Liberty HealthShare Review: How We Handle Our Healthcare in 2021

Read our Liberty HealthShare review and see how we save money on healthcare by using a healthcare sharing ministry. Learn more inside!

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Editor’s Note: This Liberty HealthShare review was last updated in November 2020. It is an accurate portrayal of our past experience as Liberty HealthShare members. Although we were happy with Liberty Healthshare for years, as of 2022, we are no longer members of Liberty Healthshare.

Open enrollment for health insurance is back, and you can count me as underwhelmed. If you’re stuck searching for an affordable plan on the open market – news flash – the options ain’t pretty.

As self-employed individuals, our family has been dealing with the effects of the Affordable Care Act since it was fully implemented in 2014. Every year, I search for affordable health insurance options in my area’s health insurance marketplace. Every year, I come away feeling more disappointed than the last.

Depending on where you live, premiums continue to increase, benefits continue to be slashed, and many insurers have pulled out of the marketplace altogether. In many places, including my own area, potential customers have just one or two insurers available to them. Faced with huge monthly premiums, high deductibles, and restricted networks, it’s safe to say that families around the country are feeling the pinch.

Like many of you, we found ourselves in a difficult situation. That’s when we discovered medical cost sharing ministries, including Liberty HealthShare. Sure, it is an imperfect solution to a difficult problem, but we’ve been using LHS for about seven years. During that time, we’ve had children break bones, undergone a few surgeries, and more. We will continue using Liberty HealthShare to meet our needs in 2021.

With this Liberty HealthShare review, I hope to help others find a solution to this difficult financial challenge. I’ll explain why we chose Liberty HealthShare, how they’ve handled our personal claims, and cover the pros and cons of signing up. I will also attempt to answer some of the most common questions asked about Liberty HealthShare and explain the various sharing options available to members.

Let’s get started!

Liberty HealthShare: At a Glance

  • Healthcare sharing ministry
  • In existence since 1995
  • Members share medical expenses with other members
  • 4 different sharing plans to meet member needs
  • Monthly sharing contributions from $199-$675 per month
  • Annual unshared amounts (excluding Liberty Select Plan) – $1,000 single, $1,750 couple, $2,250 family
  • Up to $1,000,000 shareable per incident (depending on plan)
  • Choose your own doctor; no networks

What is Liberty HealthShare?

Liberty HealthShare is a healthcare sharing ministry whose members share medical expenses. Members pay a monthly “sharing” contribution which pays for the medical expenses of other members. Then, when they have needs, they first must meet an “annual unshared amount” (similar to a deductible) before their expenses are eligible for sharing.

Keep in mind, this is not health insurance nor are you protected by the same insurance rules and regulations that traditional health insurance provides. The don’t simply use different vocabulary; a sharing program is modeled differently.

As with other healthcare sharing groups, Liberty HealthShare members agree to pay for medical expenses by sharing the costs with other members according to the group’s guidelines. While not ideal, for our situation, it has easily been the most affordable healthcare option at our disposal.

Liberty HealthShare is also a faith-based community. At the time of this writing, this medical cost sharing ministry has well over 200,000 members.

Liberty HealthShare: How It Works

Unlike the ACA-approved health insurance plans, Liberty HealthShare and other Christian sharing ministries don’t have to accept everyone who applies. (Again, this is not insurance.) They are not required to accept people regardless of pre-existing conditions and they don’t take smokers.

That doesn’t mean you will never be accepted if you have pre-existing conditions. Those conditions just may not be eligible for sharing right away. Also if you have a chronic health condition, or are otherwise unhealthy due to weight or some other condition, you may be asked to join their provisional program.

In my opinion, this is one of the biggest drawbacks of sharing plans. On the flip side, not accepting those with existing health problems and “risky” lifestyles does help to keep costs down.

With that said, even if you have some of those conditions all is not lost. If you’re serious about becoming healthier, you may still be eligible to join under Liberty’s provisional membership program called HealthTrac™. This is a “health coaching” option, and we’ll talk a more about this in a bit!

Liberty HealthShare Programs and Pricing

Liberty HealthShare now offers four different levels of sharing. I’ll explain the one my family chose in a minute, but let’s first take a look at all three.

In addition to the monthly share contribution, keep in mind that members are also required to pay membership dues. The initial $125 fee is added to your first month’s sharing contribution and is reduced to just $75 after your first year. That’s really not much but it’s still worth mentioning.I’ll explain the one my family chose in a minute, but let’s first take a look at all four.

Liberty Complete

Monthly Share AmountAnnual Unshared Amount (AUA)
Single$399$1,000
Couple$499$1,750
Family$675$2,250
  • $1,000,000 shareable per incident after Annual Unshared Amount (AUA)
  • Access to SavNet discounts on vision, dental, hearing, and chiropractic
  • Prescription savings plan through HealthShareRX
  • Access to Liberty TeleHealth virtual healthcare app and web portal

Liberty Complete is the most comprehensive of the programs. With this option, a family of four will pay $675 per month while couples and singles pay even less.

On this program, members share costs up to $1,000,000 per incident or illness based on the guidelines after meeting the “annual unshared amount.” Annual unshared amounts are: $2,250 per family, $1,750 for a couple, or $1,000 for a single member.

Liberty Plus

Monthly Share AmountAnnual Unshared Amount (AUA)
Single$374$1,000
Couple$474$1,750
Family$624$2,250
  • $125,000 shareable per incident after Annual Unshared Amount (AUA)
  • Access to SavNet discounts on vision, dental, hearing, and chiropractic
  • Prescription savings plan through HealthShareRX
  • Access to Liberty TeleHealth virtual healthcare app and web portal

Liberty Plus costs slightly less each month but offers a significantly lower level of sharing. A family of four would pay $624 per month with couples and singles paying even less.

The same annual unshared amounts apply ($2,250 per family, $1,750 for a couple, or $1,000 for a single member). With this program, however, sharing is limited to just $125,000 per incident or illness.

Liberty Share

Monthly Share AmountAnnual Unshared Amount (AUA)
Single$349$1,000
Couple$449$1,750
Family$599$2,250
  • 70% of eligible medical bills shared (up to $125,000) after Annual Unshared Amount (AUA)
  • Includes physician, emergency room, urgent care, clinic, inpatient/outpatient hospital treatment
  • Prescription savings plan through HealthShareRX
  • Access to Liberty TeleHealth virtual healthcare app and web portal

With the Liberty Share option, a family of four would pay $599 per month. Couples and singles still pay less, and the annual deductibles stay the same as the previously mentioned plans.

The biggest difference with the Liberty Share option is the way that expenses are handled. Rather than sharing 100% of costs after meeting an annual unshared amount, with this option, medical expenses are shared at only 70% per incident. Sharing is also capped at $125,000 per incident, as per the guidelines.

Liberty Select

Monthly Share AmountAnnual Unshared Amount (AUA)
Single$199$6,000
Couple$299$12,000
Family$399$15,000
  • $500,000 sharable per incident after Annual Unshared Amount (AUA)
  • Eligible wellness screenings sharable up to $400 per membership year (not subject to AUA)
  • Excludes maternity
  • Prescription savings plan through HealthShareRX
  • Access to Liberty TeleHealth virtual healthcare app and web portal

Liberty Select is the newest and least expensive option offered by Liberty HealthShare. Although members will only pay between $199-$399 a month, the Annual Unshared Amounts are much higher. Single members have an AUA of $6,000, couples are at $12,000, and families have a $15,000 AUA.

Members should also keep in mind that, even with high AUAs, this option only allows for $500,000 in shareable expenses after you meet the AUA. Also of note, maternity expenses are not eligible for sharing with Liberty Select.

Get Started with Liberty HealthShare – Like what you see? Let us refer you! Learn more about Liberty HealthShare here.

Submitting Expenses Eligible for Sharing

When it comes to submitting medical expenses, Liberty HealthShare (like other healthcare sharing ministries) may require a little more work on your part. In fact, if may mean taking significantly more action and control over your medical expenses than you are used to.

This is important, so pay attention here: When you use a healthcare sharing ministry, YOU are responsible for making sure your medical bills are submitted. This may require a few phone calls.

In many cases, your healthcare provider will submit bills directly to Liberty HealthShare for you. Other times, you will need to scan the bills and upload them into the payment system yourself. LHS makes this easy. Simply log into your personal account/dashboard and add your bills through the “Medical” tab.

Personally, I don’t mind monitoring our healthcare bills myself. I like to keep our spending in check anyway, and it’s super easy to scan and submit bills through the website.

On the flip side, I appreciate it when our doctor’s office takes care of this task for us. When we first joined, I would say this responsibility fell us roughly 50 percent of the time. Now that many doctors offices are familiar with patients using cost sharing programs, we rarely need to submit our own bills. Remember, though, it is always your responsibility to check that they have been submitted properly.

With that being said, here’s what my Liberty HealthShare “inbox” looks like:

dashboard of liberty health share showing bar graphs of payments made

To see which bills have been submitted, when each was paid, and how much your responsibility might be, simply click on the “Medical” tab in the left menu. There, you’ll find a list of everything you need.

Other than how bills are submitted and the fact that healthcare sharing ministries can be picky about who they accept, the process is very familiar. For example, with most Liberty HealthShare plans, annual wellness visits are included (see the guidelines for details.) While it isn’t always necessary, that concept itself saves us around $600 per year.

Like I mentioned earlier, we also have an “annual unshared amount” that is similar to a health insurance deductible. After we meet that unshared amount, 100% of our costs are shared by the members – up to $1 million dollars per incident, based on the guidelines.

Our Experience with Liberty HealthShare

Now that you know about the Liberty HealthShare plans and options, I thought it might be helpful to learn how my family decided on LHS in the first place.

Shortly after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was rolled out, my family was faced with a near impossible decision. Our old health insurance plan, which cost $393 per month and came with an $11,000 family deductible, was being cancelled because it didn’t meet ACA requirements. Yet, the new Obamacare plans cost more than twice as much AND came with even higher family deductibles to boot!

It quickly became clear that we needed to opt out of the ACA completely. Still we needed a solution to help us cover the cost of catastrophic medical expenses.

After a few months of digging, I discovered how some other families were planning for unforeseen medical bills. The answer: Healthcare sharing ministries. After some serious comparing several healthcare sharing ministries, my family joined Liberty HealthShare in January of 2014.

I wanted to write a Liberty HealthShare review right away, but the first few years were pretty uneventful. Aside from our regular annual visits, none of us went to the doctor. So, I didn’t have a great idea of whether the program was going to work or not.

Fast forward to today, and we’ve been with Liberty HealthShare for about seven years. We’ve all of us seen the doctor and have even had a few procedures done – including some major surgeries. Now that we have some real claims history to report, a Liberty HealthShare review makes more sense.

Dealing with Major Surgeries

In 2018, we experienced our first major medical need as members of Liberty HealthShare. That summer, my seven-year-old daughter broke her arm. She ended up having surgery at our local children’s hospital, which meant over she racked up over $30,000 in medical bills. (Side note: The children’s hospital would not have been covered under the Bronze ACA plans available in our area.)

Thankfully, Liberty HealthShare and their members helped us share the cost of those bills exactly as we planned.

Now, that’s not to say that everything went perfectly. The process itself was not particularly smooth.

We spent several hours following up with both LHS and doctor’s offices to get these bills paid. Over the course of about ten months, we made multiple calls and sent around a dozen emails. While it was a pain, Liberty ultimately covered their portion of the bills.

For us, the time and hassle spent on these bills was worth it. Because we save thousands on our healthcare through Liberty, we’re willing to put in some additional “leg work” to get our medical bills shared. This is something you should keep in mind before choosing Liberty HealthShare for your healthcare needs.

Since then, in our experience, the process has improved considerably. Our other daughter broke her arm in 2020. This time, wee were assigned a personal representative to handle our account. Things went much smoother, and it has been our experience that many of the kinks that were present before have now been worked out.

Protect Your Family for Less – Healthcare sharing ministries are an affordable way to protect your family and your budget. For more information, let us refer you to Liberty HealthShare here.

Liberty HealthShare Advantages

  • Low annual unshared amounts: With all Liberty HealthShare plans, your “annual unshared amount” is limited to $2,250 per year for a family, $1,750 for a couple, or $1,000 for singles.
  • Know where your healthcare dollars are going: Since healthcare sharing ministries don’t share costs for certain procedures that the group finds “morally objectionable,” you can rest assured your dollars are being spent on healthcare procedures you agree with.
  • You can see any doctor you want: Liberty HealthShare lets you see any doctor of your choosing. All they ask is that you shop around and negotiate for the best rates.
  • Share actual costs: Liberty HealthShare keeps their administrative costs low. A small percentage of sharing dollars are spent on administrative expenses as they examine costs up front. Your sharing dollars are used to pay for the actual medical costs incurred by others in the community.
  • Health consciousness: Because Liberty HealthShare members tend to live healthy lifestyles, their costs are typically less. Liberty emphasizes spiritual principles of wellness, health and prevention. Health conscious people tend to have fewer bills, lower costs, and more rapid recoveries.

