Member Story: Cara Chatwin, Utah
- Total eligible bills: $612,845
- Provider discounts: $254,613
- Total bills shared: $358,232
Friends told my husband, Darik, and me about CHM. As we learned more about the ministry—and especially about the Gold maternity program—we knew it was the right decision for us. We were impressed with the thoroughness of maternity sharing and how well the Gold level fit within our budget. We also decided to join CHM Plus. It’s important to have that extra level of protection because you never know what will happen in your future, like having three babies at once!
Several months after joining CHM we were excited to find out that I was pregnant. We had one daughter, Gemma, so we thought we knew what to expect. Imagine our shock when we learned I was carrying not one, not two, but three babies.
I called CHM right away. I wanted to make sure that our high medical costs were eligible under the CHM Guidelines. The staff members were helpful and friendly, reminding us that because I was a Gold member with CHM Plus, our medical costs would be eligible.
Because my pregnancy was high risk, I had to see a specialist in addition to my normal obstetrician. By the end of my pregnancy, between them I had two appointments each week.
Reese, Royal, and Wren were born at 34 weeks, five days. They stayed in the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) for 20 days; then they all got to come home on the same day. This is a rare occurrence for multiple births, and we were very blessed by it.
Before discounts, the bill total was nearly $1 million. Thankfully, we negotiated discounts and the bills were reduced to $600,000.
Were we ever glad we joined CHM Plus! Our triplets have been a huge blessing in our lives, but they were completely unexpected. We’re deeply grateful for CHM Plus; bills were nearly $400,000 above the $125,000 per illness CHM Gold sharing limit. Enough stress comes from bringing three babies home; it’s amazing to not have to worry about a large bill on top of that.
Instead, we sent the huge stack of bills to CHM along with the sharing request packet and they handled it from there. We had some difficulty obtaining discounts from one hospital, but CHM staff negotiated with them until we got the discount.
Members took care of us, too. I still receive the nicest cards from CHM members who are praying for us. Though we haven’t personally met these members their letters are heartfelt and encouraging.
We are forever thankful to CHM and all of the generous members who have taken such good care of us. We have three happy, healthy babies. We have been able to give them our love and attention without distraction from worries of giant bills. CHM has been the biggest blessing in our lives. Thank you!
