By Dave Tschantz, Vice President & General Counsel
*Editor’s note: This information was published in the April 2021 issue of Heartfelt Magazine, CHM’s monthly magazine that provides CHM membership-related tips and tricks, medical advice from doctors, testimonies from CHM members, and more. Please refer to the CHM Guidelines and applicable web pages for the most up-to-date information regarding CHM membership, sharing eligibility, and ministry news.*
Last month, we discussed CHM’s standard No. 4: Make it clear in all marketing efforts that CHM isn’t engaged in the business of insurance. This article discusses CHM’s standard No. 5.
Standard No. 5: Receive from each of its members an express acknowledgment and agreement that:
- neither the Ministry itself nor any other member of the ministry has assumed any legal obligation or risk, or provided any guarantee, that it will pay any member’s medical expenses; and
- that the member remains solely liable for their medical expenses.
It’s important that our members clearly understand standard No. 5 as they start their CHM membership. As part of the application process, we ask new members to acknowledge they understand standard No. 5. This serves as a reminder to the member about how health cost sharing works and confirms the member wishes to support fellow Christians by taking care of each other’s healthcare costs.
Health cost sharing isn’t insurance because unlike insurance, health cost sharing doesn’t make any promises to its members, nor assume any obligation or risk. It’s our desire that members join, and remain in our ministry based solely on their faith, not on anyone’s promises or guarantees.
Editor’s note: For 40 years, CHM members have exercised their faith and shared 100% of one another’s eligible medical costs.
Click the button below to read the first article in the series.
