Christian Healthcare Ministries
I know there are others like Medi-Share, Christian Care Ministry, and Samaritan Ministries. Is Christian Healthcare Ministries the best of those?We've been members since 2006. And for the same reasons you mentioned -- I'm self-employed, don't make a killing, our family is young and growing, etc.
They even have maternity coverage, including home births and midwives.
Is it hard to find a doctor that supports Christian Healthcare Ministries?They are an approved "health insurance" in the new Obamacare system (i.e., it counts as health insurance; you won't have to pay any fines)
Oh, that's good. Is that true for the other healthsharing companies?It costs $160 per month for a "unit". A couple is two units. However many children you have = 1 more unit.
Wow, that's pretty cheap. thanks
1. Yes, it's like those, but many of those require that you be "born again" or something to that effect. We steered clear of those. CHM is OK with Catholics. I don't know much about the other programs, especially any changes that have happened since 2006 (including any changes as a result of Obamacare).
2. You can use whatever doctor you want. It's the same as paying cash, from the doctor's perspective. You are encouraged to ask for a "cash discount". But you aren't required to pay up front, or that would defeat the purpose.
For maternity coverage, there is no deductible (normally $500) if the midwife gives you a $500 discount. Any discount you secure (by paying cash up front, etc.) comes off your normal deductible.
3. The prices are all "per month". One adult, or X number of children costs $160 a month. It doesn't matter how many children you're insuring, it's still only $160 a month.
4. It's called Christian for a reason. It's a faith-based program, so they don't pay for abortions or anything else that goes against "biblical" living. I don't have the specifics memorized, so I suggest checking out their website for the details.
5. This isn't the kind of insurance that pays for every little thing (e.g., routine doctor visits -- you're on your own for those), but neither would it be accurate to call it "catastrophic" insurance.
I think it's great for Catholic families, especially larger ones that aren't well-off, who don't worship the medical establishment (have a huge collection of pharmaceuticals on their kitchen counter), but also don't want to be financially ruined due to an emergency like a heart attack, which could set you back $200,000. No one is prepared for that.
I always tell people -- it's like a bunch of neighborhood kids selling each other things for pennies. A stick is 1 cent, a marble is 2 cents, and a pen is 3 cents. The total circulation among the 12 children is no more than a few dollars. Imagine one of those children trying to sell enough sticks or marbles to buy a brand-new car! It would be impossible, because the new
car and the "kids' economy" exist on two different orders or scales.
Hospital stays are not priced in Earth dollars.
There's no way to buy a car selling 1 cent sticks to your friends, you can't pay off the National Debt of 16 trillion by having a bake sale, and a Catholic family can't be frugal and industrious enough to weather a regular-price trip to the hospital for a serious but common health crisis.
How do you save up $300,000 to weather a health crisis when you earn $40,000 or $60,000 a year, especially when most of that money is spoken for?
It would be like having a job in rural Mexico, but trying to live in Los Angeles, California. There would be an earnings/cost-of-living mismatch.
Topic: Self-employed with a large family: What do you do for health insurance? (Read 9534 times)