Health sharing in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has a statutory notice that sharing organizations must give participants. It is the clearest statement of what the arrangement is, so we publish it in full rather than paraphrasing it.
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.
Pennsylvania 40 Penn. Statute Section 23(b)
Notice: This publication is not an insurance company nor is it offered through an insurance company. This publication does not guarantee or promise that your medical bills will be published or assigned to others for payment. Whether anyone chooses to pay your medical bills will be totally voluntary. As such, this publication should never be considered a substitute for insurance. Whether you receive any payments for medical expenses and whether or not this publication continues to operate, you are always liable for any unpaid bills.
What this means for a Pennsylvania household
The notice is the state telling you, in the state’s own words, that the organization is not an insurance company and that no one is compelled to pay your bill. Read it before a marketing page, not after.
The existence of a safe-harbor notice does not mean the state reviews a program’s finances, approves its guidelines, or backs its obligations. It means the state has carved these arrangements out of the insurance code on the condition that participants are told what they are joining.
Before you enroll
- Confirm the program is actually accepting members in Pennsylvania.
- Read the current guideline document, including the unshareable list.
- Check whether your state has its own coverage mandate — a sharing membership generally does not satisfy one.
- Compare against a Marketplace plan with any subsidy you qualify for before deciding.