Stephanie Pohubka, Tabernacle, NJ

Increased insurance costs and healthcare law unknowns caused us several years ago to seek different healthcare options. Studying the CHM Gold and Brother’s Keeper programs confirmed that the ministry was the right fit for us, and we were pleased our money would help share fellow Christians’ medical bills. We joined CHM in November 2013.

In early 2014, my husband, Jonathan, and I learned we were expecting our second child. We’d had health insurance for the birth of our first son, Jacob. We were used to simply handing over an insurance card, not realizing how expensive giving birth can be.

I didn’t know how the CHM sharing process worked or if our bills would be shared, so I contacted the ministry right away. The staff encouraged us to ask for discounts and explain to our providers what they could expect.*

Much to my surprise, CHM shared every need except the hospital bill** before our second son, Timothy Charles, was born on September 5, 2014. (The hospital bill was shared after he was born.) What a relief it was, and my OBGYN’s office staff couldn’t believe how easy it was working with me and CHM.

The following year we learned our third son, Jonathan Zachary, was on his way; he arrived on April 15, 2016. Once again, working with CHM was simple and all of my maternity bills were shared.

In total, CHM shared about $45,000 for both pregnancies after nearly 40 percent in discounts. Because discounts are credited toward members’ Personal Responsibility amount, we ended up paying $0 for both births. This was a stark difference from the more than $5,000 we paid for the birth of our first son.

I recommend CHM to other young couples all the time. When I’m visiting with other moms, I always find a way to bring up the topic. Actually, it’s hard not to “shout” about something I love and am passionate about.

I remember that it took 11 months, numerous phone calls and a stack of tedious paperwork for our health insurance to pay a pediatrician’s bill. In contrast, CHM makes things simple and we can rest assured that we have a large community of people who will help us and pray during times of need—whether joyful or sad. We know there’s no limit to what God will do when His people pray.

CHM is an incredible blessing. We’re grateful each day that we joined the CHM family.

*Editor’s note: You can direct your healthcare providers to chministries.org/forproviders or print a letter (chministries.org/providerletter) explaining to your providers what CHM is and does.

**For your benefit, we recommend you request a prepayment agreement from your hospital as quickly as possible, but no later than three months before your estimated due date. For more information, see CHM’s new maternity guide for Gold level members at chministries.org/maternity.