Christian Health Ministries

Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) is a nonprofit, voluntary cost-sharing ministry through which participating Christians have helped to pay each other's medical bills for nearly 30 years. CHM is based on Galatians 6:2 and Acts 2 and 4. In the last 20 years, CHM members have shared more than $500 million in medical bills. The ministry is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

Please see How it works for information.

• More affordable than health insurance
• Generous maternity program
• Choose your own health care providers
• No waiting period
• No application fee or annual fee
• No one is dropped or denied participation due to medical conditions
• Medical bill reductions can reduce out-of-pocket expenses
• Longevity, integrity and accountability
• One free month for each new individual or family you bring to CHM
• The great joy that comes from giving, knowing that each gift goes to help a fellow Christian in need and knowing that other Christians are faithfully standing by to help you! (Luke 6:38)

Anyone who is a member of a health cost sharing ministry is exempted from penalty under the national health care bill signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. Christian Healthcare Ministries meets each of the qualifications set forth for health cost sharing ministries in the U.S. health care legislation.

Many experts and analysts predict that health insurance premiums will actually increase under the new health care law because of the new people coming into the system and other requirements. CHM will not be affected by insurance premium increases because it is not an insurance company. The ministry will continue to provide affordable, quality health cost sharing support.

Christian Healthcare Ministries is not an insurance company. As a voluntary cost-sharing program, we do not assume responsibility or the legal obligation for your medical bills. Members share qualifying medical bills through monthly, pre-set gift amounts. In the past 20 years, Christian Healthcare Ministries members have shared more than $500 million in medical costs!

You can submit bills for conditions or incidents involving signs or symptoms that began after your start date (a future day you specify or the day Christian Healthcare Ministries receives your printed or online member application). The treatment must be approved by the American Medical Association (AMA). Members in each participation level (Gold, Silver, Bronze) may submit bills for inpatient or outpatient hospital visits or surgery, provided all other criteria are met. Gold level members also may submit bills for medical tests, office visits, and prescriptions if all other criteria are met.

The eligibility of any bill is ultimately determined by Christian Healthcare Ministries Guidelines. To obtain a copy of the Guidelines, click here or contact CHM at 1-800-791-6225 and ask for the Ministry Information department.

Christian Healthcare Ministries offers a maternity program at no extra cost to members. CHM participants share qualifying bills for Gold level members up to $125,000 per pregnancy for pre-natal care, delivery, home births, midwives, postnatal care and birth complications. Click here for more information and to learn how maternity works with our Silver and Bronze programs.

A pre-existing condition is any medical illness with signs, symptoms or treatment predating membership in Christian Healthcare Ministries (even if it has not been diagnosed). During the first three years of membership, Gold level members may receive assistance with bills for pre-existing conditions according to the schedule in the CHM Guidelines. For further opportunity to receive help with certain pre-existing conditions, see the Pre-existing conditions section.

Christian Healthcare Ministries shares a maximum lifetime limit of $125,000 for each illness that qualifies according to CHM Guidelines. For information about health cost support of up to $1 million, see the Catastrophic bills page.

In general, eligible medical needs are shared by CHM members in the order they are received at the Christian Healthcare Ministries office. The time it takes to share needs is dependent on numerous factors. Needs with the largest bill reductions are shared first. The bigger the health care provider's reduction, the sooner the need is shared. Recent average sharing time has been 3.5 months. We continually work to shorten sharing time.

Unlike health insurance companies, monthly financial gifts to CHM are not increased simply because you become sick or injured. You are not priced out of participation, neither are you removed from participation because you suffer an expensive illness. We will do everything we can to meet your medical costs as quickly as possible.

When you have an eligible medical need, submit the following items to the CHM office (Christian Healthcare Ministries / Attn: Needs Processing / 127 Hazelwood Ave. / Barberton, OH 44203-0029):

•Copies of itemized medical bills
•Forms in the Needs Processing packet (Needs Processing Form, Pastor’s Form, Authorization for Release of Health Information Form)
•A brief letter giving the details of the condition

Be sure to keep copies of all submissions for your personal records. For questions, members can contact their Needs Processing representative; prospective members can ask a question online.

