Best Healthshare Plans Comparison Guide 2023

Best Overall Healthshare Plan: netWell Healthshare

Membership levels:

Advantage is the catastrophic option, with a monthly contribution cost of $195 per month. This tier provides protection for ER visits, hospitalization, in/outpatient surgery, and lab costs. 

Superior offers primary care protection, without the ER and hospitalization. This tier does not include sharing for catastrophic health care events, but it does provide outstanding access to primary care at an affordable price. However, participants in this membership tier should arrange for some protection from catastrophic health care costs from some other source, or consider Advantage or Elite + tiers.

Elite +  is the most popular plan, offering full-spectrum sharing for both primary care and emergency care, subject to a member contribution amount –– which you can select. The plan offers a $2,500, $5,000, and a $10,000 option.

Pre-Existing Conditions: 24 month waiting period for pre-existing conditions. Certain more serious conditions may have a 2-year or 4-year waiting period, or a lifetime exclusion on related hospitalizations and surgeries.
Contribution Amounts [Individual]: $144 – $269
Provider Networks: Choose any doctor you wish. Discounts are available with netWell’s exclusive provider network.
Statement of Faith: Members must sign a Statement of Religious and Ethical Beliefs including belief in God, the Bible, the Power of Prayer, and the moral responsibility to share each other’s burdens.
HSA Option: Not available
Perks: The Elite + membership comes with a large suite of discount services, including dental, vision and LASIK, diabetic supplies, gym memberships, and lots more.

Best HSA-Qualified Plan: HSA Secure

HSA Secure also offers both HSA-qualified and DPC-friendly healthshare plans. “HSA Secure Direct” is designed to work alongside a Direct Primary Care membership to further reduce the monthly cost while adding critical preventive benefits.

Pre-Existing Conditions: Accepted
Contribution Amounts [Individual]: $170 – $295
Provider Networks: Any doctor or hospital
Statement of Faith: Not required
HSA Option: YES
Perks: Only healthshare available with HSA compatibility. Alternative treatments may be shared.

Altrua Healthshare

Liberty

Liberty has been one of the more popular health sharing programs. However, in recent years they have been slow to pay claims, there have been accusations of mis-management, and legal actions taken against them. We recommend that you proceed with caution.

Pre-Existing Conditions: Yes; limited to three (3) years of assistance
Contribution Amounts [Individual]: $159 – $359
Provider Networks: PHCS
Statement of Faith: Must agree to a set of 5 core values
HSA Option: NONE
Perks: Discounts on pharmacy, vision, hearing, and chiropractic costs

Medi-Share / MediShare

Pre-Existing Conditions: Considered, but not guaranteed to be accepted
Contribution Amounts [Individual]: $135 – $470
Provider Networks: PHCS network
Statement of Faith: Must sign (and possibly have verified) a statement of faith
HSA Option: NONE
Perks: Telemedicine; dental, vision and RX savings. A 98% customer satisfaction rate

OneShare Health

The OneShare Catastrophic is a less expensive option designed for major expenses, and does not include doctor visits. OneShare Catastrophic” is popular because it offers both ER and Hospital Care, in addition to a great telemedicine program that includes mental health support. This plan may be a good choice when paired with a Direct Primary Care plan that handles primary, routine, and preventive care.

Pre-Existing Conditions: Some limitations
Contribution Amounts [Individual]: $115 – $239
Provider Networks: Uses Multiplan/PHCS Network
Statement of Faith: Must sign a ‘light’ statement of faith
HSA Option: NONE
Perks: Dental discount; diabetic care and supplies; lab discount, telemedicine w/ mental health services

Samaritan

Individuals who attend church regularly should consider Samaritan. They can boast over 64,000 member households, which adds up to about $23 million per month that is eligible for sharing.

Pre-Existing Conditions: Not eligible for regular sharing
Contribution Amounts [Individual]: $200 – $495
Provider Networks: PHCS
Statement of Faith: Strict; must attend church regularly
HSA Option: Unknown
Perks: $250,000 maternity limit; 120-day supply of medication is shareable

Sedera Health

Sedera health does not decline new members because of pre-existing conditions. However, a 36-month lookback period applies. And the shareability of expenses related to pre-existing conditions is limited for up to the first 36 months of membership.

SELECT+ has much more generous sharing provisions for pre-existing conditions than ACCESS+ in the first 36 months of membership. So if pre-existing conditions are an issue, it may be worth the extra money for a SELECT+ tier membership.

Nevertheless, Sedera is one of the more competitive healthsharing choices for those with pre-existing conditions. And expenses related to pre-existing conditions are fully shareable after 36 months of membership.

You can use Sedera with any provider, including overseas providers. There are no out-of-network penalties.

All healthsharing plans require members to shoulder a certain amount of their medical costs before most non-preventative expenses become eligible for sharing. At Sedera, you can choose an initial unshared amount of Members can choose initial unshareable amounts (IUAs) of $500, $1,000, $1,500, $2,500, or $5,000.

However, Sedera structures their IUAs a little differently than most:

IUAs are per separate need, not per year.

That means if your treatment is ongoing, even for several years, you only pay your IUA once per need. 

If you or a member of your family have a new medical need, you’d pay a new IUA for that need. But you don’t pay for more than three IUAs per year.

