In the last few years, more Americans than ever before have been making the switch to Health Care Sharing Plans (Healthshare). These low-cost health programs provide people with a viable alternative to overpriced health insurance.
Healthshare plans are not insurance. But the process of choosing a plan is actually not that different. You have to take into account things like monthly cost, plan options, and perhaps most importantly, your personal medical needs.
In this guide, we’re comparing to of the most popular health sharing plans: MediShare Plans and OneShare Health.
Medishare vs. OneShare Health: Healthshare Comparison Key Takeaways
- Healthshare plans are a low-cost alternative to traditional health insurance, offered by Health Care Sharing Ministries (HCSM). Medi-Share and OneShare Health are two of the most popular healthshare plans in 2025.
- When choosing a healthshare plan, compare things like membership requirements, monthly costs, plan options, and lifetime sharing limits, and more.
- A significant difference between Medi-Share and OneShare Health is the Statement of Faith. Medi-Share is a health care sharing ministry with a Christian biblical model. OneShare Health will accept any individual who agrees with their non-denominational Statement of Beliefs.
- Your Personal Benefits Manager can work with you to make sure that you’re choosing the best plan for your needs.
First things first: What is Medi-Share?
Medi-Share is a non-profit health care sharing ministry. Medi-Share makes it possible for members of the Christian faith to share the cost of critical medical expenses. This not only makes it easier to pay for family medical care, but it also fulfills the biblical ideal of caring for other people in your community.
How does Medi-Share work?
Medi-Share, like other medical cost sharing programs, is not health insurance. But it does provide legal, affordable health protection in exchange for a monthly payment. And in fact, it tends to be about half the cost of unsubsidized insurance, making it a better option for many families.
With Medi-Share, the voluntary monthly payments are called Shares. As long as you keep contributing your monthly share, you can get the cost of your medical expenses covered by the pooled resources of the Medi-Share ministry.
How much does Medi-Share cost?
Like health insurance and other health sharing plans, the cost of Medishare will vary depending on your age, location, and number of enrollees. If you’re interested in finding out how much Medi-Share will cost for you or your family, visit our website to run a free Medi-Share quote.
What is OneShare Health?
OneShare Health is a religious health care sharing ministry (HCSM). Like Medi-Share, OneShare Health members pool their resources through regular monthly contributions to help pay for member’s medical bills.
While based in the Anabaptist Christian faith, the OneShare Health program does not require active church attendance. In addition, the OneShare Health Statement of Beliefs is more broadly stated than Medi-Share’s Statement of Faith. This makes it easier for even more people to enroll in health sharing.
While smaller and newer than Medi-Share, OneShare Health is becoming increasingly popular. This is because they offer a few things that MediShare does not, including the low-cost Catastrophic Plan, and a sharing system that works much more like traditional insurance.
Want to find out how much a OneShare Health plan will cost for you or your family? Use the form below to run an instant online quote.
Compare Pricing on the Best HealthShare Plans Available
Comparing MediShare and OneShare Health: Which is the better health sharing plan?
Healthshare plans: Points of comparison
Unlike health insurance companies, Health Care Sharing Ministries (HCSMs) have more freedom in how to structure their plans. The result is that consumers have access to more options, better rates, and increased flexibility. But it also means that there can be big differences in how different HCSMs operate.
