Holy alternative to health insurance

ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - We've been talking about health care for months; who's covered, who isn't and how high their medical costs can be under health insurance. What if there was another way to get your health care? What if that company was based right here in Central Florida?

Christian Care Ministry of Melbourne is a non profit that runs Medi-Share, a medical sharing program.

They've been around for 16 years but they say interest in what they do has increased as many folks are looking to opt out of regular insurance.

How it works is every month members pay into the program. Medi-Share matches those monthly payments with other members medical bills Medi-Share then pays those bills and alerts the families who paid into the plan.

It's based on biblical principals of sharing and caring for others. Members we talked to say they like it.

"We've been on the program for three years and its worked pretty well. I'm self employed as a realtor so to be able to have health coverage that's affordable has really meant a lot to us," says Medi-Share member Jeff Taulbee.

It is important to note that the program does not cover people with preexisting conditions and only eligible medical bills are paid. Prescriptions are not included.

You also must be able to prove you are a Christian who attends church regularly.

As it stands in the Senate Finance Committee bill on health care, medical sharing ministries like Medi-Share are exempt from any mandate to buy health insurance. Meaning, if the government forces folks to buy health insurance, members of the medical sharing community would not be financially penalized.

Medi-Share does accept members with pre-existing conditions although the pre-existing condition may not be shared or they may experience a wait time before the pre-existing condition is shared.

Members share the cost of prescriptions for up to 6 months.

The share amount for a family starts at about $100/month and varies based upon their age and which “Annual Household Portion”, similar to a deductible and ranging from $500 to $10,000/yr.

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On the web:

Medi-Share.org