In effect, your max out-of-pocket exposure is 3x your IUA, subject to limits on specific procedures or pre-existing conditions.

Sedera relies heavily on its excellent bill negotiation team to keep costs under control for all members. Therefore, members are generally expected to notify Sedera before receiving non-emergency care, so the bill negotiation team can negotiate the best possible pricing.

Sharing may be limited for members who don’t use the bill negotiation service.

Sedera does not share costs for alternative medicine, including ayurvedic, acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, functional/integrative medicine, most use of CBD and all marijuana, and any practice that promotes insufficiently proven methods.

Not available in Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, or Washington.

Pre-Existing Conditions: 

No prospective member is turned away for having Pre-Existing Medical Conditions, and Sedera does provide a path to sharing medical expenses associated with a Pre-Existing Medical Condition. The Sedera Community, however, does have a look-back period of 36 months that applies to all Pre-Existing Medical Conditions for Sedera applicants.

Terms: 3-year look back (anything diagnosed, had symptoms of, or treated for, including medication) 

SELECT+ 

1ST year: no sharing 

2ND year: $25k 

3RD year: $50k 

4TH year: Fully shareable, subject to the IUA 

ACCESS+ 

1ST year: no sharing 

2ND year: $15k 

3RD year: $30k 

4TH year: Fully shareable, subject to the IUA 

Contribution Amounts [Individual and Family]:

• $161 for member only plan with $5,000 IUA
• $186 for member only plan with $2,500 IUA
• $226 for member only plan with $1,500 IUA
• $251 for member only plan with $1,000 IUA
• $258 for member only plan with $1,000 IUA

Member + spouse plans run from $288 to $481 depending on IUA. 

Member + children plans run from $280 to $463 depending on IUA. 

Family plans run from $412 to $692 depending on IUA. 

Contribution Amounts [Group]

• Under 30: As low as $126 per month for single plan (with $5,000 IUA)
• 30 and up: As low as $158 per month for single plan (with $5,000 IUA)

Some employers provide additional assistance via a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), which can help with IUA and other uncovered charges. 

Contact a Personal Benefits Manager for inquiries regarding group/ business healthsharing.

Pricing information is current as of November 2022. Pricing subject to change.

Provider Networks: No provider network restrictions, and no out-of-network penalties.

Statement of Faith: Sedera has a secular approach. There is no religious component to Sedera’s Statement of Ethics and Principles, which you can read here. 

Lifetime maximum: There is no annual maximum dollar amount or lifetime maximum limits per Member, though certain dollar amounts and/or visit limits apply to specific types of medical care and therapies. Sharing is only limited by the amount available for sharing by the Community. 

HSA Option: Not available.

Maternity Benefits:

SELECT+ will share maternity if the pregnancy begins after their 1st day of membership. Subject to their IUA x2.

ACCESS+ will share maternity ONLY when the “expected due date” is at least 1 year after the membership start date. Subject to a $5,000 IUA.

Perks:

• Group/business plan fully supports list billing. 
• Telehealth services for basic healthcare needs. 
• Expert second opinions
• Wellness support. 
• Educational resources. 

United Refuah Healthshare

The first Jewish Health Sharing Organization, established with a mission to provide affordable, flexible reimbursement options with Torah values. United Refuah has a more limited program selection than other health sharing companies, but also offers lower average contribution rates.

Pre-Existing Conditions: Eligible after 1 year of membership, with a $25,000 share cap in years 2 and 3.
Contribution Amounts [Individual]: $209 ($199 with direct bank debit program)
Provider Networks: Open (No network limitations)
Statement of Faith: Strict; must attend synagogue regularly
HSA Option: NONE
Perks: Open-network means you can choose any doctor or hospital; 24/7 tele-medicine practitioners are not subject to PreShare amounts

Zion Health

Zion Health’s Direct plan is designed to work alongside a Direct Primary Care (DPC) membership. By pairing a Zion healthshare with an existing DPC membership, consumers can get a more comprehensive version of health sharing that is still significantly less expensive than insurance.

Zion Health does require a Statement of Faith; All applicants are accepted for cost-sharing as long as the monthly contribution is being met.

Pre-Existing Conditions: Accepted
Contribution Amounts [Individual]: $170-295
Provider Networks: Any doctor or hospital
Statement of Faith: Not Required
HSA Option: YES
Perks: Annual preventive care services, 24/7 telemedicine, and access to LifeWorks mental health resources at a very low additional cost

Universal Healthshare

One of the newer healthcare sharing companies, Universal Healthshare has seven different cost sharing programs to choose from. All Universal Healthshare programs include unlimited 24-hour telemedicine consultations, all with $0 fees.

Member Non-Shareable Amounts (NSA) can be as low as $1000 for an individual. This makes Universal Healthshare a good choice for someone who wants to be protected against steep out-of-pocket costs in case of an incident.

Pre-Existing Conditions: One year waiting period, $50,00 sharing cap during years 2 and 3
Contribution Amounts [Individual]: Starting at $186 per month
Provider Networks: Non-emergency visits must be scheduled through Multiplan / PHCS network
Statement of Faith: Statement of Shared Faith and Principles including belief in spiritual growth, peace, compassion, and community building
HSA Option: None
Perks: UHS Smart Share is a uniquely structured healthshare that sets fixed-rate sharing limits on specific medical events. This allows for an even lower monthly cost for members.