Welcome to the CHM family!

If your application is complete, your membership will begin as soon as you click the "submit" button on the online application or on the postmark date of your mailed application (unless you have specified a future start date). CHM has no waiting period; however, please be sure to review our preexisting conditions policy.

Yes.

If applying online, you'll receive immediate confirmation with a temporary membership number. When your application is processed and entered into our database, you'll receive an email containing your member number, Member Portal access code, and start date. Once you receive this information, you're able to register for the Member Portal and make your first gift payment, submit medical bills, add dependents, and more. 

You’ll also receive a new member Welcome Packet in the mail within a few weeks of submitting your application (if you applied in December-March, please see the notice below). The packet will contain your membership card(s), a copy of the CHM Guidelines and forms that you can fill out and submit if you have a medical need (Sharing Request Packet).

Members receive the Member Gift Form billing statement from the CHM offices by the 15th of the month before your gift payment is due. For example, you will receive your February statement in January. Please carefully read the included message; it contains important information about your CHM membership.

We also encourage you to sign up for CHM’s automatic DirectGift bank withdrawal or recurring payment through the CHM Member Portal. See the next question for more info.

Maryland members: Review special instructions regarding Maryland membership here.

CHM's DirectGift program (bank draft) is the preferred choice for monthly giving and here's why:

• Good financial stewardship: Bank draft fees are $0.17 per transaction (compared to $9 in credit card transaction fees for families on the Gold program).
• Time savings: There’s no checks to write, envelopes to mail or expiration dates to update.
• Convenience: Bank draft takes care of your monthly gifts even when you’re on vacation or out of town—meaning you’re always on time. Easily set up and manage recurring gift payments on the Member Portal.
• Flexibility: Enrollment and cancellation are quick and easy and can be made at any time through the Member Portal.

Through HealthiestYou™, CHM members can connect with doctors free of charge over the phone or through video chat. Commonly addressed medical conditions include respiratory infections, cold and flu symptoms, allergies, skin irritations, pink eye, and much more. 

This service is available to all members at no additional cost beyond their regular monthly financial gifts. It offers convenient and easy 24-hour access to licensed physicians seven days a week. Members of any age can participate and receive quality medical care—even from the comfort of their own home.

Eager to take advantage of this incredible program? Register today!

You can use the free Member Portal to make changes to your membership and more. You can also call or email us, and connect with CHM staff and fellow members on social media! We also encourage you to opt in to our email updates. Doing so means we can communicate tips about your CHM membership, share timely news and provide other helpful information. 

As a CHM member, you are considered a self-pay patient. That means providers will send you the bills directly. This gives you the ability to have a direct say in your healthcare. You have flexibility to choose your own providers and the advantage of transparent pricing. When you receive medical bills from your providers, you ask for self-pay discounts, and then submit itemized bills to CHM.

Once you submit your bills, the CHM staff have five tasks to complete the medical bill sharing process.

As a health cost sharing ministry—and not insurance—we use terms that reflect our passion and ministry. These terms further separate us from insurance. You can find a helpful glossary of our most commonly used terms in the back of your Guidelines and here.

Though no further action is required, here are some things we highly recommend:

• Activate your Member Portal account. You can add a person to your membership, change your contact info, make one-time gift payments, recurring set up and manage recurring gift payments, submit medical bills for sharing and access tools to help you share CHM with friends and family. (When activating your free portal account, your portal access code can be found under your CHM member number on your monthly billing statement.)
• Read Heartfelt Magazine. You’ll receive Heartfelt at the beginning of each month. Please read it carefully; it contains helpful information about being a member, ministry news, member testimonies, advice for healthy living and more.
• Make sure you’re on the right program and part of Brother’s Keeper. The Gold level offers considerably more services than Silver or Bronze, and adding Brother’s Keeper means more sharing assistance for you when medical bills exceed $125,000 per illness.
• Engage with other members on our social channels. Be encouraged through prayer, testimonies, and other helpful content on CHM’s social media channels. Look for us @iheartchm.