Health Sharing Compass

Health Sharing Basics

What Do Health Share Plans Pay For? Eligible Expenses vs. Exclusions

What health share plans typically share and exclude, with real examples from published guidelines: hospital, maternity, prescriptions, dental, vision and more.

By Health Sharing Compass Editorial Team · Published · 2 min read

Insurance shoppers ask "what's covered?" A health share doesn't provide coverage. Instead, its sharing guidelines list which medical expenses are eligible for sharing, which are excluded, and the conditions attached. Even eligible expenses aren't guaranteed to be shared (NAIC).

Below are real examples from two organizations' published documents when we checked. Always read the current version for the program you're considering.

Commonly eligible for sharing

America's HealthShare's guidelines list shareable services including:

  • ambulance, emergency room visits and hospital charges
  • maternity care, including midwife-attended and birthing-center births
  • mental health services
  • prescription drugs and supplements (supplements after 90 days for a related incident)
  • physical therapy (up to 20 visits per program year) and chiropractic or physiotherapy (up to 12 visits)
  • naturopathic care, nutritional counseling and alternative or integrative treatments, with conditions and pre-notification
  • organ transplants, home healthcare and hospice, with pre-notification
  • direct primary care fees, up to $375 a year for a single membership
  • one wellness exam per program year before the Annual Unshared Amount

Christian Healthcare Ministries says all its programs include telemedicine, inpatient and outpatient hospital incidents and surgery, maternity care, physical therapy, home healthcare (up to 45 visits per injury or sickness) and incident-related doctor's visits and prescriptions (CHM).

Commonly excluded

America's HealthShare's exclusions include, among others:

  • dental care and eye care (RED offers dental and vision discounts instead)
  • durable medical equipment such as hearing aids and orthotics
  • abortion, contraceptives, IVF and surrogacy (complications of pregnancy may still be eligible)
  • injuries from hazardous hobbies or illegal acts
  • most cosmetic procedures
  • experimental or unproven services
  • vaccines (vaccine injuries are listed as eligible on RED)

Conditions that apply even to eligible care

An expense on the "eligible" list can still go unshared if a condition isn't met:

  • Annual Unshared Amount: you pay eligible bills up to this amount first.
  • Waiting periods: America's HealthShare limits sharing to accidents, emergencies and acute illness in the first 60 days.
  • Pre-existing conditions: phased in over three years. See pre-existing condition rules.
  • Pre-notification and deadlines: see how to know if a health share will pay a bill.
  • Limits: for example, $1 million per incident per year at America's HealthShare, or $125,000 per illness at CHM without CHM Plus.

How to read any ministry's list

  1. Find the shareable services section and the exclusions section; read both.
  2. Note visit caps and dollar caps.
  3. Look for pre-notification requirements.
  4. Check the program-specific sections, since lower-cost programs often share less.

For a full program walkthrough, see our America's HealthShare review.

Frequently asked questions

Do health shares pay for dental care?

Usually not as a shared expense. America's HealthShare lists dental care and eye care among its exclusions, though RED includes dental and vision discounts (guidelines; programs).

Do health shares share maternity costs?

Many do, with conditions. America's HealthShare lists maternity as eligible and requires maternity admissions to be reported within 48 hours. CHM sets a separate Maternity Personal Responsibility amount (AHS guidelines; CHM).

Do health shares pay for preventive care?

Some share limited preventive care. America's HealthShare's guidelines list one wellness exam or physical per program year as eligible before the Annual Unshared Amount, with program-specific limits (guidelines).

Sources

  1. Sharing Guidelines (Shareable Healthcare Services and exclusions) (America's HealthShare (Melita Sharing Ministry, Inc.))
  2. America's HealthShare Programs (America's HealthShare)
  3. Healthcare Programs (Christian Healthcare Ministries)
  4. Not All Products Are Health Insurance (National Association of Insurance Commissioners)

Sources were accessed on October 9, 2026. Linked pages may have changed since then.

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