Faith requires mutual sharing of needs. According to Galatians 6:2-5, every believer should “carry his own load” in addition to bearing the burdens of others. Christian Healthcare Ministries practices this principle through the concept of personal responsibility. Personal responsibility amounts for CHM members are $500, $1,000 and $5,000 per incident for the Gold, Silver and Bronze participation levels, respectively. Bill reductions you help obtain, insurance, Medicare, or other assistance can apply towards your personal responsibility amount and reduce out-of-pocket costs.

You may receive treatment from any AMA (American Medical Association) approved facility and/or physician if the treatment is within CHM Guidelines. The CHM Reductions department—a valuable resource—helps members obtain bill reductions from medical providers and qualify for assistance programs. The department even gives advice on the best hospitals at which to receive treatment. For more information, contact the Reductions department at 1-800-791-6225 and ask for the representative for your state or e-mail reductions@chministries.org.

Christian Healthcare Ministries offers three participation levels: Gold ($150 per unit, per month), Silver ($85 per unit, per month) and Bronze ($45 per unit, per month).

CHM is affordable compared to health insurance. Comparisons based on results from the 2010 Annual Employer Health Benefits Survey (Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust) show that even at the highest level (Gold), CHM participation is 60 percent less than the average price of HMO, PPO, and POS health insurance plans.

Although the cost of medical care rises each year (an increase that insurance companies pass along to policyholders), CHM has raised monthly gift amounts only once since 2000. In addition, your monthly gift amount is not raised if you become sick or injured.

For detailed information about participation levels and costs, click here.

While it is impossible to predict the future health, well-being and medical costs of our members, it is our goal to keep gift amounts as low as possible. Our record shows that we are meeting this goal in spite of rising medical costs.

CHM financial gift amounts have been increased only once since 2000 due to the large increase in the cost of medical care and in order to keep bill sharing time to a minimum. Helping us to keep gift amounts low is the fact that we are a ministry, not a for-profit corporation.

Your normal monthly gift amount is not tax deductible; however, all “extra giving” over and above your minimum monthly gift to Christian Healthcare Ministries qualifies as a charitable contribution for tax purposes. Christian Healthcare Ministries, Inc. is exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Monthly gifts (and any extra giving) should be sent to Christian Healthcare Ministries at the following address:

Christian Healthcare Ministries
Attn: Gift Processing
127 Hazelwood Ave.
Barberton, OH 44203-0029

Gifts are placed into a Member Escrow Account, which undergoes an annual, independent audit.

Members from the states of Maryland or Delaware are asked to contact the Member Assistance department at 1-800-791-6225 to find out where to send their monthly gifts.

Please see How it works for information.

No. No one is excluded from participating in sharing. However, Christian Healthcare Ministries cannot share bills for treatment of ineligible medical conditions (see the CHM Guidelines). For detailed information regarding pre-existing conditions, visit our Pre-existing conditions section or see the CHM Guidelines.

Yes. However, you must have Medicare parts A and B to submit medical needs. Your fellow members will help meet the costs of what Medicare will not pay (according to your participation level).

Yes. But please note that CHM members must have access to a U.S. mailing address. All bills submitted must be translated into English and converted to U.S. dollars.

There is no waiting period. Your CHM start date begins: (1) on the postmark date of the envelope in which you submit your completed Member Application, (2) the date you submit your completed application online or (3) the future date you specify on your paper or online application.

A unit is typically defined as one qualifying individual. Monthly gifts are given based on the number of units, whether individual or family. Any family with three or more qualifying immediate family members would be considered three units total. (For example, a father, mother and their four children would be considered three units.)

