Yes, that title is correct. And no, I'm not kidding you.
I remained on my father's health insurance plan up until the day I turned 26 years old. But once that day came, I knew I was going to have to join my husband Blaine's plan - and we were terrified.
We knew we needed health insurance for two main reasons - in case of emergency, and for pregnancies. Outside of that, we were in great health thanks to Young Living's essential oils, supplements, and plant based products that kept us and our babies in top notch wellness.
But premiums were rising. Costs were skyrocketing. The idea of paying hundreds (and possibly over a thousand) dollars a month for a growing family was not only scary, but downright ridiculous in our minds. It felt like, unless something catastrophic or expensive happened to us health-wise, we were throwing money out the window.
We started researching other options of healthcare that were approved under the Affordable Care Act. We were asking friends, reading articles, looking online, and praying that God would provide us with an affordable option that was perfect for our family.
We were then referred to Christian Healthcare Ministries.
It's not insurance, but rather a co-sharing program, where thousands of Christian families nationwide come together to voluntarily contribute to each other’s medical bills.
You simply choose a plan (plans can vary from $200-$450 a month), and your monthly payment goes into a "pool" of money. When someone in the program has a medical need that is over $500, the organization will take money from the "pool," and cover the costs for that person's medical bills.
Because Christian Healthcare Ministries is okayed by Obamacare, there are no penalty fees to use this as your choice for healthcare.
But since this is not "insurance," you're considered a "self-pay" patient whenever you do visit the doctor. You pay for your prescriptions and visits out of pocket if it is less than $500 per incident. However, if the incident adds up to more than $500, you can submit your bills to Christian Healthcare Ministries, and they can reimburse your costs that went past that $500.
When we had both of our kids, we ultimately only paid $500 to have each baby. Christian Healthcare Ministries reimbursed us for the rest.
When I was hospitalized for mastitis after Hugh was born, we ultimately only paid $500 in medical costs. Christian Healthcare Ministries reimbursed us for the rest.
Lace was even recently hospitalized for dehydration and non-stop vomiting, and we are ultimately only going to be out-of-pocket $500 for that incident, too. Christian Healthcare Ministries will reimburse us for the rest.
All we do is send in our receipts and bills to the organization, they review it, and send you a check in the mail to pay it off.
And my oh my, how many thousands upon thousands of dollars we have saved this way!
Christian Healthcare Ministries also has a super cool referral program, where you can get free months for bringing friends on board, too. Our previous insurance programs didn't do that for us, that's fo sho!
This program might be for you, too, or it might not. But since it has been such a money-saver and a great healthcare option for us, I felt it important to share this option with you, mi amigo!
To research if this ministry is for you, click here. And if you choose to enroll, be sure to let them know Healthier Hannah sent you by inputting my member number - 232612 - on your application!
Give Christian Healthcare Ministries a shot. It might ultimately pay for yours. ;)
