Bethany Pederson, Cedar Creek, MO

CHM recently spoke with Bethany Pederson of Cedar Creek, Mo., about the ministry’s maternity program and group memberships.

Christian Healthcare Ministries: What is the name and birthdate of your son born under CHM’s maternity program?

Bethany Pederson: We welcomed Simon Pederson to our family on July 28, 2015. We also have two other children born before we joined CHM: Cynthia (4) and Levi (2).

CHM: Why did you join Christian Healthcare Ministries?

BP: My husband, Isaac, is employed by Village Missions, a ministry that places and supports pastors in rural churches. With health care costs rising, Village Missions needed a health care plan that would best serve its employees; CHM’s Gold program is a major component of that plan.

CHM: What CHM staff members were particularly helpful to you?

BP: CHM staff members Terry Lawrence and Joy Spriggs spoke with the Village Missions team and put together webinars to help explain CHM to us. Knowing we wanted to have another child, Isaac and I were specifically interested in how the maternity program works.

Other CHM staff members were very helpful when I called to let them know I was expecting and when I had questions. Joy even called me shortly before Simon’s birth to make sure everything was in order, which I appreciated very much.

CHM: Did you experience any health complications?

BP: Thankfully, there weren’t any medical complications during my pregnancy or birth, and for that we praise God.

CHM: What was the total cost of your pregnancy and delivery? Did CHM meet the expenses in a timely manner?

BP: The prenatal, delivery and hospital stay costs came to just over $7,500 after more than $10,000 in discounts from my health care providers. At my first doctor appointment, I received paperwork showing the total estimated cost of prenatal care ($3,700) and it said the balance needed to be paid before my due date.

I turned everything in to CHM, but I later discovered that the practice preferred receiving monthly payments and they seemed concerned that I hadn’t made payments yet. I called CHM for an update on my sharing status and received a check for the entire amount shortly after; I was able to pay the doctor’s office in a lump sum.

CHM: Would you recommend CHM’s maternity program to other families desiring to have children?

BP: I definitely recommend CHM to other couples; it’s a very family-friendly ministry. The concept of sharing health costs with other believers is much more comforting and, well, biblical than using health insurance. Our experience and the financial help we received were also much better with CHM than what we had with insurance companies during my other pregnancies.

Editor’s note: More information about the maternity program can be found in CHM Guideline R chministries.org/guidelines and at chministries.org/maternity. To learn more about group membership, call 800-791-6225, ext. 1002.