A dollars-and-cents lesson taught a man about the difference between CHM’s sharing 100% of eligible medical bills* and health insurance’s standard 80% reimbursement rate. In a hospital for a stubborn kidney stone, he underwent a procedure to jar the stone loose. When he received his bill, his cost not paid by health insurance amounted to $2,500. He set up a payment plan of $100 monthly; it took two years to pay the bill.
A medical bill shared in full
Several years after the kidney stone, a one-time heart issue called pericarditis sent him to the emergency room for seven hours. A lengthy list of tests was conducted, and his issue was resolved. The bill: $9,600. After his kidney stone event, and before experiencing pericarditis, he’d become a CHM member. The result was that, after an eligibility determination and Personal Responsibility, his ER bills for physicians, testing, and more, were shared at 100%.
Every year, medical inflation affects numbers such as those above. Medical inflation historically outpaces general inflation. For example, the Kaiser Family Foundation Health System Tracker says that between 2000 and 2024, medical inflation rose 121.3%, while inflation for all goods and services rose 86.1%.
“For many people, 80/20 has simply become part of the vocabulary of healthcare. They expect a significant bill to be left behind for them to pay. That is why, even when members understand CHM’s program* when they join, experiencing 100% sharing of eligible medical bills after their Personal Responsibility has been met can still be a remarkable moment,” said J. Craig Brown II, CHM president and CEO.
CHM’S 100% sharing versus insurance’s 80/20 equation
There are two ways 80/20 affects people with health insurance: first, coinsurance; for a typical health insurance claim, an insurer commonly pays 80% and the patient pays 20% (until the out-of-pocket maximum kicks in). Second, the Affordable Care Act’s “80/20 rule” that requires at least 80% of dollars collected by health insurance to be returned in paid claims or healthcare improvements.
The intent of the Affordable Care Act’s 80/20 rule was to put the brakes on what insurance companies charge their consumers. However, unintended consequences surfaced.
Talon Healthtech, a medical technology company, said of the 80/20 rule: “While the objective was to make premiums lower for healthcare consumers (a mission with strong merit, for sure), it has instead removed any incentive for the health insurance companies to drive down the total value of medical claims…Since their markup is limited to 20% of their claims at most, mathematically speaking, it seems they would actually want claims to be as high as possible. The more they pay in claims, the more they charge in premiums, and the more money they get to keep as profit.”
More than money: A ministry of stewardship
CHM’s stewardship principles are key to its ability to share 100% of eligible medical bills after Personal Responsibility amounts are met. The ministry’s administrative costs are no more than 10%, enabling at least 90 cents of every dollar to be applied to medical bill sharing.
“CHM is first and foremost a ministry. That means stewardship is not simply a financial discipline for us; it is a biblical responsibility. We are accountable to the Lord and to our members to use the resources entrusted to CHM wisely and faithfully,” said Brown.
In 2025 alone, CHM satisfied more than $1.5 billion in members’ medical bills. From the ministry’s founding in 1981, more than $14 billion in members’ bills have been satisfied.
CHM is a non-profit ministry, not health insurance. Unlike health insurance, with CHM there is no denial of membership or cancellation of membership because of a health issue, age, or other physical condition (membership may end for reasons unrelated to health status, as described in the CHM Guidelines); also, per CHM Guidelines, members’ monthly financial contributions don’t increase if they develop a costly medical problem.
Brown said, “The financial value is significant, but CHM has never been only about the money. When a member faces a serious medical event, there is tremendous reassurance in knowing that fellow believers are standing with them and helping carry that burden. That is the heart of Christian healthcare sharing.”
*All members, bills, sharing, eligibility determinations, and pre-existing conditions are subject to the CHM Guidelines.
