Millions of Americans who work independently, run small businesses, or work part-time navigate medical expenses without employer-sponsored health insurance plans. That population is a primary audience Liberty HealthShare has spent three decades building healthcare sharing programs, which are not insurance, to serve. Whether the ministry’s model works for any specific individual depends on factors that deserve closer examination than a simple side-by-side comparison chart can provide.
What Is Liberty HealthShare?
Liberty HealthShare is a non-profit faith-based healthcare sharing ministry in which members voluntarily contribute monthly amounts toward sharing each other’s eligible medical expenses. Established in 1995 and headquartered in Canton, Ohio, the ministry has facilitated nearly $5 billion in eligible, repriced medical expenses since 2014.
Members must affirm shared Christian values to enroll. The ministry is not insurance: sharing is voluntary, and no contract obligates Liberty HealthShare to share any amount for any medical services or costs. What it offers is the opportunity for the sharing of eligible medical expenses within a framework of mutual aid built on shared values and community accountability.
“This is an exciting time to be a part of Liberty HealthShare,” Chief Executive Officer Dorsey Morrow recently shared in Liberty HealthShare’s latest quarterly magazine. “For 15 consecutive months we have increased our new monthly memberships, as compared to the same time a year ago. This growth is a testament to the good work of our employees, as well as the devotion and commitment of members.”
Programs and Pricing
Six programs offer a range of suggested monthly share amounts and eligibility structures.
Liberty Rise, designed for adults aged 18 to 29, carries a suggested monthly share amount of $99. Liberty Freedom serves members 35 and under starting at $89 per month for an individual, though with a higher Annual Unshared Amount and a more limited set of eligible expenses. Both programs are structured for members who want to minimize monthly outlay and can absorb more out-of-pocket costs before community sharing applies.
Liberty Essential and Liberty Connect offer progressively higher per-incident sharing limits. Liberty Unite provides up to $1,000,000 per incident eligible for sharing with no co-share. Full program details, including current suggested monthly share amounts and eligibility terms, are available on the ministry’s program comparison page.
The Annual Unshared Amount
Every program requires members to pay medical expenses up to their Annual Unshared Amount before the opportunity for any community sharing applies. The AUA for Liberty Assist, the program designed for members 65 and older who carry Medicare Parts A and B, is $500. AUAs for other programs vary by program selection.
Pre-Existing Conditions
Marketplace plans operating under the ACA cannot restrict eligibility for pre-existing conditions. Liberty HealthShare, as a healthcare sharing ministry and not an insurance carrier, operates under different rules. The ministry’s published sharing guidelines govern how pre-existing conditions are handled across membership tenures, with eligibility for sharing those expenses becoming more comprehensive over time. Members with ongoing diagnoses should review the sharing guidelines directly at libertyhealthshare.org before enrolling.
Year-Round Enrollment
An additional practical distinction Liberty HealthShare holds over marketplace plans: there is no open enrollment window. Members can join at any time of year. For an independent worker who needs to transition quickly after leaving employer-sponsored coverage, that flexibility is material. Liberty HealthShare member Joanna Ward knows firsthand the value of what Liberty HealthShare can offer.
In 2019, Ward, a self-employed financial advisor had no option for employer-sponsored
health insurance. She heard an ad for a healthcare sharing ministry on the radio. “When I first heard about it, I liked the idea of healthsharing,” Ward stated in Liberty HealthShare’s March magazine. “I started to do my own research to see what options were out there, and that’s when I found out about Liberty HealthShare. The price just couldn’t be beat, and I connected with the idea of being part of a ministry, sharing each other’s eligible expenses rather than just paying to some large insurance company. I tell people about Liberty HealthShare all the time, because it works!”
Ward is also quick to mention her appreciation for being part of the Liberty HealthShare community. “When I was going through those trials, the Liberty
HealthShare community came through for me,” Ward added. “To know that I’m with a ministry, where I pray for others and they pray for me, is priceless.”