Universal HealthShare Programs

Healthcare cost sharing, commonly known as healthshare programs, are a low-cost alternative to traditional insurance. Every year, more Americans are making the switch to healthshare programs, and Universal Healthshare is leading the way.

Universal Health Fellowship (UHF) is a non-profit health care sharing ministry offering seven different sharing programs. This guide takes a closer look at plan options, monthly cost, additional member features, and more.

[New to Healthcare Cost Sharing? Click Here for a more in-depth explanation of how Healthshare works]

Medical Cost Sharing Programs from Universal Health Fellowship

Universal HealthShare has up to seven different sharing programs to choose from. Each program has a unique monthly sharing amount, as well as a specific Non-Shareable Amount (NSA). The NSA is the amount that the member must pay each year before medical costs become eligible for sharing, with some exceptions as noted in the UHF Guidelines.

There are a number of exceptions to the member NSA, which include some primary care, urgent care, and specialist care visits. Instead, members pay a one-time consultation fee for each eligible visit.  The office visit charge is shared and members are responsible for any out of pocket charges until the NSA is satisfied.  

Once the NSA is satisfied the members Co-Share is used to determine how eligible medical charges are paid.  Please refer to UHF Guidelines for details.

All Universal HealthShare members also have access to:

UHS SmartShare – An Even More Affordable HealthShare Plan

UHS SmartShare is designed for members who want to keep their costs even lower. This program offers more limited cost sharing, but also has the lowest monthly sharing amount. Eligible Medical bills are shared with fixed-fee amounts, and have lower annual sharing limits.

Universal HealthShare Statement of Shared Faith and Beliefs

While some health sharing programs require that members sign a strict statement of faith, there is no such requirement with Universal Healthshare. Instead, members voluntarily agree to a Statement of Shared Faith and Beliefs.

The statement is composed of seven tenets, which include belief in spiritual growth, healthcare independence, peace, compassion, community building, and duty towards family and community members, among others. You can view them in the Universal HealthShare Guidelines.

Universal Healthshare Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Which hospitals and providers can I use with Universal Healthshare?

A: Universal Health Fellowship uses no network for hospitalization. 

Universal HealthShare members can use any hospital in the continental U.S. for emergency care and inpatient hospitalization.  However,  the member must pre-notify Universal HealthShare before hospital admission in advance, except for emergencies. For physician, urgent care, and specialist visits UHS uses the Multiplan .PHCS Physician and Ancillary network,   which has over 700,000 locations nationwide.  You can access the provider search here.

Q: How does Universal Healthshare work?

A: When a member has an emergency or a medical encounter, they are free to visit a provider anytime but their program may or may not share the expenses.  

Most of the programs have a list of eligible medical expenses, waiting periods, pre-existing limitations and members must satisfy their program’s. Non-Shareable Amount (NSA) before cost-sharing is available. After the NSA is satisfied, the member’s hospital expenses can be shared up to the plan’s medical incident limit and annual limit.

In Most cases,  hospitals will accept a Universal HealthShare Membership Card, and will then submit the expenses directly to Universal Health Fellowship.  A smaller number of providers may choose to treat the member as a cash-paying patient. In this case, the member’s eligible medical expenses can be submitted directly to Universal HealthShare to determine the eligibility of the services and available reimbursements.  

Always keep in mind, in most cases, a member must satisfy their NSA first prior to sharing. Members must notify UHF for all scheduled hospital procedures. 

UHF also has a special team  to help you navigate the challenges of the healthcare system and support your use of UHF health programs. If you are anticipating a surgery they can help you solicit up to 3 hospital quotes, as well as help you apply for any available financial aid.

For non-emergency medical needs, members can use telemedicine or they can visit  a physician or urgent care facility subject to waiting periods and their program’s NSA).

Q: Is Universal HealthShare available in my state?

A: Universal HealthShare is available in 39 states. It is not available in Alaska, Connecticutt, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine,  Maryland, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington, or any U.S. territories.

• The age of the oldest active member in your family
• The number of members in the membership
• The membership option or tier you select
• Your member commitment portion (MCP)
• Your state of residence

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