Comments on: Medi-Share: A Christian health insurance alternative?

By: Terri

Terri — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:40:47 +0000

Many providers give discounts for cash. I had a surgery last year and the hospital discounted my surgery 50% and the physicians’ bills 35%. We had to pay upfront because we didn’t have “insurance.” It’s actually amazing to think we received such a large discount — it really drives home how inflated the costs are when a hospital will cut prices by 50%. We use Samaritan Ministries and have had the best experiences. Our primary care physician also discounts our office visits by 50% by paying at the time of service. The use of third party payers (insurance companies) is a major factor in high medical costs. Being the bargain hunter I am, I was so pleased with the surgery discounts that added up to thousands of dollars. The only thing better would have been if I had had my Perk Street Debit card and had been able to earn 2% cash back. (BTW: my surgery was at an esteemed University hospital and I received excellent care.)

By: Nikki

Nikki — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:42:40 +0000

Medi-Share members recieve discounts by using our Preferred Provider Organization. At times, members recieve discounts for unshareable services too because of the PPO. If you have anymore questions, feel free to call one of our representatives at (800)772-5623.

By: Vicki

Vicki — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:30:10 +0000

Are you kidding??? Never known a healthcare provider who didn’t give some kind of a ‘discount’ to anyone paying cash!

By: Bruce Hildenbrand

Bruce Hildenbrand — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:07:20 +0000

If I submit a claim to Medi Share and it is paid, is the money I receive considered taxable income from the US Government? If not, how does the government view the money I receive from a claim? This is not normal health insurance so the money has to be reported to the government in some manner.

By: ken

ken — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:22:29 +0000

UPDATE INFO ON MEDI-SHARE:
Medi-share is indeed a unique program for providing assistance with medical care, but unlike health insurance programs this route uses blatant discrimination to prevent certain individuals from benefiting from its service. Mychristiancare.org specifically points out that only those engaging in sexual intercourse within a “Christian” marriage are allowed to join. This immediately eliminates gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals from enrolling in Medi-share. The program also places limits on services it covers based upon religious beliefs and states specifically that abortions will not be covered under any circumstance.

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:48:25 +0000

Hello, have you joined medi-share? Are you pleased?
Thanks for your time!

By: ken

ken — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:10:12 +0000

To be clear, Medi-share is not an insurance program. Medi-share operates as a non-profit group and while members pay into a group fund each month, the money is never Medi-share’s money. Furthermore, Medi-share is not required to pay any bill, nor keep cash reserves on hand.If you go to http://www.newsonhealthcare.com you will see that they have reviews and articles on medi-share. I hope the above helped.

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:40:17 +0000

I realize that each of us have varying economical resources. However, the bottom line is this….

Pay for the little things (physicals, sore throat, etc) out of your own pocket and pay premiums on a high deductible policy to cover the catastrophic things. Same holds true with this.

If you do not have money for either, there are several resources available (medicaid, get rid of cable tv and iphones and put that money towards health care, friends, family, local church you actually belong too).

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:32:13 +0000

Regardless of the rationale of the program, paying for healthcare and medical costs is a numbers game; a mathematical equation.

There are basic rules in math like: 1 + 1 = 2. I am not being facetious. I am just saying that making an exception to this rule results in a different set of circumstances.

The point is, pre-existing conditons and the intoxicated driver story are completely rational in my opinion. As someone noted earlier, they do publish your need to the entire membership so there is still a chance you can get help.

By: Jennifer King

Jennifer King — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:55:37 +0000

The way I understand it while Medi-share may not cover a pre-exisiting condition, if you have a medical need that is not coverd and need help, they will make it known to the Medi-share members and they can donate money to help you. They facilitate a way for you to be helped. They have to have some rules about acceptance, or the premiums could not be so low. If you need help, they will try to find other members who are willing to give. I have already gotten names in the mail for maternity overages and non-covered services for people who need extra help. This is a great thing. It helps God’s people and does not line the pockets of big insurance. It just has strict rules, as does following Christ.