Christian health sharing ministries such as Medi-Share, Samaritan Ministries and Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) are not insurance, and none of them guarantees that your bills will be paid. Members send a monthly amount, and the ministry shares eligible medical needs under written guidelines. Whether that arrangement fits your family depends on your health, your savings and your tolerance for uncertainty, so read each ministry's guidelines before you join.
This is a health and money decision, so it deserves care. This article describes how the three best-known ministries are structured, where they differ, what they cannot promise, and how to compare them with conventional coverage. It does not pick a winner. Prices change often, so this page avoids quoting monthly amounts unless the ministry publishes them openly, and it names the source when it does.
Put it into practice
Before comparing any plan, know what your household can afford to pay if a bill is not shared. Set your target with the Emergency Fund Calculator and see how a monthly amount fits with the Budget Calculator.
Health sharing is not insurance
This point comes first because every later choice depends on it. An insurance company signs a contract. If you pay your premium and file a covered claim, the law requires the company to pay according to that contract, and state regulators oversee it. A health sharing ministry works differently. Members agree to share one another's eligible medical expenses, and the ministry's guidelines describe what qualifies. The guidelines are not an insurance contract, and the ministry's own materials state that sharing is voluntary and that payment is not guaranteed.
CHM's website, for example, carries the headline “We're not insurance” on its home page (chministries.org, checked October 2026). The other ministries publish similar notices. Look for them on any page you read before signing, and read the fine print on the enrollment form too.
That does not make sharing wrong or foolish. Thousands of families use it and report good experiences. It means you carry a risk that an insurer would otherwise carry, and you should decide with your eyes open.
The biblical idea behind sharing
The motive that gives these ministries their appeal comes from Scripture. “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2, ESV). The early church in Antioch, hearing of a coming famine, decided that each disciple would send relief to the believers living in Judea (Acts 11:29-30). Believers helping believers with a material need has a long history.
Notice what the New Testament examples have in common. The giving was voluntary, it came from love, and it responded to a real need. None of them was a legal claim against another person. A sharing ministry follows the same pattern, which is why its materials speak of a gift and not of a benefit you are owed. Galatians 6:2 supports the spirit of the arrangement. It does not turn a ministry's guidelines into a guarantee.
How the three ministries are structured
The table summarizes the general design of each ministry as the organizations describe it. Details such as limits, waiting periods and amounts change, so confirm everything on the ministry's own website or by phone before you decide.
| Feature | Medi-Share | Samaritan Ministries | CHM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operated by | Christian Care Ministry | Samaritan Ministries International | Christian Healthcare Ministries |
| How money moves | Members pay a monthly share to the ministry, which processes eligible needs | Members send their monthly share directly to another member with a need | Members send a monthly gift to the ministry, which shares eligible bills |
| Size of your own first-dollar responsibility | Set through an annual household portion that you choose | Check the guidelines | Check the program level and guidelines |
| Published plan levels | Check the site | Check the site | Gold, Silver, Bronze, SeniorShare, plus group options, per its site in October 2026 |
| Faith requirement | Faith and lifestyle requirements, read the details | Faith and lifestyle requirements, read the details | Faith and lifestyle requirements, read the details |
| Is it insurance? | No | No | No, per its home page |
One published figure is worth noting. CHM's home page, checked in October 2026, states that its monthly costs run from $115 to $299 depending on the program. The page does not say which household sizes or ages each figure covers. Medi-Share and Samaritan publish their own current amounts on their sites, and both have changed those amounts over time, so check the live numbers on the ministry's own site and skip secondhand blog figures. If you cannot verify a figure on the ministry's official page, do not trust it.
What none of them can promise
Every ministry describes what it will and will not share, and the lists differ. Most exclude or limit some categories, and many apply special rules to conditions you had before joining. Common items to look for in the guidelines include:
Pre-existing conditions. Ministries often limit or phase in sharing for conditions you already have. Ask exactly how they define “pre-existing” and how long the limit lasts.
