Why Members Choose Essential Wellness at ShareWELL
At ShareWELL Health Share, members value flexibility, transparency, and the ability to actively shape their healthcare approach. While all ShareWELL memberships are built on the same community-based sharing framework, many members choose to go a step further by enrolling in Essential Wellness.
Essential Wellness is designed for those who want the same medical event sharing as Essential, while also gaining access to built-in preventive and wellness sharing that supports proactive care throughout the year.
Essential Wellness: Built on the Essential Foundation
All ShareWELL memberships begin with the “Essential” sharing structure, which is based on a member-selected Unshared Amount (UA). Members are responsible for eligible medical expenses up to their UA. When eligible medical expenses exceed that amount, sharing may be available according to the Member Guidelines.
Essential Wellness includes this same medical event sharing, including:
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Hospitalization
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Surgery
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Emergency medical care
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Maternity
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Alternative care
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Medical advocacy
How medical events are shared does not change with Essential Wellness. What changes is the addition of preventive and wellness sharing, many of which are available without meeting a UA.
What Makes Essential Wellness Different
Essential Wellness is designed for members who want to engage with their healthcare before expenses accumulate or exceed their UA. It adds structured sharing for preventive care, routine checkups, screenings, and wellness services, making it easier to stay proactive and informed.
This option is especially appealing to members who:
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Want predictable access to preventive services
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Prefer not to pay for routine screenings
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Value holistic and wellness-focused care
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Want medical event protection and preventive sharing in one membership
Preventive & Wellness Services Included
*No Unshared Amount Required
One of the defining features of Essential Wellness is that many preventive services are available without meeting an Unshared Amount. A preventive Sharing Request can be submitted to reimburse a member if they have already paid, or the advocacy team can provide an instant debit card for the member to pay an estimate directly.
Wellness Visits
Four Visits Per Member, Per Membership Year
Each member may receive up to four (4) wellness visits per membership year, with a $200 allowance per visit, for the following provider types:
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Annual Physical
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Dermatologist Checkup
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OBGYN Checkup
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Cardiologist Checkup
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Vision Screening
These visits support early detection, routine monitoring, and whole-person wellness.
Adult Preventive Screenings & Testing
*No Unshared Amount Required
Essential Wellness includes allowances for common preventive screenings:
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Mammography or Thermography
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$400 allowance per membership year
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Colonoscopy
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$3,000 allowance
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Starting at age 50
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Once every 5 years
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Cologuard® Testing
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$681 allowance
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Starting at age 45
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Once every 3 years
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Life Line Screening®
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$249 allowance per membership year
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Applied toward services at lifelinescreening.com
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Child Wellness Benefits
No Unshared Amount Required
Essential Wellness also supports early childhood care:
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Child Wellness Visits
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Available up to age 5
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$200 allowance per visit
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Child Preventive Care
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Child wellness services are eligible up to age 4
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Child immunizations are eligible up to age 18
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Additional Wellness Support
Essential & Essential Wellness members also receive:
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35% discount on vitamins and supplements
This benefit supports ongoing wellness routines and holistic health practices that many members already prioritize.
Why Members Upgrade to Essential Wellness
Many members start with the Essential framework and choose to upgrade to Essential Wellness because it:
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Keeps the same UA-based sharing for medical events
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Reduces out-of-pocket spending for preventive care
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Encourages proactive health management
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Creates a more complete, all-in-one membership experience
- Consistency of always managing medical costs as a direct-pay or self-pay patient
For members who value preventive care and wellness access, Essential Wellness often provides better overall value while maintaining flexibility and cost control.
Important Guidelines to Understand
As with all ShareWELL memberships, Essential Wellness follows defined Member Guidelines, including:
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Phase-in periods for pre-existing conditions
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A 30-day maternity waiting period (conception within the first 30 days is not eligible for sharing)
Reviewing these guidelines is an important part of making an informed enrollment decision.
Final Thoughts
Essential Wellness is designed for members who want more than just a foundation; they want ongoing support for both medical events and preventive care.
By combining the same center puzzle piece for sharing as “Essential” with expanded wellness and preventive benefits, Essential Wellness gives members greater control over how and when they use their healthcare, without changing the core sharing structure that makes ShareWELL flexible and transparent. For many members, it’s the option that best aligns with a proactive, wellness-focused lifestyle.