Here are the six primary points of comparison that we’re using to compare Medi-Share vs. OneShare:
| Statement of Faith / Statement of Beliefs | Every health sharing organization requires its members to submit a signed Statement of Faith. For sharing plans with no religious component, this is known as a Statement of Principles or something similar. |
| Membership requirements | All healthshare programs have different requirements for their members. These can include health-based lifestyle rules like not smoking or taking illicit drugs. Christian healthshare ministries like MediShare also have some Biblically-based requirements. This includes agreeing to only engage in sex inside a Biblically-defined marriage, and maintaining an active church membership. |
| Cost | Like health insurance plans, all healthshare programs have a monthly cost (or Contribution). Your contribution will be based on your location, age, and which healthshare plan you choose. There is also a minimum out-of-pocket amount that must be covered before costs are shared. This is the Annual Household Portion (AHP) for Medi-Share or the Individual Sharing Amount (ISA) for OneShare Health. This is like a deductible, so you’ll need to be ready to pay it in full before being approved for cost sharing. |
| Payment & sharing systems | Generally speaking, healthshare plans are designed to share the cost of health expenses between members. But the way that this is actually done varies greatly between different healthshare organizations. Before you sign up for a healthshare plan, make sure you know how fees and contributions are handled. Also, learn which medical costs are eligible for cost sharing, and how the cost sharing approval process works. |
| Plan options / Program Types | Most healthshare organizations these days offer multiple plan options. Like traditional health insurance, these plans can differ both in terms of cost and level of protection. Family healthshare plans can be more comprehensive, but will also cost more per month and have a higher household portion. Individuals who are looking for more basic, emergency-only coverage can compare catastrophic healthshare plans, which tend to have the lowest monthly contributions. |
| Lifetime Sharing Maximums | Many healthshare plans have limits on how much can be shared over the course of a year or a lifetime. OneShare Health, for example, has a $1,000,000 lifetime sharing limit. Medishare, meanwhile, has no annual or lifetime sharing limits. |
I. Statement of Faith / Statement of Beliefs
Medi-Share Statement of Faith
As a part of enrollment, all members must submit a signed Statement of Faith in order to join MediShare. Based on the Biblical principles of excellence, integrity, and community, the Statement of Faith is designed to strengthen the Christian community at the heart of the program.
OneShare Health Statement of Beliefs
The OneShare Health Statement of Beliefs, while still based on the Christian faith, is less strictly defined than the one required by Medi-Share. The statements include belief in the Scripture, the right to worship God, to live healthy lifestyles, to unite as a community, and to share with the less fortunate.
II. Membership qualifications
Medi-Share membership qualifications
The primary membership requirement for Medi-Share members is that you need to be an active member of a Christian church. This includes both a signed Statement of Faith and in some cases a reference from your pastor or church leader.
All Medi-Share members must also agree to:
- Only engage in sexual relations that are within a Biblical Christian marriage.
- Not use illicit drugs or tobacco in any form, including vaping. In addition, all applicants must have abstained from drugs and tobacco for at least 12 months before applying.
MediShare members must also be a permanent U.S. citizen or resident in order to be approved.
OneShare Health membership qualifications
For the most part, OneShare Health will accept any applicant who signs the Statement of Belief. This includes a pledge to live a healthy lifestyle, but regular church attendance is not required.
III. Cost
How much does Medishare cost?
Like most other healthcare options, your Medi-Share monthly cost is priced based on a number of factors, including your age, the state you live in, and the number of family members that will be enrolling.
For a family of four, it’s possible to pay as little as ~$350 per month for the entire family. Individuals can find monthly shares as low as ~$130, depending on the state you live in.
It’s important to note that these numbers are for Medi-Share AHP 12000. Options with a lower AHP will have a higher monthly contribution.
Medi-Share also offers a Healthy Share Amount, which you can qualify for if you meet certain health incentives. This is essentially a discount off your monthly costs for the same option.
How much does OneShare Health cost?
There are three different OneShare health options to choose from, each with a different monthly contribution. Depending on your age and location, you could pay as little as $115 per month for an individual Catastrophic plan, or $239 per month for the more comprehensive Complete plan.
IV. Payment & sharing systems
How does Medishare work?
