Christian Healthcare Ministries
Level-based Christian sharing with a personal-responsibility amount per illness.
- Editorial score
- 76
- Methodology
- 2026.1
- Reviewed
- 2026-08-27
Health sharing is not insurance. Programs are not legally required to pay medical expenses and do not have to provide Affordable Care Act protections. NAIC consumer guidance.
Identity and structure
We separate the consumer brand from the organization that actually administers sharing, so two white labels of one program cannot look like two independent choices.
- Consumer brand
- CHM
- Underlying sharing organization
- Christian Healthcare Ministries
- Program administrator
- Christian Healthcare Ministries
- Underlying program group
- chm-core
- Membership standard
- Christian faith and lifestyle standards
- Operating since
- 1981
Best for
- Christians who want the longest public operating history
- Larger families comparing per-unit share amounts
Not ideal for
- Secular households
- People who want a single IUA model
- Anyone needing guaranteed payment
Program facts
- Monthly share
- Bronze / Silver / Gold-style levels. Confirm current ministry amounts.
- Member responsibility (IUA)
- Personal responsibility per illness (not always a single IUA). Confirm current literature.
- Household pricing
- Per-unit structure can change family math versus household-flat programs.
- State availability
- Widely offered; state notices apply.
- Pre-existing conditions
- Limitations and waiting rules apply. Confirm current guideline.
- Waiting / phase-in
- Yes, for specified needs.
- Maternity
- Guideline-specific; often includes waiting periods.
- Preventive
- Not an ACA mandate.
- Prescriptions
- Program-specific.
- Virtual care
- Confirm current partners.
- Provider access
- Typically any provider, subject to guidelines.
- Limits
- Level-based sharing limits apply.
- Membership requirements
- Christian statement of faith and lifestyle standards.
- Cancellation
- Ministry membership rules.
How this score was built
| Dimension | Weight | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Sharing scope and material limitations Christian ministry with Bronze/Silver/Gold-style levels and a personal-responsibility amount per illness rather than a single IUA in every case. | 20 | 72 |
| Cost and member responsibility Per-unit pricing can favor larger households. Still a voluntary share, not a premium. | 20 | 76 |
| Transparency and guideline clarity Guidelines and ministry literature are extensive and publicly linked. | 20 | 80 |
| Member support and advocacy Long-standing member services inside a faith community model. | 15 | 75 |
| Provider access and included services Any provider in principle; sharing follows ministry guidelines. | 10 | 70 |
| Administration and operating history Oldest widely known U.S. Christian health-sharing ministry (publicly dated to 1981). | 10 | 90 |
| Evidence freshness and completeness Public site reviewed. Level prices were not frozen into this catalog. | 5 | 70 |
Known limitations
- Highest operating-history score is not a promise of future sharing.
- SourceCHM public siteEffective 2026-08-27Reviewed 2026-08-27