Alan Branham, Helena, MT

We joined Christian Healthcare Ministries in 2014. Our monthly health care premiums had been raised four times to the point that we could no longer afford them. It was a bit scary because in 2011 I experienced a small spot cancer spot on my vocal cords which was treated with chemotherapy and radiation. I had been cancer-free for two years and my doctors thought the issue had resolved.

I’d never experienced any other medical issues in my life. The only time I had been in a hospital was to visit and pray for friends and family.

Some friends recommended CHM to us. I hesitated to join a group I didn’t know much about but my wife, Charlotte, and I prayed about becoming members. We decided to take the leap because we live a biblical lifestyle and liked the principle of Christians taking care of other Christians.

Little did I know that later that year the cancer would return and I would lose my vocal cords and voice to a tumor.

We joined at the Gold level and were eligible for CHM’s Gold schedule for pre-existing conditions. The medical costs that exceeded the schedule limits were listed in the monthly newsletter’s Prayer Page so readers could make voluntary donations above their regular financial gifts.

I was overwhelmed with the wonderful support that we received from CHM. Between the Gold schedule and the Prayer Page, so far we’ve received $121,046 toward my medical expenses! The checks came at just the right time to pay the hospital expenses. It was a special blessing because my condition forced me to cut back my business hours and our income was drastically reduced.

Furthermore, CHM staff helped me negotiate my bills and coached us on how to interact with doctors’ offices and care facilities; with CHM’s help we’ve seen as much as 60 percent in discounts on some of the bills.

More importantly, I have received wonderful prayers and notes from at least 100 CHM members. Ordinarily, I would have dreaded coming home from work to open the mailbox because of bills. But along with the challenges in my mailbox I’d find notes and bits of wisdom from God’s people all over the country. These items were priceless and built my faith that God is in control and that His people are full of love.

God also taught me to focus on what I have rather than what I have lost and to be thankful for even the small things. Floods come to shake the house, but if you’ve built your house on Christ the solid foundation, the house will still stand. His peace is truly beyond understanding.

Today the CHM name is known and respected at my doctors’ offices. We haven’t come through this challenge yet but I gladly recommend Christian Healthcare Ministries to others. I’m still undergoing treatment, now speak with an artificial prosthetic and we’re trying to rebuild our lives. We trust that God will bring healing.

The U.S. health care system clearly needs some change and for this we continue to pray; CHM is definitely part of the answer. The help you’ve given our family is both financially significant and spiritually encouraging. If you’re looking for a Christian health care cost solution that really works, I recommend CHM. It’s the “real deal!”