Liberty HealthShare Disadvantages

  • You may not qualify: If you smoke, are obese, or have a chronic health condition, you may not qualify for a healthcare sharing ministry. However, if you are committed to improving your health, you may qualify for HealthTrac™. This is a health coaching program designed to improve your health and may allow you to become a member.
  • This is a faith-based community. These programs are faith-based organizations. You must hold similar beliefs to qualify to participate.
  • You may not contribute to a Health Savings Account (HSA). Unfortunately, since medical cost sharing programs are not health insurance, you are not allowed to contribute tax-free money to a Health Savings Account (HSA).
  • You need to monitor your own bills closely. While your doctor’s office may handle your claim for you, you’ll need to monitor your expenses online to make sure they post correctly.
  • There are arguments over whether or not your monthly shared amount is deductible if you own a business. Since this is not insurance, some accountants argue you cannot deduct your monthly share amount if you own a business. There is definitely a gray area here.
  • Medical cost sharing is not unlimited. Liberty HealthShare members only share costs up to $125,000 or $1,000,000 per illness or incident, based on the group’s guidelines. If you ended up with an incredibly expensive illness or injury, you could potentially blow through that limit fast.

Related: Medi-Share Review – A Christian Healthcare Plan Option

Who Should Consider Liberty HealthShare?

Self-employed business owners – If you are a self-employed owner of a small business, chances are good that your only option for securing health insurance is on the open market. Although it is not “health insurance,” Liberty HealthShare is another option for meeting your family’s healthcare needs in an affordable manner.

Other individuals shopping the healthcare marketplace – Similarly, if you are shopping for a health insurance plan on the open market, are not eligible for subsidies, or don’t like the prices you see, a healthcare sharing ministry could present a possible solution.

Christians wanting to share medical expenses – Liberty HealthShare is a good choice for Christians who are tired of the traditional healthcare system and who, instead, wish to share medical expenses with others hat have similar beliefs.

An Affordable Healthcare Solution – If you’re struggling to find an affordable healthcare solution, Liberty HealthShare may be your answer. Learn more here.

Who Should Avoid Joining Liberty HealthShare?

Individuals with access to affordable health insurance plans – If you have access to affordable health insurance through work or are eligible for large government subsidies, the added expense of a medical cost sharing program may be unnecessary. (Keep in mind, Liberty HealthShare is not medical insurance.)

People with pre-existing conditions – Because Liberty HealthShare is not medical insurance, they are not required to provide coverage for pre-existing conditions. Those with pre-existing medical conditions may be accepted for membership after a period of time, but the added expense of both a health insurance plan and becoming a medical cost sharing member may not be worth it.

Those unwilling or unable to track their medical expenses – It is important to remember that members are ultimately responsible for tracking (and paying) their medical bills. While LHS can be an affordable way to handle your healthcare, it often requires more work on the member’s part to process medical bills. In some cases, you may even need to wait for reimbursement of certain bills. If you are unable or unwilling to do this, you should probably avoid medical cost sharing programs.

Liberty HealthShare Review: Frequently Asked Questions

Since I first posted this review, I’ve received hundreds of comments, emails, and questions about the program. While I’d definitely recommend you contact Liberty HealthShare with questions specific to your personal situation, here are a few of the most common questions I’ve been asked.


Is Liberty HealthShare the same as health insurance?

No. Liberty HealthShare is not health insurance. It is a medical cost sharing program in which members share healthcare costs between them. We use Liberty HealthShare to plan for unanticipated medical expenses.


Is Liberty HealthShare a scam?

No. It is very real. In our experience, the members of Liberty HealthShare have shared all our medical expenses that were eligible for sharing per our plan guidelines.


Are healthcare sharing ministries a new concept?

No. Healthcare sharing ministries are not new, but rising health insurance costs have definitely made them more popular. Medical cost sharing programs can trace their roots back to the mid-1980s. As a group, Liberty HealthShare’s parent organization (Gospel Light Mennonite Church Medical Aid Plan, Inc.) has been sharing medical costs since 1995.


Do I have to belong to a specific Christian denomination to become a member of Liberty HealthShare?

No. Compared to some medical cost sharing programs, one of the biggest advantages of joining Liberty HealthShare is that you do NOT need to belong to a specific denomination.

While some sharing ministries require you to be a member of an evangelical church and/or get a signed note from your pastor, Liberty HealthShare simply requires that you agree to a statement of beliefs. This statement essentially says that you believe in God, that all people have a right to worship in their own way, and that people have the right to direct their own healthcare decisions free from government interference.


Are there any other lifestyle requirements I need to know about?

Yes. In an effort to keep costs down, Liberty HealthShare members agree to take responsible and reasonable care of their own health. This includes not drinking alcohol excessively, not using tobacco, not abusing illegal drugs or prescription medication, and getting regular exercise.


Wait, are you saying I can’t drink or smoke?

As a member, you agree to not drink excessively or abuse alcohol. If you are a tobacco user, you will be required to join the provisional HealthTrac™ program which adds an additional monthly fee. You are given 6 months to become tobacco free. You will also be required to complete nicotine testing.


Are pre-existing conditions eligible for sharing with Liberty HealthShare?

Eventually. Liberty HealthShare considers pre-existing conditions to be “any condition at the time of enrollment that has evidenced symptoms, or received treatment or medication in the past 24 months.” Pre-existing conditions are not eligible for sharing your first year of membership. From there, they are gradually eligible for more sharing each year until they receive full sharing status during your fourth year of membership.


Do Liberty HealthShare members share dental and vision expenses?

No. Medical cost sharing with Liberty does not extend to dental or vision procedures or expenses. With that said, LHS does partner with the SavNet Health Savings Program to provide discounts for dental, vision, and chiropractic expenses.


Does Liberty HealthShare include sharing for prescriptions?

To keep the cost of prescription drug prices down, Liberty HealthShare members have access to HealthShareRx. The program partners with over 64,000 pharmacies where they can get a 21-day supply of the most common medications for just $5.00. Members can also enjoy savings on long-term maintenance medications with this program.


What if I am denied membership due to health reasons?

If something in your application triggers a denial based on your health, you may be eligible to join the Liberty HealthTrac™ program. This program pairs members with a health coach and helps set realistic goals for improving their health.

A monthly participant fee is required for the HealthTrac™ program and will be dropped upon graduation. While everyone is different, Liberty states that they expect to see improvements in the members health within a year.


Will my doctor accept Liberty HealthShare?

Unlike health insurance plans, Liberty HealthShare does not have networks. You can use the program with any doctor you choose.

Simply inform them that you are part of a medical cost sharing program, show them your card, and have them send bills directly to Liberty HealthShare. (If you have not met your annual sharing amount, you will still be responsible for the total.)


Are there limits on the amount of sharing?

Yes. Members are currently limited to sharing amounts of up to $125,000 or $1,000,000 per incident, depending on the program you select.


Does being a Liberty HealthShare member exempt me from Obamacare tax penalty?

When congress passed the December 2017 tax bill, the Obamacare individual mandate was repealed, effective in 2019.


Can I cancel my Liberty HealthShare membership at any time or am I obligated to stick with the program?

You can cancel your Liberty HealthShare membership at any time and are under no obligation to continue with the program. Keep in mind that you do pay initial membership dues of $125.00 and annual membership dues each year thereafter of $75.00. Liberty HealthShare allows you to join the program for 30 days risk free. If you cancel within your first 30 days, the membership fee will be refunded. However, canceling after the 30-day period results in a forfeiture of your membership dues.


Is there a specific enrollment period or can I join whenever I’m ready?

Unlike Obamacare, you can join Liberty HealthShare at any point during the year.

Liberty Healthshare Review: The Bottom Line

Although I still consider our healthcare options every year, after seven years with Liberty HealthShare, our family continues to remain as members. I’m fairly confident we’re making the right decision. We’re saving money every month, and we get to see any doctor of our choosing. As an added bonus, our Annual Unshared Amount is just $2,250. This greatly reduces the amount of out-of-pocket medical costs we could be responsible for in any given year.

With that said, the process is not perfect. Still, Liberty has eventually shared all of our eligible medical expenses as outlined in our plan. Yes, it took some extra effort on our part. But, for us, the extra effort is more than worth the savings we’ve received.

If you’re considering a healthcare sharing ministry, you should definitely compare Liberty with the other options out there. I liked some other comparable programs, but we chose to go with Liberty HealthShare because we felt that the payments and sharing arrangement made sense for our situation. Finally, if you’re struggling under the weight and expense of unreasonable Obamacare plans, it makes sense to shop around as much as you can.

Get Started with Liberty HealthShare! – Love what you see? We did too. Let us refer you by following the link and filling out the short form. It takes less than two minutes and could help you save thousands! Learn more about Liberty HealthShare here!

Have you ever heard of healthcare sharing ministries? Would you join one? Why or why not?

Liberty HealthShare Review
  • Range of Product Offerings
  • Shareable Amounts per Incident
  • Monthly Cost
  • Annual "Unshared" Amounts
  • Customer Service
  • Expense Sharing Process
Overall
3.3

Liberty HealthShare Review

Liberty HealthShare is a medical cost sharing program that allows members to share medical expenses with other members. For those who are struggling to find affordable healthcare options, Liberty may be a good choice.

Offering several different plans to meet members financial needs, Liberty HealthShare members pay as little as $199 a month. With most programs, Annual Unshared Amounts range from $1,000 for individuals to $2,250 for families. Depending on the program selected, members may be eligible for medical costs to be shared up to $1M per incident.

Unfortunately, Liberty HealthShare is far from perfect. The process of submitting expenses to be shared can often take months to resolve. Members may end up spending some time and energy tracking those expenses. Still, if you’re struggling and fed up with the expense of healthcare, Liberty HealthShare provides a solid solution to meet your healthcare needs.

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349 Comments

  1. This is so interesting to read about Holly. Fortunately we have health care through my husband’s work (he’s retired though!) – for 7 more years and by then my kids will be adults too. It will be interesting to see what happens with health care by then so plans like this are important to know about!

    1. I haven’t read down to see if anyone else ran into this for basic bills but we moved to Liberty healthshare a few years ago to cut some costs and now after three years of paying their monthly “Share” costs and never asking for a single share amount back they discounted a bill as expected and then we find out that they actually have no power to do this with the vendor and won’t back their discounted price that we paid up. Now we are told they only can suggest suggested a discount, so a collection agent has been calling even though every time I call into Libtery they say it will be taken care of. They are the most organized on the surface but I would not recommend them if you actually want it them to be of any basic value in lowering your end price. (this one was $1200 for 4 stitches that was discounted to $400. We paid the discount and now they are going after us for the rest). I would not recommend Liberty and you may not know it until it is too late.

      Also, be aware the Essentia Healthcare does not honor Liberty Healthcare and will go for every penny of their highest price.

    2. Eileen bedinghaus says:

      I have been a member of Liberty Health Share for over five years. Everything was fine until I started having actual medical problems with real medical bills. FOR OVER A YEAR I have been trying to get my medical bills paid. I have the medical providers sending me bills and calling me. I have Liberty giving me the run around. I have had to submit paperwork to The MCS Solution, who are suppose to be intermediaries to get issues resolved. All I get is the run around. Liberty operates JUST LIKE TRADITIONAL INSURANCE COMPANIES. They take your money, make money on your money, and then do whatever they can to avoid paying your claims. I use to be with MediShare and I am going back! LIBERTY HEALTH SHARE is great when you’re not sick, but they are TERRIBLE when things go wrong. So disappointing.

    3. It’s August 1, 2019 and my service date was 11-13-18, 7 1/2 months ago and Liberty Health Share (LHS) still hasn’t paid. I was with Liberty Health Share in 2018 and on average bills were adjusted, then paid in 4 to 5 months. This latest put me in collections and I have 800+ credit scores (or had). I just paid the collection agency this morning and called LHS for about the 12th time on this matter. Today I was told that a check was mailed today directly to me. In a previous matter, the LHS billing rep told me that I had no coverage for lab billing and to just pay it. I later received a letter stating that the bill was adjusted and that my payment was about $600.00 less then what the rep told me to pay. I went back to Kaiser for 2019 and I pay about $1000/month, but I know what I’m getting.

    4. ***PSA*** for all my friends/family that use health sharing ministries. DO NOT USE Liberty Healthsare out of Canton Ohio. They advertise that if you pay them a fee every month, they will reimburse/pay your medical fees. I have faithfully paid my premiums for a year now. I went to the ER in April, and they have been saying a check is on the way since July for almost $10,000 to pay my medical bills, but the check still has not been sent. I call them every month and get the same generic response. I have since been sent to collections, because they told me the check had been mailed out. So instead of setting up a payment arrangement with the hospital, I counted on a check arriving because that’s what I was told. Still no check, and the collection agency calls me daily. I have never even been late on a bill in my life. I pay my bills, and have paid Liberty Healthshare $525 a month for over a year and they are not doing what they say they are going to do. If you google them, you can see that over the past several months they have really dropped the ball and are not paying medical bills anymore. When I signed up for this program I did research and even knew people who were happy with them and had used them in the past who were happy. I don’t know what happened, but I can tell you it’s NOT good. Samaritan Ministries was the best we have used, but Liberty claimed to help cover well visits so we wanted to give them a try. Never again. Stay far away. I have filed a complaint with the BBB and am looking at ways to get a refund on my $7,000 I have paid to them over the course of the past 15 months.

      1. My family is having the same experience. We began using Liberty in January of 2019. We changed our sons pediatrician and our personal physicians to offices that are set up for direct billing. We began using our medical services and the offices told us that they would bill Liberty directly. Month after month we paid our “premium” and with an operation on our son, we meet our deductible. Well, this week we received our first collections letter stating that Liberty hasn’t paid for a single office visit for our son, dating back to January 2019. We are now waiting for letters to come in from our dr’s , the surgical center where our son had a procedure and the specialists office at CHOA where our son was seen by an endocrinologist. I beginning to realize that this whole ministry medishare is a complete sham. The administrators of these organizations are feeding us lies and pocketing every cent they can get their hands on. Unfortunately they are not regulated by the state Dept of Insurance but we will be filing a grievance with the Sec of State and the state Attorney General. My recommendation is to steer completely away from these organizations.

