Frequently Asked Questions

ShareWELL is a 501(c)(3) non-profit health care sharing community — not insurance. Members join because they want a smarter, more affordable way to manage their healthcare while being part of something meaningful. Together we are reshaping how people experience care, one shared need at a time. Our Member Guidelines are built around transparency and clarity, so every member understands how the community works from the moment they join.

People join ShareWELL to save money on healthcare while gaining freedom and clarity in how they manage it. Membership offers healthcare freedom, meaningful savings, and a safety net for life’s unexpected needs. Members appreciate choosing their own doctors and care providers, seeing the true cost of their services, and participating in a community that supports one another.

A Health Share is an arrangement where members agree to share medical expenses through voluntary giving. It is made up of like-minded individuals who all agree on the standards outlined in the Member Guidelines. A Health Share is NOT insurance and is not registered as insurance.

No. Medical cost sharing traces its origins back many years to the Amish and Mennonite communities, and began expanding in the 1980s with the rise of large healthcare-sharing ministries. The concept has since evolved into many principled communities, but the purpose remains the same: helping relieve the burden of medical bills for members in their time of need.

No. ShareWELL is a Health Share community that does not meet the Affordable Care Act standards for health insurance. We have designed a membership that fits the needs of our members, but it does not meet conventional insurance requirements.

Federal tax penalties are no longer enforced, but some states still have mandates requiring health insurance coverage. A ShareWELL membership does not satisfy this requirement in states where a tax penalty is still enforced.

Healthcare freedom means making your own healthcare choices without them being dictated by a network or other restrictions. The traditional system isn’t designed to allow for choice — ShareWELL lets members seek care on their own terms, from the clinician of their choice.

Yes. ShareWELL allows you to choose any doctor or provider you prefer — there are no network restrictions.

The cost of membership is based on household size, your elected Unshared Amount, and tobacco use. Most members reduce their healthcare costs by about 50% compared to more traditional healthcare options.

The Unshared Amount, or UA, is what a member pays before the ShareWELL community shares in eligible medical expenses — also known as personal responsibility. ShareWELL offers three levels: $1,500, $2,500, and $5,000. The lower your UA, the higher your monthly contribution.

Qualifying medical expenses submitted after your UA is met are shareable with the community at one hundred percent, with no annual or lifetime limit. You won’t need to pay the UA for a single need again until you’re symptom-free for 12 months, and you won’t be responsible for more than two UAs in a rolling 12-month period.

Included wellness and preventive services do not require you to meet a UA first — they’re immediately shareable with no waiting period. Preventive programs vary; see the details for your membership.

ShareWELL saves money both on your monthly cost and when you use care. It starts with a monthly contribution that can be 20–50% less than traditional options. Our UA model is designed to keep out-of-pocket costs lower than traditional methods. And members can access many no-cost preventive and wellness services — investing in prevention helps avoid expensive treatments down the road.

Our Advocacy team uses several methods to help members attain fair costs for healthcare services:

Self-pay: Members always present as self-pay and request any available discounts.

Prompt pay: Paying the provider quickly helps capture prompt-payment discounts.

Self-pay resources: Our Advocacy team helps identify what resources are available.

Negotiation: A thorough negotiation process can often lower bills of at least $1,000 that aren’t paid in advance.

Packaged or bundled discounts: For services like recovery care, maternity, or surgery, paying in advance as a package can reduce bills significantly.

ShareWELL is a community of members from all over the U.S. who share in one another’s medical expenses. Our Advocacy team negotiates fair pricing for medical services, and because members are direct, self-pay patients, they experience lower bills. The community is there to support fellow members when they need it most — which is why there are no maximum sharing caps or limits on larger medical expenses.

No. There are no lifetime maximums, monthly caps, or other limitations on how much can be shared for eligible medical expenses. Certain care may have a sharing allowance that is clearly outlined in the Member Guidelines — these allowances are designed to give personal responsibility back to the patient.

The use of tobacco products — including cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, and chewing tobacco — one or more times per month. Tobacco use adds $100 per month to your contribution.

