What is a Health Sharing Plan? They are faith-based health sharing plans. They are not considered to be insurance and are not offered through insurance companies. It is a group of thousands of people of the same faith or belief that come together and share each other’s medical costs. They are an affordable way to help with unforeseen medical expenses. Some of these programs will share costs for doctor visits and preventive care. They do not play by the same rules as health insurance companies, so you have no network of doctors and hospitals in most cases. These are great options for those who cannot afford actual insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act and do not have the option for coverage through an Employer.
How can I purchase a plan? There are few health sharing groups out there that you can join and each one may offer something different. You can find the group that you are comfortable with and apply for you and your family. You can typically get coverage by the 1st or the 15th of the month. You are responsible for paying your share of the cost per month for your program.
Different Terms than Health Insurance: With a health sharing plan, you will not hear your typical language and definitions that you would find in a traditional insurance policy. For example, a deductible is called a “member shared responsibility payment”. Your monthly premium is called a “monthly share”. A co-pay is called a “share of cost”.
Network of Doctors and Hospitals: Some of these health sharing programs provide a network of doctors and hospitals that you can go to. If you use a participating provider or facility, the network will provide a contracted rate or a “discount” for services rendered. This is will help reduce the initial cost of service. Not all faith-based plans have a network, so it is important to review the program before making a commitment.
Pre-existing Conditions: Most of the faith-based programs will not cover pre-existing conditions. Many of these plans will have a 12-24 month waiting period before they will help share any costs. You don’t want to confuse a “waiting period” with being denied coverage. You can still join the program and receive coverage for something not related to your existing diagnosis like preventive or unexpected medical costs. On the other hand, you will come across faith-based programs that will not allow you to join based on your existing medical conditions. This varies from program to program.
Why choose a health-share plan? If you find traditional health insurance through the Affordable Care Act to be too expensive, then a health-sharing plan is a great alternative. If you and your family are healthy and need benefits for preventive care and unforeseen circumstances, a faith-based plan is a good fit. We would not recommend a health-sharing plan if you have several medical conditions that need attention frequently.
Our members agree to live a clean and healthy lifestyle and share a set of ethical and religious beliefs. It means that our members can contribute less and receive more from the membership.
Joppa Health Share Membership is built on a foundation of like ideals agreed upon by the Members. The peace of mind knowing the people sharing your contributions are not using your money for things that conflict with your faith is a blessing many members enjoy. Joppa Health Share is a healthcare sharing ministry, a subsidiary of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference or NHCLC, based on a biblical model. As the largest Latino Christian organization in America, we lead millions of Born-Again Hispanic Christ followers via our 40,118 Evangelical Congregations by providing leadership, networking, fellowship, strategic partnerships, and public policy advocacy platforms to our three directives: Life Religious Liberty and Biblical Justice The NHCLC is a not-for-profit corporation that is recognized as tax exempt under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3).
Every health and life insurance policy is not created equal. Everyone needs something different out of their insurance. Whether it be coverage for a specific doctor, an expensive prescription, hospitalization, maternity or maybe you just want to get a physical. Same applies to life insurance coverage, you may need to protect your mortgage or leave money aside for college tuition or maybe you just want to leave something behind for your family to live out your legacy. Here at Next Level Benefits, we want to understand your needs and what is important to you. So, reach out to us and let us take the time to get to know you and your loved ones so that we can provide you a service second to none. We look forward to hearing from you.
Lisa and Phil were extremely helpful with obtaining health insurance after our move to Texas, from the state of Washington. It was during the non-enrollment period, which made timelines short, and there were many rules to adhere to. Thanks to them, we made the transition smoothly. They always called or emailed back when I had a question or problem.
Next Level Benefit was like a breath of fresh air. With overwhelming phone calls from other companies, NLB treated me like a part of their family and got to know me on a personal level. I told them exactly what kind of coverage I was looking for, and they knocked it out of the park with great coverage and affordable prices. Would highly recommend!