    5. Liberty HealthShare is an absolute shame. Find another alternative. As an example: One wellness visits per year is claimed to be covered. False: In August my wife and I went for our Annual wellness exam. Our Dr., who is a Liberty Heathshare member Submitted the invoices as directed. It is now January and the Dr has not been paid. Our Dr. Finally gave up and sent us the bill. But that’s not all. Unfortunately, my wife had an incident with her heart and blood pressure near stroke conditions., it required An ER visit and emergency treatment. In 35 years of marriage we have only once needed an ER visit, so we are not people that just run off to the Dr’s or Hospital.
      We submitted our bills as directed. $6000.00 later….nothing. A complete refusal to pay. Anything. My wife and I had to negotiate with the hospital a payment plan. It is a complete scam. For your heath and safety, do not join. Find another alternative or nothing at all is better than Liberty Heathshare.

      1. Mike,

        Submit a claim to BBB and they will jump on the case… If you are still contributing. I insisted that all my communications during the resolution be done over email so that there was a clear record of what they said. To give you a heads up, their internal policy is that if a doctor submits a claim and doesn’t put that you paid, then they will reprice (cover) only the medicare allowable rate, which is hardly half of the cost in many cases. It also takes forever when the provider sends the bill. Also, providers might forget to put the amount you already paid on the claim form because they normally haven’t received payment when they are submitting to actual insurance companies. You will get best results if you ignore their direction to have the provider submit the claim and just submit it yourself. But you will have to show proof of payment or the same policy (medicare allowable rate) applies. To sum up… They only cover the full cost if they have proof that it’s already paid, and it will be processed faster if you submit it instead of your provider. Oh, and keep following up with them or it falls down the cracks!

      2. I have the same issues as above. They tell me my reimbursement has been approved and processed, but don’t know when it will be sent. This has been six months. Everyone I speak with says “I wish I could help, but I can’t”. I continue to ask for someone that can actually help. This is just shameful!

  2. Interesting, I hadn’t heard much about these types of organizations before so I appreciate the review. Curious, is it available to buy in all 50 states or are there geographical restrictions? Thanks!

    1. Beware. I have been with them for three years now. In 2018 they went downhill drastically. The “monthly share” price went up (over $100) and service plummeted. Customer service is non responsive and unhelpful. The inbox/share box website does not work. They do not respond to emails. I spend hours per month on the phone trying to decipher the statements, which conflict with what they show in my “share box”. I often have to take time off work to do this. They state they will reimburse me in 30 day, but I am still waiting for payments from May of 2018 and we are now in March of 2019! Still no reimbursement from them. At first, I thought it was a brilliant idea and had family members sign up. Over a year later, Liberty still has not sent the visa “gift” card they claim they will, even after multiple calls. They have deleted the “share” button on my inbox, so I cannot upload my new bills as of 2019. No one responds to my emails about this (which I have had to send through their website as my inbox email now has no option to send emails either! ) I have had to take time off work to spend hours on the phone with them about bills. I have dealt with waiting on hold and getting conflicting customer service answers from their reps. Often reps do no know answers to your questions and just quickly want to get you off the line. Liberty pay fractional amounts of my bills and I still owe. When you sign up, they claim they will allow you to see any provider. Not so. I have had to change doctors and sadly the new one already knew of them and their difficult reputation. It’s now awkward at the doctors office, as the staff hate dealing with them for payments. And I’m still left with bills that they claim they will reimburse. When talking to Liberty about the errors and problems, they claim its “too much growth..”. I don’t know about that, I’m wondering if its faulty management. So frustrating. I am looking elsewhere and told my family to cancel their plans. Its a good idea in theory, but somethings gone wrong in their practice.

      1. Heather Warner says:

        I have had the same problems with them. They will not answer the phone and it takes them over two weeks to respond to emails. I have been trying to cancel my membership and can’t get through to anyone on the phone and there is no way to do it online. I have called several times waiting on hold for 30-40 minutes with no one answering. I finally hang up, not knowing if someone is actually there or ever going to answer. I finally talked to someone yesterday and they told me that they can’t refund me for my dues because I did not have it sent to them in writing in time for them to cancel. I talked to 3 supervisors and they told me I should have stayed on hold longer than 35 minutes. I am starting to think this is a big scam. I have had bills submitted to them since December. I had one of my doctor bills sent back to me saying they refused it because it was a pre-existing condition, it was for an ear infection. I don’t know how that is pre-existing. It is a terrible company now. I would not recommend them to anyone at this point.

        1. Wow, sorry for your issues. We’re having a few struggles with some medical bills right now (no more so than with an insurance company, I would add), so I’ve been on the phone with them quite a bit. I’ve never waited on hold more than 5 minutes. In fact, somebody almost always answers on the first or second ring. Still, that has to be frustrating.

          1. Joy Gatlin says:

            Come on Greg and Holly give an honest review for 2021…they are paying CEO 500,000 dollars in 2019…who knows about 2020 because you cannot see their 990 and no that is not the going rate more than double the Medishare and 4 times as much as most. They are paying to lobby 120,00 dollars a year and 250,00 for CPAC last year but are not paying claims.. they will tell you 18 months when you call in. They literally told my provider they do not have the money to pay my bill… I can email you the actual bill saying this and it was only 3K…I know you are likely gettting a referral bonus but seriously how can you as a Christian encourage people to join this company…

      2. I have the same issues with Liberty. Have been a member for 4 years. They started off great, not they don’t pay bills for over a year in some cases. They always have an excuse! Buyer beware

    2. Trust me you want to beware of this company. They grew too quickly. Their infrastructure is not adequate. Bills do not get paid. No one answers the phones. You are billed each month but they do not do any kind of job paying bills. And always have an excuse why it takes over a year to pay your bills. I am done with this company and their lies.

  3. Thanks for the detailed review Holly. We’ve gone back and forth on joining something like Liberty. Our premiums are a bit over $700 month with a $12k deductible so there’s definitely opportunity for savings. My concern, and I’m likely being overly conservative, is the coverage is not unlimited as well as the resources someone like a major health insurer has is likely considerably more than a sharing ministry. That being said, something obviously has to change because spending this much on something that’s no better than fire insurance doesn’t make any sense.

    1. I would advise you that your concerns are legitimate. A year and half ago after our premiums rose to the equivalent of a mortgage payment, we decided to go with Liberty HealthShare. Things were fine while we remained a healthy family and submitted little in the way of claims. Then early this year our teenage son became very ill, was hospitalized, and was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. What has followed has been months of trying to get bills processed and countless phone calls to LHS. There seems to be little communication between departments and I have told my story a ridiculous number of times. As of today, all claims have now been processed correctly but still have not been paid. Providers are getting impatient with us. We are worried about the financial situation of this company and wonder if this is why payment is being held up. They have had several months of claims exceeding premiums according to their newsletters. And the cherry on the top? They are now declining to pay for my son to receive IV infusions of Remicade to keep his Crohn’s disease in remission. Biologics are the gold standard now for patients with autoimmune diseases and this drug is what is keeping my son out of the hospital. Most all carriers consider this a medical treatment, such as chemotherapy, but LHS has deemed it a “maintenance drug” which they don’t cover. So tread carefully here. If you or a loved one end up with a serious long term medical problem, you will be facing a situation like ours. We have a teenager who needs infusions that will cost approximately $40,000 per year and we have no coverage for that. Any commercial insurance carrier, as well as Medicare and Medicaid, would be covering this. Just want to share my story because we learned the hard way that LHS can label things however they want and you have no recourse as they are not regulated. We will be going back to traditional insurance when the open enrollment season comes up again at the end of the year.

      1. Hi Brenda, I am so sorry that you are going through this and my prayers go out to you and your family, especially your Son and I pray that your bills get paid. However, I do want to say that just because an insurance company is regulated doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be covered and that they will pay for everything. My brother, who is in his 50’s has insurance through BlueCross and BlueShield. So you would think awww he has great insurance and if anything were to happen he would be covered, right? WRONG!!! My brother was diagnosed with Lymphoma cancer in his groin. They cannot operate because the swollen lymph node is right next to the main artery (I’m not even going to try and spell it) anyway it is too dangerous to operate. He has been undergoing chemotherapy off and on for over a year. Long story short, BlueCross will NOT pay for his chemotherapy!!!! Therefore, I must conclude that your statement, “Any commercial insurance carrier, as well as Medicare and Medicaid, would be covering this.” is not accurate. My brother has racked up well over $40k dollars in medical bills because a “major”, “regulated”, health insurance company refuses to cover his chemo, which he has to have because the cancer has not gone into remission. Just a heads up just because you pay thousands of dollars before an insurance company will even pay “anything” doesn’t mean they will cover everything when there is a serious medical issue. Also, insurance companies label their claims however they want as well, which is why they won’t cover my brother’s chemo!!!

        1. Joy Gatlin says:

          Yes, you may have incidents where you have to work with insurance to get them to pay. But it never ever takes 18 months minimum to get paid back. People are going to collections… I literally think having Liberty is one of the worst financial decisions any family could make. If you have a claim you can almost guarantee you will go into collections…And when you call they will give you the run around and to make matters worse. The IRS 990 shows that they paid their CEO 500.000 dollars in 2019 while they were unable to pay claims in a timely basis…this is more than any other healtshare I could find….run run run

      2. Kathleen Blessing says:

        My personal experience was precisely the same. They offer zero answers to their extended wait times on payments. Collection agents begin destroying your credit. They use ridiculous canned language to explain that LHS is not insurance. They do not know how long it will take. Could be eternity. Money submitted is a gift and you really can’t expect anything at all in return for the gift on your donation. Biggest financial mistake of my entire life.

      3. Corey Whittaker says:

        I have had an awful time with LHS. They don’t communicate well with me or each other. There are bills that show up, and I have no idea what they even are. Sometimes they have asked me to submit additional information, which I do, and they create a new bill which resets the clock. I am 5 months past a claim and it has not be paid and every time I call, I get excuses. I like the way it is structured, but it does not work I have never been so frustrated with health care issues.

        1. My experience has been terrible too. They don’t send messages, they don’t advise if something is wrong until about 3 months later. They then ask for additional info- in my case actual medical records. This was an ongoing condition with a specialist so it clearly is all the same event. Honestly you better have a lot of money in the bank to risk maybe never getting reimbursed.

        2. Beware that if you ever decide to cancel that you have to do it by the 20th of the month before, even though they don’t charge your card until around the 5th of the next month. If you try to cancel after that, they will hold you by their “RULE” and have no compassion if you have the money ” to donate” or not.
          They are very uncompassionate considering they are a ministry organization.
          Left a very sour taste in my mouth.
          I would never go back.

          1. Joy Gatlin says:

            Do not go with Liberty

      4. Rachel Fischer says:

        Yep — same experience. Health Shares are NOT the answer so many hoped. You may save a few dollars up front only to be in the hole if you actually have a medical expense. Liberty Health MAY have good intentions, but they appear as nothing short of a scam.

      5. My wife and I have been Liberty members for a couple years now and really haven’t had any claims until February of 2018. At that time, my wife turned in a little over $1,000.00 for treatment she received at a local clinic where both our PCP’s practice. Unfortunately, when the bills were submitted, Liberty marked this bill as a duplicate and only processed the bill for the $100 we have to pay each time we go to this clinic for treatment/ appointment because they don’t accept Liberty. That $100 went as part of our AUA which we expected. After a month or so of not seeing anything in our Sharebox relating to the larger bill we contacted Liberty. We were told the larger bill had to be sent back to be reprocessed. I could go on and on about this situation, but long story short Liberty still has not paid this bill. My wife called Liberty and advised them the clinic is going to send us to collections but was advised the bill is still in processing? She asked how long does it take to reprocess a bill. The rep told her they don’t have a time period any longer. So, here we are today with another notice from our provider asking us for the money and to contact them within 10 days. We just don’t know what to think about this whole process with Liberty. We shouldn’t have to wait over a year for Liberty to pay a bill. I’m not even going to start with a bill I submitted that was originally denied by Liberty because it needed pre authorization, when Liberty later found, after i called them, it did not need pre authorization. So, it was sent back for reprocessing. We wonder if it’s going to be another year or more to get this one taken care of. There is one thing Liberty has no trouble with and that is taking our monthly share amount from us. They’ve never had any problems doing that!

    2. Joy Gatlin says:

      Other health shares get great current reviews but outside of Holly and Greg you will not find many positive reviews of Liberty ….

  4. This is fascinating as the healthcare landscape is changing so quickly. I’m glad that my family and I are covered by my comprehensive employer plan because things are so complex.

    This plan would make me nervous, I think, because it does have a cap on the payout. For me, the purpose of insurance is to cover you in case of a catastrophe. In this case, god forbid, you do have a major health catastrophe, it could still drive your family into bankruptcy, right?

    That would make me nervous – on the other hand, I’m not paying the bills either, so you have to do what is right for you and your family!

    1. Right now, that’s a very manageable risk. Since you can sign up for Obamacare three months out of the year, we could easily get a plan if we started getting close to our $1 million max.

      What would make me more nervous (and upset) would be throwing $800 – $900 per month into the trash for a narrow network plan with a $12,000 or $13,000 deductible. I’ll take the risk. Chances are good we won’t accumulate $1 million in costs in a given year considering we haven’t had any healthcare costs to speak of our entire lives (other than when my kids were born).