Savings vary based on your individual healthcare needs and usage. Generally, members save through:

Lower monthly contributions compared to traditional insurance premiums.

Preventive care that’s encouraged and included with certain memberships, reducing long-term costs (preventive care varies by membership and is chosen at enrollment).

Flexible provider choices, with potentially lower costs through nontraditional and holistic options.

Community sharing of expenses that lowers your overall healthcare costs. For a precise estimate, compare your current healthcare expenses with your monthly ShareWELL contribution and your UA.

When a member submits medical bills to the ShareWELL community, it’s done through a Sharing Request. Sharing Requests are submitted on a per-member, per-incident basis. There are two types — based on eligible preventive care, or on expenses that exceed a member’s Unshared Amount. Related expenses are evaluated according to the Member Guidelines and the preventive services included with your membership.

Generally, medical events that exceed your Unshared Amount and relate to a new injury, illness, or pregnancy are eligible for sharing. Sharing is not available for conditions that existed before joining during the first year of membership. Your membership may also provide sharing and allowances for preventive and wellness services without meeting your UA. We’ve even expanded sharing to include alternative and holistic approaches to care.

Pre-existing conditions not related to included preventive care have limitations. Sharing for care related to a pre-existing condition begins after one year of membership and increases each year for four years. If you’d like to discuss your personal pre-existing condition sharing options, please contact our team.

Yes. Pre-existing conditions not related to included preventive care have limitations — sharing for that care begins after one year of membership and increases each year for four years. In addition, expenses below your UA are not shared. For full details, refer to your Member Guidelines, and contact our team to discuss your personal pre-existing condition options.

If you’re diagnosed with cancer, ShareWELL can share eligible medical expenses as with any other Sharing Request. However, if it’s a pre-existing condition diagnosed within 36 months before joining, sharing limitations apply. For specific details, refer to your Member Guidelines.

These costs can be shared regardless of where they occur, as long as the Sharing Request is eligible based on the Member Guidelines. The ShareWELL community can also support the choice of alternative care outside the U.S.

Preventive care depends on which membership you’re enrolled in — some memberships include preventive services and some don’t. You may also have enrolled in a plan that works alongside ShareWELL (but isn’t administered by ShareWELL) that provides preventive services. Check the details for your specific membership.

Yes — and many of our members spend just a fraction of what’s typically owed under traditional methods. Our maternity program includes prenatal, delivery, postnatal, homebirth, midwives, and doulas. Members who help keep costs down for the community may be eligible to have part of their UA responsibility waived, and they can use a wide variety of prenatal and postnatal services that aren’t often covered by traditional plans.

There are a few ways to join ShareWELL. If you’re a business with 2+ employees, you can explore our partner option. Individuals and families interested in direct primary care can look at our ShareWELL + DPC membership. To join our preventive program directly, just click Join on our website — your membership can start as soon as the next day, and signup takes just a few minutes.

Submitting bills is straightforward:

Get an itemized bill: Request a detailed bill from your provider.

Submit a Sharing Request through your member portal.

Follow up: Respond to any requests from ShareWELL for additional information or documentation.

At the provider’s office: identify yourself as a self-pay patient, request any available self-pay discounts, get an itemized bill for the services you receive, and submit it through the ShareWELL member portal.

After submission: if it’s a new medical event, open a Sharing Request that stays active during your treatment. ShareWELL may pay the provider directly, reimburse you, provide an advance, or issue an instant debit card.

Support: our Advocacy team is available to help with communication and fair pricing. Submit bills promptly and respond to any requests for additional documentation.

An Explanation of Sharing Summary (ESS) is a document from ShareWELL detailing how your submitted medical bills were processed and shared. It includes:

Member info, an event description, and an itemized list of charges and services.

Your Unshared Amount (out-of-pocket costs) and the sharing contributions made by the community.

The payment method used, any remaining balance, and notes explaining adjustments or non-eligible expenses. The ESS provides full transparency on how your healthcare costs were managed and supported by the community.