Lifestyle-related needs. Guidelines usually decline needs they connect to behavior that conflicts with the ministry's beliefs.
Caps and annual limits. A very large bill may be shared only up to a stated amount, or in stages.
Timing. Sharing can take longer than an insurance payment, and you may need to negotiate or pay a provider first.
Appeals. Ask what happens if a need is declined. In insurance, you may appeal to the state. In a ministry, the path is the ministry's own process.
These limits can be acceptable for a healthy family with a strong emergency fund. They can be dangerous for a household with a chronic condition or thin savings, because a declined need arrives as a bill addressed to you.
Sharing, insurance and the law
The legal status of health sharing differs from state to state. Some states define sharing ministries in statute and exempt them from insurance regulation if they meet certain conditions. Others treat them differently. Federal rules on health coverage have also changed over the years, and participation in a sharing ministry has historically been treated differently from holding an insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act. Because rules and penalties shift, check your state rules and ask a licensed insurance agent or tax professional how your choice affects your situation. A reputable ministry will answer plain questions about its legal status.
If you buy an ACA marketplace plan, you may also qualify for financial help based on income. Compare that option on the government's marketplace site (HealthCare.gov) before ruling insurance out on price alone.
Weighing monthly cost against risk
A lower monthly amount can look like a bargain. The real comparison puts three figures side by side: what you pay each month, what you pay out of pocket before sharing or coverage begins, and the worst bill you could face in a year. A plan with a small monthly amount and a large first-dollar responsibility can cost more in a bad year than a plan with a higher monthly amount. A plan that may decline a major need can cost far more than either.
Build the comparison on a single sheet of paper. Write the monthly amount times twelve, add the most you would pay yourself in a normal bad year, and then write the amount you would owe if the largest plausible bill went unshared. The third number tells you whether your savings can carry the risk. If they cannot, conventional coverage with a legal obligation to pay deserves a serious look, whatever the monthly price.
Ask about doctors and hospitals too. Many providers treat sharing members as self-pay patients, which can open room to negotiate a cash price, and it can also leave you managing paperwork. Some families enjoy that role and others find it exhausting. Honesty about your own temperament belongs in the decision.
Questions to ask before you join
Use this list on the phone or in writing, and keep the answers in your files:
1. What exactly will you share, and what do the guidelines exclude?
2. How do you treat pre-existing conditions, and for how long?
3. What is my own responsibility before sharing begins, and does it reset every year?
4. Is there a cap per need or per year?
5. How long does sharing take, and how do I pay providers in the meantime?
6. What happens if a need is declined, and who decides?
7. Does the ministry publish annual financial statements or an audit?
8. How do the maternity, mental health and prescription guidelines read?
Write down the answers next to the publication date. A guideline that helped your neighbor last year may read differently this year.
A decision framework
1. Name your real risk (Proverbs 22:3). Write down the health conditions, ages and likely expenses in your household. A young, healthy family and a family managing a chronic illness face different risks.
2. Count your reserve (Proverbs 21:20). How large a surprise bill could you absorb from savings? The answer decides how much uncertainty you can carry.
3. Compare in writing (Luke 14:28). Put a marketplace plan, an employer plan if one exists, and each ministry side by side with current official numbers, exclusions and limits.
4. Read the guidelines yourself. Do not rely on a sales call, a friend's story or an article, including this one.
5. Pray with your spouse and talk to your pastor. The church's role in caring for members is a real part of this question.
6. Keep an emergency fund either way (Genesis 41:34). Joseph stored grain against a known risk. Whichever route you choose, a cash reserve covers the gaps. Our guide to the biblical emergency fund shows how to build one.
7. Revisit every year. Prices, guidelines and your family's health all change.
Internal study path
Continue with whether insurance is biblical, the biblical emergency fund, the best Christian finance apps, a Christian budget template, 1 Timothy 5:8 on providing for your household, and our budgeting hub.