      1. Tommy Hodge says:

        I am seriously considering this plan. Just got my Obamacare renewal I will pay for a family of 5 with no health issues $2,063 a month with a HSA compliant deductible of $6500. I am so glad there are options out there. As far as the $1M limit is concerned I use to sell health insurance and every year the company shared their top 10 claims of the year. None ever hit over $1M the most expensives were premature babies and burn victims. Rarely did cancer or heart attacks reach the top 10. Now that was about 8 years ago but I feel comfortable with the $1M limit. Thanks for the info.

        1. Hey Tommy! We were/are willing to take our chances with the $1 million cap, too. Definitely beats getting extorted! That $1 million only has to last until the next Obamacare enrollment period, too, since you can apply for a new ACA plan three months per year. So really, that 1 million per incident cap just needs to last 9 months at most.

          1. Holly – Could you verify your comment, “…you can apply for a new ACA plan(Affordable Care Act/Obamacare) three months per year”? Unless you incur a “Qualifying Event” which makes you eligible for a “Special Enrollment” in the ACA, enrollment in an ACA plan (or any health insurance plan other than possibly a short term catastrophic plan) cannot be EFFECTIVE until Jan 1st of the subsequent year https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/qualifying-life-event/. Thank you for clarification.

          2. Kurt propst says:

            Remember, that is $1,000,000 cap per person, per incident! I called and discussed this at length with Liberty. Instead of paying $500/month on ACA with $10,000 deduc(plus tax penalty if I make more than what I stated), we can pay $449 and $1500 AUA amont!! Worth the savings and risks.

          3. Kathleen Blessing says:

            Holly, hope you don’t actually have to use it. There’s no way you’ll get to the cap because they’ll stop paying bills way before that.

          4. We’ve used it multiple times without any issue thus far.

          5. Joy Gatlin says:

            I do not know how you can in good conscience recommend Liberty Healthshare…they are taking over 12 months to pay claims have over 200 complaint as of today in the Attorney Generals office in Canton, Ohio…they told my provider they do not have the money to pay my 2500 dollar claim. I pay 400 dollars a month just for me…The Attorney General is sending me the 200+ complaints as they are public record. I would be happy to forward them to you when I get them….this company is not paying bills period. You are really steering people to wreck themselves it they have a huge claim…

          6. Joy Gatlin says:

            So you seriously encourage people to go with Liberty when they are taking 18 months minimum to pay, Tell providers…and yes I have a bill that says this that they do not have the money to pay your bill even though it is approved for sharing and has been since July…um it is December and even though they cannot pay their customers bills they pay their CEO 500,000 dollars in 2019, spend 120,000 for lobbying and 250,000 to sponsot CPAC…seriously you can actually recommend them…such a great Christian Company

          7. Joy Gatlin says:

            Seriously how can you as a Christian recommend a company that at their own admission is taking 18 months to pay bills but manages to pay their CEO 500,000 dollars in 2019, CPAC 250,000 dollars and 120,000 in lobbying expenses…people that is more than any other healthshare and a lot more than most… Run run run

      2. I understand paying 100% until you’ve reached your out of pocket, but what happens after that? Do you have to pay and wait to be payed back, or do they pay your provider directly?
        Thanks,
        Tina

        1. Actually wellness appointment me, Paps, and mammograms and colonoscopys are covered 100% without having to meet the 500.00 member allowance. But I have read where people went to the doctor and still had to pay and were not reimbursed. I am praying this doesn’t happen to me.

        2. Joy Gatlin says:

          Be prepared to wait 18 months at the minimum and that includes huge hospital bills that will go to collection… there are plenty of healtshares without this issue

      3. Deana Bossio says:

        Hi Holly, I am in the market for another health sharing plan. I currently have Medi-share but they raised the monthly amount. Anyways, I am reading reviews and seeing many complaints about bills not being paid. You can google search the reviews yourself and see. Here are some yelp reviews: https://www.yelp.com/biz/liberty-healthshare-canton-3 I would like LIberty HS to respond to the complaints. Everything looks good on the website; the numbers, the benefits and how it is supposed to work. I’m just concerned about the actual application. Thank you for any insight or comments.

        1. Joy Gatlin says:

          Ha..there are plenty of responses…all explaining why the are not legally obligated to pay because they are not insurance

      4. Catherine says:

        Hi Holly. I’m not sure how long ago you wrote this but since changes are now possible with the ACA are you concerned that soon you will not be able to sign up for insurance when you are reaching your 1 million dollar cap because the laws may change regarding pre-existing conditions? That seems like a concern and possibility to me. What do you think on that? Thanks. Catherine

        1. Hi Catherine, I just updated this post in early October. Did you read it?

          No, I am not worried about reaching the 1 million cap per illness considering we are healthy other than my daughter breaking her arm. I do not waste my time stressing over highly unlikely “what ifs.”

          1. anothervictim says:

            I love how you won’t reply to all the many, many people on your comments who Liberty won’t pay their bills.

          2. I have over 1,000 articles on this website. Do you really think I have the time to reply to every single comment that comes along? Seriously?

            Please remember I don’t work for Liberty. This is my personal review based on my personal experience. Anyone is welcome to leave a comment sharing theirs, but no, it is not my full-time job to reply to every person who doesn’t agree with something I have said.

      5. Priscella says:

        Actually, Liberty’s Complete is 1 million dollars per incident, not per year. I have this plan and so do many others I know and have had it for many years. The bills are sent directly to liberty, they are paid. I have heard of some who said they took a while to pay, but what they found out was the provider (ie. hospital or doctor office), did not respond to Liberty’s request for the member’s medical history which is requested when it’s a serious condition or procedure. One of my friend’s had a triple bypass surgery and the bill was paid. That was one month after he joined. Overall, it’s far better for a family with a predominately healthy lifestyle and no major conditions. Traditional Health Insurance is for those with major medical and pre-existing conditions. Which I would advise Brenda she could easily put her son on Obamacare.

        1. Joy Gatlin says:

          If you make a claim in 2021 that is more than a hundred or so dollars you can anticipate it taking a minimum of 12 months to get paid…that is straight from Liberty…if you have a major medical expense can your credit afford hundreds of thousands of dollars?

      6. Holly, any update to your October 2018 post? Have you received payment?

    2. My brother was diagnosed with cancer. He has BlueCross insurance through his employer. They WILL NOT pay for his chemo!!! You think just because you have great health insurance you are covered when a catastrophe occurs only to find out when that catastrophe actually happens, they won’t pay.

  5. We belong to Liberty and I have no problems with it so far. It’s much more affordable, and it covers us even though we travel full-time, so it’s a win-win!

    1. I have sold insurance in the past, and have been very impressed with Liberty Health Share. I have had zero problems using it at any medical facility. My brother is a top insurance salesman for a his company and he just signed up with Liberty.

    2. Catherine says:

      Hi Michelle. How old is your post? I am concerned about all the reports of non payment in 2018. Have you made any claims?

    3. Joy Gatlin says:

      If you make a claim in 2021 that is more than a hundred or so dollars you can anticipate it taking a minimum of 12 months to get paid…that is straight from Liberty…if you have a major medical expense can your credit afford hundreds of thousands of dollars?

  6. Chantal Milling says:

    This is surprising. I’ve looked into Liberty but there are so many very upset members on their Facebook page and their rating on BBB is so low. When I called they said they were Christian but any religion can join. Confusing.

    1. This is what is concerning me as I consider joining. Have you had claims recently, and were they covered quickly?

      1. We have had bills within the last 3 months (including lab bills, doctor bills, surgery center bills) and all have been shared “quickly” by LHS. We’ve had absolutely no problems thus far.

        1. Joy Gatlin says:

          Wow you must have some connections because when you call Liberty they will flat out tell you they are currently paying bills 18 months out. I have a bill that has been approved for sharing since July it is now Dec and they will not even give me an idea…all were preapproved and all were coded correctly …. There are hundreds of complaints with the BBB over a 1000 and over 265 recent complaints with the Attorney General of Ohio …so tell us all Greg what do you do to get your bills paid quickly…inquiring minds want to know

      2. We’ve had LHS for about a year and a half. Shortly after signing up, I had a medical emergency and subsequent surgery that ended up costing around $70K. Due to our LHS info not being inputted correctly at the hospital, the hospital did not bill Liberty, but instead sent us the bills. I sent them to Liberty. LHS negotiated the bills down with the hospital and after a couple of months paid all of the bills for the negotiated amounts minus our AUA. After that our children had a few doctor visits here or there and they were submitted directly by the doctor’s office to LHS and all were paid in the same way, with the exception of one of the bills. One of my sons had an eye emergency (the don’t cover regular eye doctor visits, but will cover medically necessary eye emergencies, surgeries, etc.). They paid all of his bills for his doctors and his procedures except the initial emergency bill. It has now been 8 months since that emergency and we are still waiting for the bill to be paid. Apparently instead of actually negotiating all of the bills with the medical providers, some of them they just adjust themselves at a percentage similar to what Medicaid would cover and send the provider that adjusted amount. In the case of this bill, LHS sent our provider a check for what amounted to about 40% of the bill with a provision that if it was accepted, that constituted payment in full. The provider sent LHS back the check because they were not willing to accept 40% of the bill as payment in full. By this time it had been several months and so the medical provider sent me the bill. I emailed it to Liberty and they told me that they had paid it but that the provider had rejected it. After going back and forth several times with both LHS and the provider, I finally found out what exactly had happened. LHS had me email the bill to their legal department at MedCost Solutions LLC. I did and after about a month, I was notified that they had not been able to successfully negotiate a discount for this bill so they would be paying it in full. It has now been over a month and we are still waiting for payment to be sent to the provider. I get weekly (sometimes more) calls from the provider asking about payment, and all I can tell them is that it was approve by LHS and they should get paid soon. I was also told by LHS & MedCost Solutions NOT to make any payments on it since that would jeopardize their ability to negotiate on my behalf or something like that.

        Overall, we have mostly had really good experiences with Liberty, but apparently there can always be a glitch like this and everything does not always go smoothly. Also, in the last several months, apparently they have been getting more members and so it is now taking longer for bills to be paid because they said they are swamped. Also, LHS will only cover 1/2 of needed prescriptions for any covered expense.

        If I had unlimited funds, maybe regular health insurance would be easier, I don’t know, but since I don’t, this has worked mostly very well for our family. Also, I like that our monthly payments are not going towards anything that we find morally objectionable.

      3. Lately, it seems to take no less than three months, usually more, for bills to be shared. We just finally got a bill from last July shared and we currently have several bills from January that they say have been approved for sharing, but still not shared almost four months later.

      4. Kathleen Blessing says:

        They take about a month to pay for a small bill. If you have an emergency or hospital stay or anything they can remotely pick apart, then you’re in a lot of trouble. They have ABSOLUTELY ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY BY LAW TO PAY ANYTHING. And, they have no problem telling you this. Read the fine print. They did not write it without a purpose. In the end, they will lean on it. I joined a year and a half ago. I’m staring at $40,000 in bills that they won’t pay. Some are approved, some are not. Some are waiting for the doctor to send his fingerprint on a blood sample laced with holy water. It’s impossible to get them to pay anything. You can wait and talk to a thousand reps. It won’t matter. They do not pay after a few bills. It all stops. Legally, you can do nothing and they know it.

        1. Kathleen, was your issue resolved? We are possibly in a similar situation with an unexpected hospitalization and thousands of dollars worth of bills. It’s still early but the impression I am getting so far is that I am on my own. Please let me know how ya’ll are doing.

        2. Joy Gatlin says:

          Please notify the Attorney General of ohio it is easy to do and they are helpful also please file a complaint with the BBB we have to protect other people as well as advocate for ourselves. Thanks

      5. We submitted 3 bills on the 4th of July and today is August 22nd and we have not received an update on the status. For now I am reserving judgment but we are getting nervous.

        1. Hey Randall, we’ve submitted several requests to them before. Payment typically takes a few months, which is slow but not unusual when working with healthcare. You can always check with customer service as well.

          1. Greg, the difference is that if you have traditional health insurance, when payment takes a few months, it is the health care provider that has floated the payment and it’s really of no concern to the policyholder. When you are self pay, you are the one advancing the payment and have to chase the health share for reimbursement.

            In the case of your daughter’s broken arm which you estimate could come to $40,000 by the time all is said and done, are you prepared to advance that much on behalf of Liberty, and then wait to be reimbursed for months, with the outside possibility that they do not fully cover it? I don’t think there are many who would be ok with that. Folks are generally signing up with the health share in the first place because they do not have the means to easily afford traditional insurance.

          2. That is actually not how it works at all. This is our 5th year with Liberty and we have never paid upfront and waited to be reimbursed. All our bills have been sent direct to Liberty (including a $10,000 surgery I had the year before last).

          3. Holly, thanks for your reply. I’m happy that it is working well for you. However, as I’m reading more reviews of Liberty, I’m finding that many complain that this is the exact situation that they are in. Folks saying that Liberty just drags their feet attempting not to pay. Others saying that they’ve had to pay because Liberty takes so long that the provider/administrator was turning it over for collection. Still others indicating that their bills were in fact turned over for collection.

          4. I have only read a handful of bad reviews for Liberty over the years and they almost all sounded like user error to me. Where are all these bad reviews you speak of?

