|  As Christians, we are called to live our lives by a set of moral and ethical principles laid out for us throughout the Bible. Following these principles in our daily lives is the key to life and Godliness. But these principles aren't meant to only be applied where convenient. It is important that we strive to live by these principles in every aspect of our lives, where possible. In doing this, we are truly bringing honor and glory to God through our actions.
Often times, there are certain aspects of our lives in which we may not be aware of a Christian option, or even think there could be such a thing, and we simply resign ourselves to accepting the secular offering. And while it is true that for many aspects of our lives there are no Christian options, there are other times where there actually are Christian options of which we simply weren't aware. One such case, for many of us, may be the area of healthcare.
While we know there are many Christian healthcare providers who dispense their knowledge and services in accordance with biblical principles, there are also Christian solutions to help us pay for our medical expenses. While a Christian solution to paying for our medical expenses may be difficult to find on the government-run healthcare exchanges, there is an option that is not bound by the Affordable Care Act legislation, and this option has been effectively helping Christians across the United States pay for their medical expenses for several decades. This Christian solution for paying medical expenses is known as healthcare sharing and is available to anyone who agrees to the Christian principles laid out by the various organizations which facilitate membership.
Each healthcare sharing ministry provides their members with an ethical and principled way to pay for their medical expenses. While the specifics may vary from ministry to ministry, the overall concept is consistent and is quite simple. Each month, members submit an agreed upon amount and that monthly amount is directed towards the medical expenses submitted by their fellow members. Likewise, when a member submits a medical bill to the ministry, their fellow members' monthly contributions are used to share the medical expense.
While each healthcare sharing ministry has their own set of principles to which members must agree prior to becoming a member, the principles share a good deal of overlap and focus mainly on basic Christian beliefs. A couple of good examples of statements to which members must agree in order to join come from Share HealthCare, which has statements such "We are Christians, and by that we mean we believe in the God of the Bible, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit" and "We believe Hebrews 13:16, which exhorts, 'But do not forget to do good and share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased'" among their Shared Beliefs.
 In addition to broad Christian principles such as those, healthcare sharing ministries such as Share HealthCare also adhere to the moral beliefs of their members by not allowing members' funds to be used for procedures such as abortions, sex changes, or other procedures on which members might not want their money being used. For many members of healthcare sharing ministries, this is an important reason they choose to use healthcare sharing to pay for their medical expenses instead of health insurance which does use members' funds to pay for these types of procedures.
Another reason many Christians prefer healthcare sharing ministries over health insurance is due to the transparency that allows them to know on what their money is used. As non-profit organizations, healthcare sharing ministries use their members' funds exclusively to pay medical expenses once administrative and overhead expenses have been paid.
However, membership in healthcare sharing ministries is also a financial decision for many members. That's because monthly membership costs for healthcare sharing ministries are often significantly less expensive than membership in a health insurance program. For example, Share HealthCare membership for individuals starts at only $149 per month, while the average monthly premium for individuals on health insurance exchange programs was over $450 in 2020. Similarly, with Share HealthCare, the amount that an individual member is personally responsible for paying before any sharing by fellow members takes place is as low as $3,330 per year or $300 per medical event, while the average deductible for an individual on health insurance exchange programs was over $4,300 in 2020.
As Christians, we should always try our best to live our lives in adherence with the principles laid out for us in the Bible. With organizations such as Share HealthCare, along with other healthcare sharing ministries, we can also adhere to these principles when it comes to how we pay for our medical expenses. To learn more about Share HealthCare or to join their sharing community today, please visit ShareHealthCare.com or give them a call at (844) 742-7342.
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