Bring-a-Friend is a program in which members encourage Christian friends, neighbors and extended family to join CHM and benefit from the joy of knowing that their monthly gifts will also help other Christians.

A member will receive a free month for every new membership he or she brings into CHM. The free month is applied after the friend submits his or her third monthly gift. Those who bring a friend each month can be part of Christian Healthcare Ministries gift-free! Please see Bring-a-Friend for more information.

Share the Message is a personal, loving outreach to people across the country who want and need what Christian Healthcare Ministries offers. To bolster and expand the Bring-a-Friend program, CHM staff and members work together to spread the news about CHM to members’ local churches.

Share the Message can be customized to fit an individual church’s specific preferences, schedule, needs and capabilities. It offers incentives for CHM members and their churches. Please see Share the Message for more information.

Please see our step-by-step guide to sharing CHM with friends in need.

We at Christian Healthcare Ministries believe that supporting each other spiritually is as important as the financial support members receive. Through the monthly Member Gift Form, the Prayer Page and the Brother’s Keeper program, members have the opportunity to communicate with each other through prayer, cards and notes of encouragement. CHM staff also pray daily for members, especially those who have submitted prayer requests by mail, e-mail, or telephone.

Some CHM staff members have been designated as “prayer warriors” available to pray with you over the phone at your request.

Christian Healthcare Ministries partners with companies that offer discounts on prescriptions. A free prescription card is available for any member who is interested (check box on Member Application). There is no discount guarantee or set discount amount.

The legal notices are the result of discussions with several state regulators and are part of an effort to ensure that members understand that Christian Healthcare Ministries is not an insurance company and that it does not guarantee payment of medical costs. Our role is to enable Christians to help fellow Christians through voluntary financial gifts. In the past 20 years alone, members have provided more than $500 million to meet each other’s medical costs.

We at Christian Healthcare Ministries are committed to glorifying God, helping fellow Christians and doing the right thing for the right reasons. CHM abides by the following internal controls:

• Independent board of trustees
• A stringent board of trustees conflict of interest policy
• Regular review of financial statements and budgets by board of trustees and management
• Annual certified audit conducted by an outside independent public accounting firm
• Employment of a highly qualified and effective chief financial officer
• Abides by the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
• Checks and balances on the receipt and disbursement of member finances, check preparation and reconciliation of bank statements
• All disbursements reviewed by the executive director and chief financial officer

CHM financial statements are available by contacting the chief financial officer. For detailed information on CHM controls, see the CHM Guidelines.

General privacy statement regarding personal information:
Your privacy is very important to us. Therefore, Christian Healthcare Ministries does not share, sell, or rent your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes. We only collect personal information from you necessary to supply you with the service(s) you request while on our website. By supplying your personal information, you agree that we may use it to perform the service(s) you have requested or contact you in the event that we cannot perform the service(s) requested.

Disclaimer for secure online application:
Christian Healthcare Ministries treats your data as an asset to be protected against loss and unauthorized access. We employ security techniques to protect such data from unauthorized access by users inside and outside the organization. However, since “perfect security” does not exist on the Internet, Christian Healthcare Ministries cannot be held liable for security infringements by unauthorized users outside the organization.

The Prayer Page, printed in the monthly CHM newsletter, is another way CHM members carry each other’s burdens. It communicates need amounts from pre-existing conditions (not pre-existing bills; that is, bills incurred prior to joining CHM). Members are encouraged to give to Prayer Page needs (over and above their monthly gifts) as they feel led.

Brother’s Keeper is a safeguard against catastrophic illness or injury.  Brother’s Keeper is a successful, Bible-centered cost-sharing program enabling members to meet medical needs that exceed Christian Healthcare Ministries’ $125,000 lifetime limit per (related) diagnosis.

Brother’s Keeper is administered by the same standards as the Christian Healthcare Ministries program. Medical need eligibility is determined by CHM Guidelines. You must enroll in Brother’s Keeper to participate.