          5. There are a few on yelp. The Better Business Bureau has flagged Liberty because the issue is so frequent.

            https://www.bbb.org/us/oh/canton/profile/private-health-services-plan/liberty-healthshare-0282-92006475/details#Pattern-of-Complaint

            “BBB has noticed a pattern of complaints is beginning to exist concerning billing issues. Consumers allege there is a significant delay in receiving reimbursement for medical services. Often times, consumers are waiting over 90 days for reimbursement which is longer than the 45-60 day time frame consumers are being told by the company. Additionally consumers state confusion of medical services/procedures covered by the plan. ”

            “Update: As of July 18, 2018, BBB has determined a pattern of complaints still exists. Since the BBB met with company representatives in April 2018, there have been 21 additional complaints and 10 negative customer reviews. “

          6. Hmmm….I haven’t read about that yet. I will say they have paid a few of our bills fairly slow, as in over 3 months from beginning to end. It wasn’t a problem for us, but I did notice the slowness since I stay on top of things. Ultimately though, they paid.

          7. Hi Greg,

            Liberty Healthshare is a mess right now. Please do not delete this post. People need to know that 2 months is not realistic to be reimbursed. We paid out of pocket our bills and cannot get traction on our bills. (Bills were from service back in September and some even prior I believe). We have been patient with them as requested due to their training of new employees and system updates. Frustration for anyone submitting claims is likely from my vantage point and they need to stop accepting new clients until they can catch up with the ones they already have. I you do not have any claims you will be happy but if you have claims be prepared for frustration.

          8. Holly and Greg,

            Please take serious the BBB report. Part of a very long frustration for us is this. 1–Our maternity doctor facility would not bill Liberty and I believe it is due to their reputation. 2–Hence we had to pay our maternity expenses out of pocket. 3–We have submitted bills from our baby delivery which was in September as well as some invoices before. We were reimbursed for a few of the smaller bills but not any of the larger ones. The rep/manager we are working with seems overwhelmed and does not reach back out to us with updates as she has represented. We have been floating the money for months and months and months. If I were a doctor I would not bill directly to Liberty. Please reconsider who it is you have chosen to represent as I believe they have changed. They have some people working their with some big hearts who are great people but that will not rid your frustration as they have such a bureaucracy to get things paid that a big heart will only do so much.

    2. I am an actual member (not employee) of LHS as of November 2015. My experience has been that they initially denied to reimburse me for a routine preventative scan I had in January 2016 on the grounds of a “pre-existing condition”. It took at least 3 months of playing the go-between for my care provider and LHS. I had to get a letter from my provider attesting to the lack of pre-existing symptoms. Once this was submitted, it was another couple months of waiting for the bill to go through their whole system again. Then it said payment pending… but no payment arrived! Apparently there was yet another glitch– more emails between me and customer service. Finally, 8 whole months after the scan I received reimbursement in full. Did I mention this was my first bill? Now I am 7 months pregnant (fortunately that happened after we were already members), and although Liberty claims they will cover pregnancy, I remain skeptical. A couple fees have been applied to my AUA, but the major bill from my midwife, though already submitted over a month ago, has yet to show progress.

      A couple things I learned: The first tier service reps need more training– do not trust their answers to your questions as they often change or are pretty vague depending on whom you talk to. Push to speak with someone higher up. I actually stumbled upon an excellent, knowledgeable employee simply by submitting my questions through the “Contact Us” button on the website. I saved her email and she is my go-to for troubleshooting.

      Secondly, MAKE SURE you or your doctor are submitting ITEMIZED, CODED bills, and receipt of payment if you pay out of pocket. If Liberty doesn’t know you paid OOP, they might discount the bill, and only credit your AUA with that amount, rather than the amount you actually forked out. Hope that made sense.

      Finally, it seems Liberty is doing what they promised, but seeing as how their membership quintupled over the last 12 months, they are struggling to keep up in more ways then one. Patience seems to be key.

      1. I just joined LHS a few months ago, have not been to the doctor yet and a few things I’m confused by. Also, the customer service is a mixed bag, can be hard to get a clear straight answer. I was lining up a office visit to a doctor for a minor thing and physical. I called a bunch of different local clinics with doctors. Most do not know who LHS. Two of them seemed to agree to bill them direct, a 3rd (a large hospital) said they would only bill me direct and I would have to get reimbursed.

        Second thing I do not quite understand is how they negotiate bills. Will I pay more for medical care then if I had regular insurance? I am speaking of my first $500 of non-shared amount before they cover 100%. LHS is not contracted with and does not have pre-negotiated rates with health providers like insurance companies do. So I’m wondering since this is the case, will I be paying MORE for my healthcare because of this? Especially the first $500 that is out of my pocket? For example, a basic doctors visit may be $400. A insurance company that is contracted with that healthcare provide may have a pre-negotiated rate that discounts that by 60%. But with LHS will I have to pay that whole amount (until I hit $500)? I could not get a straight answer about this when I called customer service. You really do have to push to get someone knowledgeable.

        I don’t think LHS does a good enough job of explaining how the billing works before you join. You are really on your own with it with trial and error. And I have my fingers crossed it will work.

        1. Hey Thomas, Many billing departments are still mentally stuck in the “old” system and can’t seem to think outside it. If for some reason they aren’t willing to work with you, I just ask them to treat me as a cash pay customer. I also ask for a cash discount. If they give one, I’ll pay then. If not, I’ll wait until I get a bill. In the meantime, I’ll send my bills to LHS for reimbursement/to be counted toward my annual share amount.

          As far as the negotiation, they simply negotiate a bills like an insurance company would. While medical cost sharing is not insurance, you should run the math to see how much you’re saving. In your scenario, even if you paid a full $400 visit as opposed to a highly discounted $160, that’s only a $240 difference. My guess is that you still come out way ahead choosing medical cost sharing over insurance. You’ll have to weigh that for yourself, but for our family, the math definitely made sense.

          1. Jerry Norton says:

            Greg do you work for LHS?

          2. No, he doesn’t. Neither one of us do. We’re self-employed. My husband blogs for a living and I’m a professional writer.

          3. I was about to sign up with Liberty Healthshare but decided to research them on the internet first and I am sure glad I did! I am not going to go with this health sharing ministry after all. I have read good things about Medi-Share and have met a couple of people on a forum I belong to that are happy with Medi-Share and don’t seem to have these extremely long payment issues. Funny thing, about a week ago I had given out my e-mail address to them for a “decision guide” and the rep called me every.single.day and left a voicemail every day also. Reading all these negative reviews here, on Yelp, on BBB, and two other blogs has changed my mind about going with them. They seem extremely eager to sign new people up but then they don’t come through.

          4. Joy Gatlin says:

            So you think it is normal for 200 people have notified the Attorney General of the State of ohio to complain? that is not normal…it also is not normal for a company to tell your provider they do not have the money to pay your claim and I did everything by the book….I will be happy to provide you with the 200 complaints the attorney general has as they are a matter of public record and I have formally requested all of them. Go and look at the BBB page for Canton Ohio and you will find nothing but complaints…seriously if you have not found problems you are not looking. I just started this complaint process this week and I am in shock how many people owe hundreds of thousands of dollars that Liberty is not paying…I will be happy to sent you any documentation you would like believe me I do not set out on a quest like this without covering my behind

          5. Joy Gatlin says:

            So you are telling me that you recommend a company that takes 18 months to pay, pays their CEOn 500,000 dollars which is more than double any other healtshare I can find, paid 250,000 to sponsor cpac and 120,000 in lobbying expenses all in 2019…I cannot tell you about 2020 because the IRS had not published it yet and they are refusing my requests to see it even though they are required to show it to anyone who asks….geez people do your homework do not ruin your finances

      2. Hi Meagan, thank you for sharing! Could you please update on your pregnancy bills if it was paid or not by Liberty. Any challanges you had with them or maybe non. We are planning on having a baby and I was very concern how it will work with LHS. Any output will help. Thanks, Olga

      3. Meagan, please share the name and contact information (phone # and/or email address) of your LHS “Go To” person! Inquiring s need to know!

    3. Which BBB site would you find them on? Aren’t BBB reports local (city) based?

  7. I had to be hospitalized for 5 weeks at the end of my pregnancy due to a partial rupture of amniotic sac. Baby was also in NICU for 2.5 weeks. I have excellent low cost coverage for myself (through work) but when adding son for that NICU stay, I did have to pay $700/ month for two months of insurance (as work only covers employee) before he could get on CHIP in Pennsylvania (no income limits for CHIP here, I pay full premium of $127/month). Have you heard of people’s experiences with child birth and hospital stays with Liberty? Being that my situation was completely unplanned and docs found no cause, I’d be curious how a health care ministry handles something like that.

    1. I read Liberty isn’t available in Pa.

  8. Health Sharing ministries are just going to get more and more popular. None of the major insurers made any money and it looks like the losses are getting closer to $750M – $1B combined. Even the biggest insurer still in the game will see breaking even in 2017 as a big win. Obamacare really can’t continue like this where insurers are losing hundreds of millions while premiums and deductibles are already very unaffordable for families.

  9. I’ve heard of Liberty Healthshare being an innovative alternative to traditional insurance. I have to do my research and do due diligence on it but as of right now I’m going to stay with my employer provided healthcare insurance. Thanks for the post and educating on how to save!

  10. I’ve seen ads for these for years, but thanks for filling in the details and your experience. I think this would be a great option for us when we’re no longer covered by an employer-subsidized health plan. The fact that you have to monitor and submit your own claims may be a benefit in a way–I think being involved in that can help avoid errors.

  11. I just saw this – thank you. I signed my husband and I up for Liberty Healthshare last week (we were accepted in less than 18 hours, that was nice) and was really hoping we made the right decision. Seeing your review made me smile. We had to switch from our $330 plan last year to a $570 one this year with crappy coverage (pretty much the same as all of the awful ones you mentioned – $13,000 max out of pocket and $4000 per person deductibles). My plan was expiring this month and was going to month-to-month, so we switched to Liberty Healthshare. We pay $299 a month (no kids yet…working on that, lol) for that $1,000,000 per incident coverage with a non-share amount of $1000 per year. I’m ecstatic about the price but was so worried about them actually following through, so thank you so much. Now I feel confident I made the right decision. We don’t get sick often, they know I’m trying to get pregnant, and they are more inclusive than the other health ministries I’ve seen, so yay!!! Glad to join you in the LH club! 🙂

    1. Hey! I hope you guys like Liberty like we do. Like I mentioned in the post, we didn’t have any claims in 2015. We have this year, though. We actually just hit our “deductible.” I am SO HAPPY we found this medical cost sharing plan. It’s affordable and it makes sense. And you can see whatever doctor you want in any network, too. This is honestly the most common sense plan I have ever been on.

      1. Jim Ludwig says:

        Holly,
        My wife and I are not members of LHS but are considering it. The one thing that I read which is different from your interpretation is that the “deductible” only applies to one diagnosis or event. Unlike traditional insurance, the deductible is credited for all out of pocket expenses. While it is likely that one diagnosis will result in multiple bills, for a couple or family having multiple events, it would mean multiple “deductibles” being paid.

        1. Hey Jim, where did you read that? Its simply not true. Your deductible for the year is for all medical expenses – not per incident or illness. I should know – we met our “deductible” this summer and have had all expenses covered since. If you need more confirmation than my word on it, definitely call Liberty and ask. Their customer service people are helpful.

          1. I read the same thing in the explanation of benefits. It was somewhat confusing and made me also think the deductible was per incident. This year to get the “same” insurance we have had in the past the cost has skyrocketed to over $2000/month, less a subsidy of $600, a higher deductible, and less coverage. I am seriously considering this plan. I have not read any information about medication coverage and how that works. Could someone please enlighten me?

          2. I am considering all options and reading along the way. Do you know the height/weight guidelines for the plan? Thanks

          3. Chris Falk says:

            Hi Holly – I just signed up with LHS and a friend challenged me about their financial viability after he looked at their last audit posted on the site from 2015. It shows a little over $6m in revenue if we read it right which doesn’t imply a LOT of capital to pay up to $1m caps in a worst case scenario. Do you interpret differently or have other info? thank you!

          4. Hey Chris,

            First, thanks for reading. I’m glad you’re here.

            Let me preface this by saying that I am not an accountant, so I could totally be reading this wrong. That said, I’m not sure where you got your info. You can find the latest audit (dated Dec. 31, 2016) here: https://www.libertyhealthshare.org/content/annual_audit_2015.pdf

            Again, I’m not an accountant, but I do not see a $6M figure listed anywhere.

            However, if you look at Note C (Pg. 10), you’ll notice the section on Members’ Sharing Funds. These are not included on the balance sheet because they belong to the members, not to the company. If I’m reading it right, the members funds had a 2016 beginning cash balance of $3.63M. Members contributed over $54.73M for a subtotal of $58.36M. Of that, $55.62M was shared for medical needs and other assistance in 2016.

            Again, I’m definitely not an accountant. I encourage you to take a look for yourself and decide what you will.

          5. Chris Falk says:

            HI Greg – thank you for your reply. I see what you’re referring to. I think the $6m figure on page 1 or 2 are the member fees etc that LHS can recognize. I’m trying to get my head around how LHS stays viable with such a low “deductibe” equiv and monthly sharing $. It seems like medical bills could exceed those #’s pretty easily for the avg family but I guess it just depends.

          6. That’s probably something you need to discuss with them directly as I’m unqualified to answer that. Similar to a traditional insurance company, I’m assuming they have some serious actuary work going on that keeps them viable. It’s probably also important to note that the parent company is a non-profit organization. Again, I’d direct your questions to Liberty directly.