Here’s how Medishare works:
| 1. Select an Annual Household Portion (AHP). This is similar to an annual deductible, and the size of your AHP will affect the size of your monthly share. |
| 2. Work with Medi-Share to open an individual financial account at a participating bank. With Medi-Share, all financial transactions like fees and cost sharing are handled through this account for convenience. |
| 3. When you need medical attention, provide your Medi-Share Card and pay the Provider Fee. This is $35 for doctor visits and $135 for emergency room care. |
| 4. Your provider will bill Medi-Share. Medi-Share then works on your behalf to lower the bill. If you have not yet met your AHP, the remaining bill will be sent back to you. If you have met your AHP, all eligible medical bills can be approved for sharing. |
| 5. Once your medical bills are approved for sharing, other members will use the online portal to transfer their share directly to you. |
How does OneShare health work?
Here’s how OneShare Health works:
| 1. Choose between OneShare Catastrophic, OneShare Classic, or OneShare Complete based on how much you want to pay per month. For both Classic and Complete, you will also need to choose between Basic, Enhanced, or Crown. These options have different Individual Sharing Amounts (ISAs) and out-of-pocket maximums. |
| 2. Locate a participating provider in your area. You can do this online with the Provider Locator. (Seeking medical care at an out-of-network provider will reduce your cost sharing eligibility by as much as 50%). |
| 3. When visiting the doctor or seeking medical care, present your OneShare member ID card. For preventive services and the Annual Wellness Visit, there is no additional charge. However, all other primary care, specialist, and urgent care visits will have a per-visit fee that you will have to cover. These fees vary depending on which program type you’re in. |
| 4. Your provider will call OneShare to get Precertification for the necessary medical care. Then, they submit the eligible medical need to OneShare Health. |
| 5. OneShare Health issues an Explanation of Sharing (EOS) to the member, and a payment check to the provider. |
V. Plan options / Program types
What are the Medi-Share plan options?
Medi-Share’s primary plan options are differentiated based on the size of the Annual Household Portion (AHP). This is the amount of money that you or your family must pay out of pocket towards medical expenses before they become eligible for sharing.
Medi-Share currently offers seven AHP options:
- $3,000
- $3,000 with 30% co-share*
- $6,000
- $6,000 with 30% co-share*
- $9,000
- $12,000
- $12,000 with Direct Primary Care (DPC)**
*Plans with a co-share option have the advantage of a lower monthly fee, but a higher AHP.
**The DPC plan allows monthly membership fees to be applied towards AHP. Your primary care physician will have to meet certain qualifications in order to enroll.
Senior Assist: Medi-Share’s program for 65 & older
All Medi-Share members can transition to Senior Assist when they turn 65. This is a cost saving program designed to work in conjunction with Medicare Parts A & B.
What are the OneShare health sharing programs?
OneShare Health offers three different Sharing Programs:
|
|
|
Members who choose Classic or Complete can also choose between different pricing options:
|
|
|
VI. Lifetime Sharing Maximums
What are the Medi-Share lifetime sharing limits?
All health plans through Medi-Share come with no Lifetime Sharing Maximum.
What are the OneShare health plan options?
All OneShare Health sharing programs come with a Lifetime Sharing Maximum of $1,000,000.
Medi-Share review 2025: What our clients are saying
As one of the largest and longest-lasting healthshare programs in the country, it’s no surprise that MediShare reviews tend to be quite positive. Since 1993 Medi-Share has made it possible for members of the Christian faith to share health expenses among their community, thus living up to the Biblical ideals of charity and compassion.
But as popular as Medi-Share has become, we’re finding that an increasing number of our clients are choosing OneShare Health. The most positive OneShare reviews mention the simplicity of the program, as well as the fact that members can get plans with first-dollar benefits (before you have to meet your Individual Sharing Amout (ISA).
Ready to enroll in a low-cost health sharing plan through Medishare or OneShare Health?
If you’re ready to find out how much you can save by switching to health sharing, visit the HSA for America website. There you’ll be able to get an instant quote, research health sharing plans, or browse through our educational blog.
Have questions about your health coverage and not sure where to turn? Call your Personal Benefits Manager to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.
Here are some additional articles on healthsharing programs:
Here are some additional pages related to this article: Healthshare FAQ | Small Business Health Insurance Costs
