25K/year (verify current terms directly). |
If you have an active, ongoing condition — something being treated right now — none of these will help you in the short term, and health sharing may be the wrong tool entirely. We go deeper on the rules in our pre-existing conditions guide. Zion's carve-out for the three most common chronic conditions is the most generous in the group, which is a big part of why it's our top overall pick.
What's actually shared (and what isn't)
Two gaps trip people up constantly: prescriptions and mental health. Read this part carefully.
| Plan | Telehealth | Prescriptions | Mental health | Maternity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zion | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sedera | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CrowdHealth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Medi-Share | Yes | Partial | Partial | Yes |
| CHM | No | No | No | Yes |
| Samaritan | No | No | No | Yes |
A few honest footnotes on the “partials” and “yeses”:
- Medi-Share prescriptions: new acute diagnoses are shared for up to 6 months; ongoing maintenance meds are not shared. Discount programs (Navitus, GoodRx) help.
- Medi-Share mental health: TeleBehavioral health is included; in-person outpatient therapy is not shared.
- CHM and Samaritan: no telehealth, no prescription benefit, and no mental health sharing. They're built for catastrophic and surgical events, not for day-to-day care. If you take regular medication or see a therapist, that's a recurring out-of-pocket cost you need to budget.
Maternity is the one thing everyone covers — though Medi-Share, for example, caps it at $125,000 per pregnancy and requires you to share faithfully from conception. Read the maternity fine print before you plan a family around any of these.
A real cost scenario: healthy 40-year-old, one year
Premiums alone don't tell the story. Here's a fairer comparison — annual contributions for a healthy 40-year-old individual at a mid-tier IUA, with one moderate $8,000 medical event during the year. The IUA is what you'd pay before sharing begins.
| Plan | Est. monthly | 12 mo contributions | IUA on the event |
|---|---|---|---|
| CrowdHealth | ~$140 | ~$1,680 | $500 |
| CHM (if eligible) | ~$185 | ~$2,220 | $300–$1,000 |
| Zion (IUA $2,500) | ~$235 | ~$2,820 | $2,500 |
| Sedera (IUA $1,500) | ~$250 | ~$3,000 | $1,500 |
| Medi-Share (AHP $6,000) | ~$310 | ~$3,720 | up to $6,000 |
Monthly figures are mid-range estimates within each plan's published range for a 40-year-old; your actual quote depends on age band and IUA selection. Samaritan omitted here because its IUA structure (per-need, $300–$1,000) and Save to Share model don't map cleanly to this single-event example.
Notice how the cheapest monthly plan (CrowdHealth) also has the lowest member responsibility on a claim — but it's the one with the least predictability, because sharing is voluntary crowdfunding rather than a committed pool. The “right” answer depends entirely on your risk tolerance. The cost calculator models your exact age, IUA, and expected usage across all of these side by side, including annual assessments most comparison tables ignore.
Who each plan is actually for
Zion HealthShare — best all-around
No faith requirement, unlimited sharing per need, any doctor, and the most generous pre-existing carve-out (blood pressure, cholesterol, type 2 diabetes from month one). Founded 2019, 75,000+ members — newer than the old guard, but the modern feature set shows. If you don't fit a more specific bucket below, start here. Full breakdown in our Zion HealthShare review.
CHM — lowest cost, if you qualify
Starting at $115/month, the oldest ministry (founded 1981) and 300,000+ members. The catch is real: strict Christian statement of faith plus church attendance, no telehealth, no prescriptions, no mental health. Built for big medical events, not everyday care. Exceptional value if you meet the requirements and don't need the extras.
Medi-Share — established Christian option with a PPO
The largest ministry at 400,000+ members, around since 1993, no annual or lifetime cap. The PHCS and First Health PPO network is a comfort for people who want network structure. Christian statement of faith required (church attendance asked but less continuously verified than Samaritan). Watch the prescription and in-person mental health gaps.
Samaritan Ministries — traditional, committed-Christian model
Founded 1994, 250,000+ members. The most hands-on model — sharing has historically been member-to-member. Strict faith and church attendance required, no telehealth, no prescriptions. The $250K per-need cap (Classic) is backstopped by Save to Share for larger amounts. Best for committed Christians who want the classic approach.
Sedera — secular, full-featured, flexible IUAs
No faith requirement, unlimited cap, covers telehealth, prescriptions, and mental health, with five IUA tiers ($500–$5,000) so you can tune your monthly cost. Founded 2014, 50,000+ members. Note the longer 36-month pre-existing phase-in and that it's excluded in several states. A strong secular alternative — see our roundup of non-religious health sharing plans.
CrowdHealth — cheapest, for the young and healthy who get the model
Technically healthcare crowdfunding, not health sharing — members fund each other's bills campaign-by-campaign. A $60 flat advocacy fee plus variable contributions (avg ~$140/month under 55), no caps per event, month-to-month, cancel anytime. No tobacco users, pre-existing excluded for 2 years, and it's the least predictable by design. About 99% of approved bills have been funded historically. Best for young, healthy people who understand they're taking on more individual risk.
Quick decision guide
The honest downsides — all of them
We'd be doing you a disservice if we only sold the savings. Before you join anything:
- It's not insurance. No legal guarantee of payment. No state insurance commissioner to appeal to if a need is declined.
- Pre-existing waits are long. 12 months at best (CHM, Samaritan), up to 3 years at worst (Medi-Share, Sedera). Active conditions usually aren't shareable during the wait.
- Coverage gaps are normal. Most plans skip routine prescriptions, and several skip mental health and telehealth entirely.
- Caps exist on some plans. CHM and Samaritan have per-incident/per-need caps. Zion, Medi-Share, and Sedera don't — that matters for a catastrophic claim.
- It doesn't satisfy state mandates. CrowdHealth, for instance, isn't available or compliant in CA, MA, NJ, RI, VT, and DC. And unlike an ACA plan, pre-existing condition protections under the ACA don't apply to health sharing — no federal law requires a sharing ministry to accept you or cover a condition you already have.
None of that makes health sharing a bad deal — for the right person it's a genuinely smart way to cut costs. It just makes it a deal you should walk into with clear eyes.
Bottom line
If you're healthy and don't need a faith-based community, Zion is the safest first look — generous pre-existing rules, no cap, no network. If you're a committed Christian chasing the lowest price and don't need the extras, CHM is hard to beat. If you're young, healthy, and cost-driven, CrowdHealth wins on price as long as you understand the crowdfunding model. Everyone else lands somewhere in between, and the right answer comes down to your age, your household, and your tolerance for the fine print.
Run your own numbers before you decide. The comparison tool stacks any two plans side by side, the 5-minute quiz narrows it to a single recommendation, and the cost calculator models IUAs, annual assessments, and real out-of-pocket scenarios so there are no surprises on your first bill.
Affiliate Disclosure: WhichHealthShare may earn referral commissions from plans mentioned in this article. Commissions are paid by the plan and never affect your pricing or our rankings. Our assessments are editorially independent. See our full disclosure policy.
Last Updated: June 2026. Plan figures pulled from each plan's current member guidelines — verify directly before enrolling.
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.
We may earn a commission if you enroll through this link — it never affects our rankings.
Not sure which plan fits you?
Chat with our advisor for 2 minutes — it'll match you to the right vetted plan for your budget, health needs, and faith preference.