          7. Also, I see almost $32M in membership dues (they can recognize) with total unrestricted revenues and gains in 2016 coming in at just over $36.4M. But again, I’d direct any questions toward Liberty 😉

        2. Priscella says:

          Dear Jim,

          It is called Annual UnShared Amount (AUA), similar to annual deductible. Once you reach that amount regardless of how many visits, then liberty medical cost sharing kicks in. Also, on Liberty Complete (1M per incident) comes with the Savenet DISCOUNT card for dental, vision, hearing and prescription – savenet4liberty.com. THERE IS ALSO A FINAL MEDICAL EXPENSE PAY OUT if the member passes away – $10,000 primary, 5000 for spouse, 2500 children~~~It’s just making sure you as a member fully understands how it works. The healthcare industry currently doesn’t work!!!

      2. Holly…my husband was recently laid off and we are looking for something cheaper then Obamacare and Cobra. I called Liberty today and they said he could get the complete plan. A friend told me about this. I guess my nervousness is will he really be paid back for dr visits? He’s very healthy, but we know we have to carry something or we get fined at tax time. So that is why we are looking for coverage. He gets maybe a sinus infection a year.
        So when you have submitted your claims this year, have you had any trouble getting them reimbursed?

        1. Hi there. We have actually never waited for reimbursement. All the doctors offices we have worked with have submitted our bills on our behalf. Once Liberty pays their share, then we pay the rest. We have had a very positive experience in terms of them paying the bills they agree to pay. The only negative I would say is that it took a few months for them to pay a few times. No big deal but I wish the process moved faster sometimes. I hope that helps.

          1. Deb Petersen says:

            Hi Holly,
            I have really appreciated reading your information on this topic. I currently work for a small school district and have to pay $629/mo for single $2000/yr deductible coverage. Not to be a Negative Nelly, but I do wonder, however, if your great customer service and payout history is in any way influenced by the fact that you blog about and recommend this company and get a commission on any memberships generated through your links?

          2. I think that’s a fair question. I can assure you that I am not treated special or influenced by the fact I blog about LHS. I make hundreds of thousands of dollars per year and maybe refer like 6-7 people to Liberty per month. I would never be dishonest about a product as important as this one to boost my own bottom line. If anything ever goes wrong with LHS, I will update my post and shout about it from the rooftops.

          3. Thanks for this specific post. We submitted 3 bills on the 4th of July. Today is August 22nd and we have still not been reimbursed. All 3 claims were for my spouse and totaled just over $1000.
            We have been a member since last year and these are our first reimbursement requests. Do you have any idea on how they determine who gets reimbursed and when? I hear of others being reimbursed quicker and I naturally we wonder why I am not receiving that same experience . I am developing a curiosity on how they determine who gets reimbursed and when as it is important that they are not discriminating. Hearing that even you, a marketer of their product, have experienced such delays still gives me hope in them. However, I must say it is trying my faith in them as an institution.

          4. We have had several bills take a few months to process, although we weren’t waiting to be reimbursed. We always had the doctor send the bills to Liberty first versus paying them ourselves upfront.

            They are kinda slow, but so are traditional insurance companies. Give them some time. Or you can call their customer service and follow up. They are usually pretty helpful.

    2. Joy Gatlin says:

      So you are telling me you chose a company that takes 18 months to pay, pays their CEOn 500,000 dollars which is more than double any other healtshare I can find, paid 250,000 to sponsor cpac and 120,000 in lobbying expenses all in 2019…I cannot tell you about 2020 because the IRS had not published it yet and they are refusing my requests to see it even though they are required to show it to anyone who asks….geez people do your homework do not ruin your finances

  12. We just got our Liberty coverage effective August 1st. As full time younger RVers it seemed like a great option. My skeptical wife was impressed with Liberty after a long phone conversation with a representative before signing up.

    I worked for Kaiser Permanente for six years in their Internet development group and know how overly complicated and inefficient our healthcare system can be. Hoping this works out.

    1. Hi Scott,
      How are things with Liberty a year later? I’m planning to signup next week.
      Thanks,
      Dan

    2. Can people please DATE their comments since this site doesn’t do it automatically? I am writing this on 2/8/19.

  13. I’ve heard of health care alternatives, but I’m more interested in deeper research on how they operate and what can happen to the member with such low caps. Are they for-profit or not? Is the $1M cap per person or for the whole family? Are the drugs also included in this cap?
    I’m guessing such ‘institutions’ don’t negotiate prices with doctors and just pay the retail price or what the insured person manages to negotiate? If you negotiate to pay for a procedure on the spot from your cash or by CC (I’ve heard that supposedly docs give you 10-20% discount you pay yourself), does Liberty wire the money to your account then? What happens if Obamacare enrollment is closed and something very unfortunate happens requiring surgeries, lengthy hospital stays, physical therapy, and expensive drugs and the cap is reached within 4-5 months? Are you on your own then?
    The way I see it, it’s similar to the private insurance that existed pre-Obamacare: caps and stringent stipulations to join, but perhaps premiums were much higher then.
    Yes, it’s great that there’re alternatives as I don’t like Obamacare myself. The concept is good, IMO, but not at the prices that keep increasing 15-25% on annual basis. Funny, how gov’t doesn’t take that or education price increases when calculating inflation…
    OTOH, welcome to capitalism LOL; anything is done for business but least possible for people.

    1. Let me answer your questions.

      Healthcare sharing ministries are nonprofit. The $1 million cap is per illness or “incident.” That includes drugs.

      I have gotten the health insurance discount on all of my bills so far.

      You said: “What happens if Obamacare enrollment is closed and something very unfortunate happens requiring surgeries, lengthy hospital stays, physical therapy, and expensive drugs and the cap is reached within 4-5 months? Are you on your own then?”

      I suppose you would be “on your own.” The chance of someone in my family running through $1 million in coverage when enrollment isn’t open is extremely slim. After all, open enrollment is only closed 9 months out of the year. I’ll take my chances.

      1. How does the discount work? There is no contract with the providers, so why would they honor the discount? What happens if they don’t accept the discount?

        1. Hey Steve,
          They negotiate bills similar to how an insurance company would negotiate. You can also negotiate bills on your own.

      2. According to Liberty, they only cover 50% of the cost of the drugs/Rx associated with each covered expense. I know this to be a fact because they say with prescriptions, you pay out of pocket and then submit receipts for reimbursement. I did and received a reimbursement of only 50% of what I paid. I thought they were just “negotiating a discount”, but when I called to say, I already paid this in full, that is when they told me that they only cover 50% of the Rx costs. I could not find this in the plan materials and had been previously told that Rx related to a covered expense was covered. It is not in full. Also, the “Prescription Discount Plan” that comes with a Liberty Complete Membership is worthless as far as we’ve found. I have not found one pharmacy willing to accept it. I even spent quite a bit of time on the phone with Liberty to find out which pharmacies would accept it, and when I called the pharmacies that LHS gave me, the pharmacies said they do NOT accept it and that any discount program can list any pharmacy as being on their plan when they are not, and the only way a pharmacy can get their name off Liberty’s or any other discount programs list is to sue.

    2. priscella says:

      Hi Sidras,

      I would suggest you visit their website http://www.liberyhealthshare.org, thoroughly read through the website and download health sharing guidelines. They also have their financials on the website. Yes. they are non-profit. Liberty Complete Option is 1 Million per incident for each member. I had a friend who had liberty and needed triple bypass surgery after having coverage for only 1 month. His bills were paid an his only out of pocket was his Annual Unshared Amount of $500. That was two years ago. He still is with them today.

  14. Jim Johnson says:

    My wife joined Liberty in 2014 as well. so far so good although we haven’t actually made a claim. I track through google alerts anything about Liberty and that’s how I found this post. I’m no sure what to make of the reported BBB rating or the Facebook complaints.

    1. Raymond Fritsch says:

      Jim, what complaints are on fb?

      1. Jim Johnson says:

        sorry-I can’t recall more details. we are still with LHS however.

    2. I have tried to do some research on Liberty to see what complaints people have and there are none on their Facebook page. It looks as though they turned off the “visitor comments” section and if you scan the posts they make there are no negative comments under their posts. Do you know if public pages can delete user comments under their posts? I know you can block someone, but can you hide or delete a comment? On the BBB page, there’s only 5 complaints (I think…or maybe 8) but it’s so minor. So I’m curious as to where we may be able to find people venting — or maybe they’ve cleaned up their issues and people are happy now? I have noticed a comment or two that someone went for an annual exam and was told something wouldn’t be covered because it was pre-existing. If this has happened to you or someone you know, can you please post more details? I spent 45 mins on the phone with a rep today and the concerns I had all left and I was going to think about it, pray on it, and sleep on it for the next day or two (they said coverage wouldn’t start until Mar 1 anyway) so I have time before I enroll. Also, the rep said something like 20,000 people enrolled in December or January. That’s encouraging. More money in the pot for all of us. Please post an update on how you’re doing on the plan. And how do they determine if something is pre-existing or not if you haven’t had any issues in the past and then the dr finds something during your exam?

      1. So far, so good, Randy. We’ve had Liberty for two years and everything is great. We didn’t have anything to report in 2015, but we spent about $10,000 in medical care in 2016. They shared everything as promised by the plan, after we met our $1,500 annual unshared amount.

        1. Thanks for the update! Not sure if you know this, but they told me they approve up to 12 massage therapy appointments each year which goes towards your deductible. LOVE IT!

        2. Do they reimburse you directly if you “self pay ” and pay the bill before hand?

  15. Thank you for the recent review. I am very interested in LHS. Are you apart of their “Guardians Group” or is that something you are automatically apart of when signing up for the Liberty Complete option? Also, what percentage of the time do you have to pay out of pocket the day of at the DR visit? Finally, by clicking on the link above does that automatically link you as my referrer?

    1. Hey Tamara! Thanks for writing.

      This page somewhat explains Guardians Group: https://www.libertyhealthshare.org/content/Sharing-Guidelines.pdf
      It appears to be included in our option – Liberty Complete. So far, we haven’t paid out of pocket to see the doctor until afterward. The doctors offices submit the bill to Liberty, then we pay after up to our $1,500 annual unshared amount. Yes, there are affiliate links on this page! I don’t think it links me as your referred unless you click it and sign up online. If you want to sign up without using anyones affiliate links, you can either clear your cookies or use a private browser! We appreciate you signing up through us, but no pressure. THANKS!

  16. As good as it sounds, it has definitely protected itself. Just reading this link makes me nervous to consider it: https://www.libertyhealthshare.org/legal-notices

    How do you know which states can join it? I read that PA’s residents are not eligible. Which other states are excluded?

    I do hope we’ll never need to join it, but to pay $1k-2k/month for a family is insane!! And then I bet you have to reach family’s deductible before insurance covers you partially until you reach your family’s OOP, right? Makes me wonder how much people in Congress and Senate are paid to afford such insurance or what kind of insurance plans they’re offered that they don’t have a clue what middle class Americans go through… They must be eating ‘happy’ cupcakes (is weed legal there?) for breakfast in DC.

    1. Politicians and other government employees are covered by government health insurance programs that they typically pay little or nothing for. This is a fundamental reason why a program as crappy as obamacare can exist – the people making the rules are exempt from the rules. Can’t wait to see how they handle social security and medicare.

  17. I totally disagree. I signed onto Liberty Health Share and I have made payments for seven months. I just turned into them my bill for my yearly check-up and also for a cortisone shot I need for arthritis from time to time. They paid nothing. I believe this is one of the biggest scams since Obamacare began.

    1. Joyce – I am trying to decide whether Liberty HealthShare (LHS) is right for me so I appreciate the reviews and, of course, negative reviews get my attention. Did you check if your healthcare practitioner entered a medical condition code vs the preventive code (this happens all the time) for your office visit? If your practitioner did not use the preventive code, it may be that your exam expense (as well as the injection for arthritis) was not eligible for sharing b/c it was deemed to be for a preexisting condition (if you had symptoms/treatment within the 24 mos prior to your LHS enrollment) and; therefore, expenses related to that pre-ex would not be eligible for sharing during your first 12 mos of LHS membership. See LHS Guidelines IV-C-14 Pre-Existing Conditions @ https://www.libertyhealthshare.org/content/Sharing-Guidelines.pdf. If your practitioner did not use the preventive code for the annual exam, you may want to ask him/her to correct the coding and resubmit. I am not affiliated with LHS in anyway — just trying to wade through all the pros and cons of these health sharing arrangements so I don’t blindly jump into one.

      1. I’d also be interested in knowing if Joyce had met her annual Out of Pocket Minimum before submitting those bills

    2. Hmmmm… that hasn’t been our experience at all. What steps have you taken to contact Liberty or your provider? When did you turn your bill in? Have you received actual confirmation of denial or have they simply not paid it yet? I’ve always found customer service to be very helpful, so I’d start with them.

    3. Joyce, can you share more info? Please don’t leave us hanging. Why didn’t Liberty HealthShare pay for your annual exam? Did you call a rep to find out why? Have you been able to sort it out?

  18. Hello: My name is Michelle, and I am the Member Solutions Specialist with Liberty Healthshare. I can answer any questions that you may have, and you can also reach our call center for more information at 855.585.4237. Our website http://www.libertyhealthshare.org also has a wealth of information for your review. Thanks so much, and be well!

  19. One big downside that you didn’t mention is that plans like these take (currently) healthy members out of the coverage pool for Obamacare, making it more expensive for those who remain on Obamacare. It doesn’t affect me personally as I’m on Medicare now, but it affects people across the country, especially those who have existing conditions and don’t have the same choices.

    1. That’s not a downside for people who join Liberty Healthshare. No one should have to pay extortion-level prices for healthcare, nor should they feel bad for seeking out a cheaper option.

      1. R. Parker says:

        That is not how healthcare works. The pool is for everyone;not just the healthy. You will -guaranteed- be unhealthy some day and it would be unfair to throw you out of the pool just to save money.

        1. Yeah, this really isn’t a piece about the politics of healthcare. We’ve also had firsthand experience with being removed from insurance pools, so we understand better than most the shortcomings of the insurance industry.

          Luckily, joining Liberty HealthShare is completely voluntary and serves as an “affordable” alternative to Obamacare. Nobody is being “thrown out” of any pools. I suspect if you were paying the full cost of your Obamacare plan, you’d probably be looking for a cheaper alternative as well.

    2. Gary – you are so right. O’nocare was designed to have “healthy people pay in and sick people get all the money (benefits)” as a Whitehouse respected key advisor/plan architect stated in what he thought was a private meeting. The advisor further said that they counted on “the stupidity of the American voter” (exact quote) and the lack of transparency as critical in passing O’nocare. It turns out that some of us aren’t as stupid as they thought. Thank God for healthsharing options. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/11/12/another-tape-surfaces-obamacare-architect-calling-american-people-stupid.html

      1. Yes, Sharon – you summed it up. They want a lot of us to pay more than we can afford so others can pay nothing. And they want us to feel bad if we don’t play along. (not a comment directed at you Gary – just a general remark)

        Personally, I don’t buy the idea that it’s my responsibility to overpay for healthcare. That’s like saying I should pay $20 for a loaf of bread so other people who can’t afford bread can get it for free.

        I think everyone should have access to healthcare that is priced fairly. Right now, it is very much a case of “haves” and “have-nots.” Higher income people are being asked to pay more for less. I recently met someone who is paying $40 per month for a gold plan. Even a bronze plan with a $13,000 deductible costs more than $800 per month for my family. And that’s a bronze plan that is on the same network as Medicaid in my area.

        1. Jerry Norton says:

          I am thinking about joining but the more I read the reviews on Yelp the more afraid I get. And Greg seems to work for them and to find out Holly is paid by them makes this an advertisement for them.

          1. I already responded once that Greg does not work for Liberty. I don’t either. I am a professional writer.

            We do receive a commission if people sign up for Liberty through our site, as well as almost everything else on this website. It’s called affilaite marketing and it’s how we make a living.

            If it makes you feel better, I would never promote Liberty if I didn’t believe in it 100%. We are 100% debt-free with no mortgage and make hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. I would not lie to people about a company to make more money. I don’t need the money and we only promote products we believe in.

            We have also been with Liberty for more than four years. I think that speaks for itself. If they ever didn’t do what they were supposed to do, I would change this review to reflect that. This is my website and I can say whatever I want.

            I hope this response is helpful.

    3. R. Parker says:

      Excellent point. I try to care about the health and wellness of all human beings.

    4. Gary – Part of the reason the cost is low is because they only take people that agree to exclude lifestyle choices that make people sick.

      I think it’s interesting that if you follow the rules of the Bible, you avoid many many health issues including some cancers. Obviously they didn’t know about bacterial and viral infections until around the 19th or 20th century. So the fact that the Bible said to avoid it is evidence of divine inspiration.

  20. GettingThere says:

    The sad problem is that people who have preexisting conditions and say earn as much as Holly’s family are not allowed to join the sharing ministries and have to join ACA. Perhaps those conditions are very under control, but you wouldn’t be allowed to join Liberty or any other. So, it’s pretty much saying “I’m healthy, screw you that you’re not”. We’re ignorant until we/family get affected by some conditions. I’m not for ACA pricing, but the attitude is very demeaning here: healthy vs. not super healthy. 🙁

    1. Yeah, I don’t think that’s it at all. I’ve been there. I had two spinal fusions in my early 20’s that made it hard to get insurance thereafter. I also worked for a small business where we had to buy our own insurance for a few years. I was healthy at the time, but it took me years to find a company that offered an affordable maternity plan.

      The way healthcare worked previous to this law sucked and anyone who denies that is likely someone who never received a healthcare denial in their life. But now we have Obamacare, a plan that created a brand new legion of winners and losers.

      I’m not someone who says, “screw you cause I’m healthy.” I’m someone who refuses to be extorted for this law. I checked out the new plans for 2017 yesterday and found I can’t get a plan with a family deductible of $5,000 for less than $1,3ooish per month. That’s $15,600 just for premiums and another $5,000 in deductibles before we had insurance coverage. And let’s not even mention the fact that these plans don’t include dental or vision!
      The cheapest plan here isn’t that unaffordable (around $800 per month), but it comes with a $13,000 family deductible – and again, no dental or vision. Not to mention the fact that it uses a network that is in line with what Medicaid offers. So basically, I would be on extremely expensive Medicaid.

      I don’t wish poor health on anyone and I feel bad for anyone who can’t join a healthcare sharing ministry, but I resent the idea that it’s wrong for me to put my family’s interest first. I may have a nice income, but that doesn’t mean I should lay down and die and pay whatever the government says I should. It’s not happening.

    2. In Reply to Getting There. Some of us are blessed at this point in our lives to be healthy and hopefully will live a lifestyle to honor that. However, no one intends to demean those who have health issues as you commented, and we realize even those who live a healthy lifestyle can become ill. So apologies if comments appeared demeaning. It is very unfortunate that those with pre-ex conditions are stuck with O’care. People who are currently healthy would not object to participating in the plan if premiums and out of pocket costs were reasonable. I don’t see how anyone could blame those of us who have another option to take advantage of that option. The sad fact is the way the current administration designed the plan, it could never be affordable for the healthy or the sick. The burden should not be on healthy people to fix the O’care debacle. To anyone who is a victim of O’care: If you fail to verify that the Washington representatives (up and down the ticket) you intend to vote for are NOT supporters of O’care, you should look no further.

      1. In my research of Liberty, before I read all the negative reviews and decided not to sign up, it does say pre-existing conditions are covered after your first year…up to $50,000 your second year, and I believe the third year your pre-existing condition is no longer considered pre-existing and therefore is 100% covered. I also had verified this with a rep over the phone.

    3. Jim Johnson says:

      I’m not sure you are correct that you cannot join Liberty based on income level (too high) or preexisting conditions. You need to do more research I think.
      My understanding is that pre-exising conditions require a waiting period.
      Health insurance has become a “choose your poison” situation–has always been as are most things in life. Today, you better become well educated on one of your highest budget items. Most people know more about their cars than health insurance. that’s perhaps one reason we end up with something as screwy as obamacare. any dolt could figure out that healthy 18-26 year olds are going to take the penalty (which is easily avoided by under-withholding) rather than pay for insurance they will not (acutariy speaking) need. the “architects” of O’care knew this and went ahead anyway. It turns out, as obama’s key architect got caught saying, the American people are too stupid to know what’s coming. apparently a lot of millennials were so stupid. (what’s more, the ACA allowed people to stay on parental policies thru age 26. duh!! I guess they won’t sign up for overpriced health insurance.
      I love Liberty in part bec it is setup the way Ben Franklin first conceived insurance–individuals agreeing to cover each other. a self-organizing system that balances fear and greed for the benefit of all who suffer the loss/incur the need. Once the gov’t touches something, it sucks. why do you think college tuition and healthcare are the fastest inflating prices in the economy??–too much gov’t spending other peoples’ money (and money they have borrow from China at that—about 40 cents of every federal dollar spent is b borrowed–a gift from us to out grandchildren.
      vote carefully.

      1. Jim Johnson says:

        by the way–when my wife joined Liberty in 2014, I think we paid some months prior to her actually joining in order to get coverage of existing conditions. more money? yep, but way less than obamacare.

  21. GettingThere says:

    See, it’s not people’s problem here. Well, it actually is because we elect the lying candidates to the office. It’s all about business: insurance has to make money to make investors happy. Pharma and med companies must make money to make their investors happy. Gov’t makes us all ‘happy’ by blowing smoke and creating hidden loopholes in the laws for insurance/pharma/medical companies to use them. Sometimes free market sucks, doesn’t it? If the gov’t did a bit more, wouldn’t we be screaming it’s socialism here now?
    Yep, I know, when we need to pay, we’ll hate the plans as well. I despise the ‘cliff’ pricing: you make this, you get subsidies, but if you make a dollar more, you’ll pay almost $1K/month more. Yep, I agree. However, the basic idea behind ACA was OK: to get healthy people to join and spread the overall cost. Unfortunately, like a ‘free’ country the USA is you cannot force to join except with a little slap on the fingers (aka a penalty on Form 1040). So, then insurance companies come in with their exorbitant margins that they require to make. Not enough people ‘in the pool’, ‘bleeding’ companies make a combustible mixture and now you’ve got outrageous premiums the next year and then again and again. And of course we must admit that we’re a very unhealthy nation on just preventable diseases. Anyway, not a happy topic for anyone. Maybe T will fix the problem once he’s in (pun intended) LOL.

    PS. Re your 2017 plan, is there an additional amount for OOP or is it $1,300/mo premiums + $5k in deductible and then you’d be in the clear and 100% covered? Would drugs be included in the max cap? I honestly do not understand the soup of med insurance plans and their intricacies. I kind of think it’s done on purpose to ‘screw up’ people (again).

    1. Honestly, I have no idea about the 2017 plans and what they cover in terms of pharmaceuticals. We don’t take any prescriptions and we belong to Liberty anyway, so no real need for research on my part. It stresses me out just thinking about it!

      If you want to see my plan options though, my zip code is 46060 in Hamilton Country, Indiana.

      1. Holly, I didn’t think Liberty HealthShare charged different rates for different areas of the country. I don’t even see a place to change my zip code. ?

        1. They offer the same rates to everyone around the country! I do think HSMs are only available in certain states though.

      2. Laura Richmond says:

        Holly, quick question – does LHS give you a list of local doctors and specialists are familiar with LHS, to aide in ease of paying? My college-aged daughter and I are planning to enroll with them; I’ve done quite a bit of research and your blog posts have certainly helped. Thank you!

        1. EXLHSSHARER says:

          please stay away from LHS – since 2018 they are taking 6+ months to pay bills..just read the complaints on BBB…do you really want to spend 10+ hrs every month on the phone with LHS and medical providers chasing bills? I am an ex LHS sharer, not a competitor.

        2. Eileen Bedinghaus says:

          Liberty is awful. Go to Medishare. I have medical bills they have said they will pay but have NOT paid for over a year. Bill collectors calling, constant phone calls to Liberty and despite promises, it doesn’t happen. they are ok so long as you don’t get sick! But that is when you need them the most. I am waiting for those year old medical bills to be paid and then I am leaving Liberty and going back to Medishare.

          1. Laura Richmond says:

            Thank you Ellen and exlhssharer for responding to my question for Holly Johnson. I am doing research on Medishare as well – so far they seem to be more expensive, but also have more PPO network doctors in my area.

          2. EXLHSSHARER says:

            LHS and Medishare are not a “network”. PPO is ONLY for network. For everyone, they are sharing services. That means, a blood test bill of $400 would be knocked to the “network negotiated” rate for PPO providers, not for liberty. What happens is you have either paid that out of pocket (because some doctors and hospitals do not want to deal with sharing services) and then waiting for reimbursement from liberty (so your 400 is stuck for months) or liberty calls the provider and tries to negotiate with them.

            To be fair, all bills that were sent directly to liberty were all knocked down, however the ones where i paid out of pocket and then still waiting for 7 months to be paid (like the $2800 CT scan, $740 wife’s mammogram) are still outstanding with liberty because those providers refused to accept a sharing service.

            There are many things you dont realize until you are part of the sharing service and submit a few first bills and then reality dawns on you.

  22. Jacqueline says:

    Thanks for the info. Does Liberty cover birth control? If so, would I pay out of pocket (140/month) until I hit the deductible?

  23. Richard J S says:

    I was wondering how/where this qualifies the insured to not be fined for not being enrolled in the ACA. We are just coming off being insured and are researching the Health Share programs as an alternative to ACA plans. Thanks for your reply.

  24. Patrick Lessard says:

    What about Pre-existing conditions?

    A pre-existing condition is any condition at the time of enrollment that has evidenced symptoms, or received treatment or medication in the past 24 months. We share in pre-existing conditions according to the following schedule:

    First year of membership Not eligible for sharing
    Second year of membership Up to $25,000 is eligible
    Third year of membership Up to $50,000 is eligible
    Fourth year and following of continuous membership, the condition is no longer considered pre-existing
    For more information, see Guidelines IV-C-12 Pre-Existing Conditions

    So my first year of membership I pay into but receive nothing if there is a pre-existing condition. Am I reading that correctly?

    1. Covered medical expenses that exceed the unshared amount* and are not related to the pre-ex condition should be eligible for sharing without any waiting period. Refer to http://www.libertyhealthshare.org/content/Sharing-Guidelines.pdf or contact a LHS rep at 855-585-4237 for further explanation. *Annual accumulative Unshared Amount is $500 for a single, $1,000 for a couple, $1,500 for a family.

    2. EXLHSSHARER says:

      Correct. Also, if you do NOT disclose those conditions when signing up, they will never be paid for and denied as pre-existing. You will also have to sign up for “coaching” service for atleast 3 months at an additional $80/mo for conditions like diabetes/high blood pressure/high cholesterol.

      I had high cholesterol and i told liberty its genetic and i am on a statin for 10+ yrs. They wouldn’t listen and i had to sign up for a coaching program. If you refuse, any heart condition you might get because of high cholesterol will also be denied.

  25. Have you heard of Health Excellence Select? They have a relationship with Liberty. I’m still trying to understand the relationship … but they explained to me that Liberty Healthshare is their Financial coordinator in the repricing and payment of members medical expenses. They also make medical decisions as to the eligibility of submitted expenses, determination of pre-existing conditions and coordination care with the provider. They also provide member support.

    Health Excellence Select then provides a concierge service, telemedicine, wellness portal, and wellfit sharing community.

    Link is https://myahe.org/

    I’m trying to determine if this is a legit company or not.

    1. A friend of mine is now a representative for Health Excellence Select. He’s a person I trust, so I’m sure it is a genuine company. I have not yet signed up, so I don’t have any further information about it yet.

  26. Janet in Reno says:

    Joined 11-14-16. Glad to be part of the group and know my money is being used wisely. Not going to some insurance company owner’s yacht payment.

  27. I have dependent children in college, aged 18 and 20. Would they be covered under a family plan with Liberty HealthShare? Are dependent children up to age 26 covered? Thank you!

    1. According to their 2016 sharing guidelines:

      “Dependent refers to the applicant’s spouse; children (natural born or legally adopted of either spouse) or an unmarried person under the age of 26 who is the applicant’s child by birth or legal adoption or for which the applicant has a Qualified Medical Child Support Order (QMCSO). An applicant’s stepchild is also a dependent so long as the applicant’s spouse is also participating under the same sharing membership.”

      Hope that helps!

      1. What if your children live at home, ages 19 and 21, are not full time students, have jobs but you still provide over half of their support and declare them as dependents? Do they have to be full time students to qualify for the family plan of 4?

        1. Honestly, I don’t know the answer to that one Tammy. I would shoot them an email or give them a call.

  28. Ok have you had claims covered? Im just nervous to sign up pay out and not have any claims covered! I do want this for our Med Insurance(not insurance though) because owning our own company will cost us 1400.00 per month with a 6,000. 00 deductable, not ok

    1. We didn’t meet our annual unshared amount last year, but we did this year. They absolutely shared all claims outside of our $1,500 annual unshared max. And I hear ya! We’re self-employed too, earning too much to qualify for a subsidy (not that we want one). The ACA premiums they’re asking us to pay aren’t that bad (around $800 per month to start), but a $13,000 family deductible is pointless. And if we wanted more like a $5,000 deductible, we would need to pay around $1,300 per month. That’s more than I pay on my house.

  29. Shelly G. says:

    Hi Holly, Thanks for your honest review. I’m seriously considering this for our small family of 3. We rarely use our insurance and the rates going forward are so high… you know all that well. I stumbled up Liberty HealthShare and like what I’ve found so far. Now are things like Birth control pill and mammograms covered? Those don’t seem like items to that would be disallowed.

    1. Thanks for writing!

      You know, I’m not 100% sure about birth control. But I do know that we each get a free checkup each year and women get a free female doctor visit. I would assume that includes mammograms. I would definitely call and ask. Their customer service people are helpful and actually know what they’re talking about!

      Let me know if you have more questions.

  30. Hi Holly:

    Thanks for a great and informative review! My wife and I are on coming off the fence to make a decision in the next day or so but one major item is in the way. The way I understand the program is that my DOCTOR submits the bills to Liberty who in turn reviews and processes payments… but I visited my General Dr today for a physical and I asked him if his office would sign Liberty’s “Provider Agreement” form (if we indeed decide to join Liberty) and he told me that they would NOT, and in his opinion I would have a have hard time finding any provider in my area who would be willing to sign and enter their “payment program”. What happens if your provider(s) of choice refuses to sign the Agreement and won’t bill Liberty directly?? I read another review where the gentleman said that he was awaiting payment for the bills that HE personally paid and then submitted, so is that an acceptable alternative way to get reimbursed? I can’t imagine any other way they can claim that you are free to choose your OWN provider. Thanks for your input!

    1. Hey Barry!

      First, what provider agreement? I have never asked a doctor to sign one. It sounds like your doctor might be a tad crabby about it. We’ve been to several doctors with Liberty – a doctor for our kids, our own doctors as adults, an OBGYN, a chiropractor, and a dematologist. Each time, the doctors office sent the bill to Liberty. A few weeks or a month or so later, we got a bill with a discount and paid it. That’s until you reach your annual unshared amount max, which is $1,500 per year for us.

      Who told you your doctor needed to sign a payment agreement? I have honestly never heard of that before.

        1. I see that now. But if you’ll notice, it says Liberty Healthshare offers providers to sign a provider agreement. It isn’t required, or even needed in my experience. It is probably on the website just in case someone wants to use it, or if a provider need more reassurance that Liberty works as promised.

          My experience has been simple. When we see someone, we tell them we have Liberty Healthshare and it works similar to insurance. They send the bill in, I get a discount, then I pay it like normal until I hit my annual unshared amount. I haven’t had anyone think twice about it honestly!

          1. Thanks for your help Holly!

          2. Jodi Glendenning says:

            Hi Holly,
            What if the provider does not discount the rate? Would I only get shared with me what Liberty allows?

          3. I have never had that happen before. Either way, you’re only responsible for your annual unshared amount. Everything after that is shared up to the limits described in your plan.

        2. joe longo says:

          That form is for the provider to be added to the directory.

  31. Thanks for the information Michelle! Do you have an email or business number we can reach you if we have more Q’s? We are looking to pick a plan in the next day or two. THANKS!

    1. My pleasure Barry 🙂 To reach us here at Liberty Healthshare, our sales team can be reached at 855.585.4237. They will answer your questions, address your concerns, and get you prepared for enrollment. Our site is http://www.libertyhealthshare.org for more information.

  32. I’m sooo excited about this! I found your blog after speaking with a representative and I’m 99% sure I will be enrolling with my husband next week. The 1% is because he’s out of town at the moment and we do make decisions together! Ha ha.

    I would totally sign up through you, but my mother actually told me about it. If she hasn’t signed herself up by the time that I do, I will definitely redirect through your blog before doing so 🙂

    This is a breath of fresh air, an answered prayer. I am 23-years-old, perfectly happy, married for three years, and have been terrified at the thought of having a child for the sole reason of going into debt because of it! We have no credit cards, no loans, both very healthy non-smokers – our best ACA healthcare plan was $280/mo, $13,000k deductible, and after we paid that, would only receive a measly 30% copay. What the heck?! I mention the no CC and no loans not because of health, but because we’ve done so well avoiding racking up debt that it was a real shame we were forced to associate a child with healthcare debt. We’re both independent contractors (Designer and Project Manager) so have NO healthcare through our employers. I am praying this is as wonderful as it seems.

    I’m so hopeful. Will definitely be following up with our experiences!

    1. Awesome! I can’t speak to the experience of others, but it has been really great for us. I hope it works out for you too 🙂

  33. Liberty Healthshare was super nice when they were trying to convince me to join their program, but i have been a customer for only two weeks and they are RUDE now. I still haven’t received my membership cards and if you call to ask questions, the customer service rep acts like you are bothering them. They do NOT represent a Christian company when it comes to taking care of their members or acting like they care. But they had NO problem charging my credit card for memberships fees. Really worried now since there were so many mixed reviews on them. I will come back and post after my first appt which is suppose to be 100% covered by them…

    1. I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve never had any problems with their customer service.

  34. Yesterday I posted about how rude member services was to a new member. I received a call from Leslie who was as sweet as she could be. She profusely apologized for the service I had received from member services. I was thankful for that and will see how things profess especially after next weeks preventive appt. anxious to see if Liberty will be honest with their 100% covered or if they will find loop holes so many have said happens. Will come back next week and give an honest account. But for today I was happy that someone reached out and showed me that there are at least a few kind people in member services.

    1. Hi Liz, care to share an update? It’s been 1 month. Also, curious if you had your annual exam yet and if you could confirm they paid in full?

  35. Jodi Glendenning says:

    Liz – I will be anxious to hear from you as to if your preventative is paid at 100%, like it’s suppose to be.

    Has anyone on here had anything major happen….cancer, heart attack, stroke, accident injuries?? Just wondering how they paid for that. I have been signed up since 1/1/17, but admit I’m a little concerned if they will pay well in a serious illness or injury. I’m putting alot of faith and trust into the company and sure hope they don’t let me down in a time of need. I pray I don’t need it, but you never know.

    1. All of our preventative visits were covered 100% the last two years.

      We had around $10,000 in medical bills in 2016 and they were shared 100% after our $1,500 annual unshared amount was met. I wouldn’t stress over something that hasn’t happened yet. We’ve been with Liberty two years and everything they’ve promised has happened.

      1. Hey Holly and Jodi,
        I admit that I am a bit anxious over if they will pay for medical bills as well. When I call I seem to get different answers or vague answers from reps. Holly, when you go for your annual (which I’m planning on going as soon as I sign up), do you have a full blood panel done? I get one each year and it’s almost 3 pages long. They tell me they will pay for this, but I know it’s expensive and I feel a bit nervous over if they will or not. One rep says if my doc wants it done, then it will be covered, but for some reason I don’t fully trust him as I have read accounts of Liberty saying something was pre-existing when the poster said it wasn’t. Sounds like a he said, she said. Anyway, please let me know if you get annual blood work up. Mine usually includes thyroid panel, along with cholesterol checked, some vitamin levels checked, std panel, and a whole bunch of others. How do I know for sure that they’ll cover this? My concern is that they don’t seem to give a definitive answer and you won’t know for sure until after you’ve had the procedure and submitted it. This worries me, especially when it comes to my breast ultrasounds (which I have every few years) as they may claim that’s pre-existing, although the doctor always says nothing wrong and it’s standard procedure to follow up every 6 months, to 1 year, to 2 years. What do you think? I notice I am up almost every night worrying about this.

        1. I don’t have a blood panel done during yearly check-ups. None of us do. So that I cannot answer. I will tell you that they have shared costs as laid out by the plan – including a $10,000 procedure (with various related bills) last time. If I were you, I would call back and try to get definitive answers.

        2. I went to my routine well-woman visit this year, and part of that is STD testing. This is recommended by my doctor as I’m not married, but I think it’s smart for any woman as most STD’s are asymptomatic and can cause major problems later. Liberty states that they do not cover STD testing unless it’s for a wellness visit (which mine was). I have been dealing with over $1000 in bills for this testing that Liberty will not cover. They told me that the doctors didn’t code it for a wellness visit, but they paid for other tests on the same bill. So, now I’ve spent hours on the phone with the doctors office and Liberty trying to resolve this issue.

          In my opinion, this is more trouble than it’s worth. Terrible experience.

          1. I’m sorry but you lost me. You say that Liberty doesn’t cover STD testing, but you’re trying to get them to cover it anyway? Also, I am a 37-year-old woman and I have never had STD testing done. It is not part of the routine well visit.

    2. Hi Jodie,

      I made a comment earlier about our rocky beginning with LHS. I saw your question and wanted to weigh in even though it’s probably been awhile.

      Since my last comment, my youngest son (15 mo) was diagnosed with a very aggressive brain cancer. We barely had time to digest the news before treatment began. Along with the countless hospital stays, chemotherapy, and auxiliary drugs, we were told that the protocol would include three stem cell transplants — each topping 400K or more! Fortunately these bills didn’t accumulate overnight, so we had some time to plan. Obviously the 1M cap per incident under Liberty would run out before long, so we applied for Medicaid TEFRA, an SC program for children needing long term care. The great thing about it is that the parents income is not counted when deciding on eligibility. However, we were told it could be as much as 6-8 months before a decision was made. In the meantime it was October 2017, so we enrolled in a BCBS plan with Obamacare, which would start in January 2018. In the meantime, LHS covered almost all the bills (after our AUA) from October to January, and anything BCBS hasn’t taken, we have resubmitted to LHS. I’m not sure just how much has been paid out on our behalf from the ministry, but at last count it was close to 300K. We have stayed in close touch with them, which has been key. Some things have needed to be paid out of pocket and submitted for reimbursement, but we HAVE been reimbursed.

      This week (April 2018) we qualified for Medicaid, with retroactive coverage all the way back to August last year! Now it will be a hairy mess to see who owes what, but at least we know we are covered financially from multiple angles.

      This was a long post, but I hope it helps someone concerned about if and how Liberty comes through in crisis.

      1. Teresa Roadarmel says:

        Thanks Meagan, just diagnosed with brain cancer. Vestibular schwannoma a benign tumor. Been in constant contact with lhs and they have preapproved all treatments. You definitely need cpt numbers and icv-10 info for processing according to Barb in pre-auth.

  36. Gotta Be A Betta Way ???? says:

    Thanks for the info all.

    I just found about this last wk and it really makes CENTS!

    99.9% sure right now that this is the route I’m taking. ?????

  37. Hello, I am looking to possibly switch. We pay $1200 per month for a $3000 ded plan through our employer and I work in the medical field. We are a very healthy family, very rare doctor appointments and never meet our deductible, but one visit to the ER and that all would change of course. My ONLY hesitation is there is no repricing network. I work in healthcare and know that hospitals/providers bill out ridiculous amounts only to be re-priced by the contracted carrier. With that being said, there is no contract with LH, what if you have a hospital visit, they bill out for an example…$20,000 and per what I have read…..LH pays 150% Medicare rate which would be like less than 1/4 of that billed amount around $5000, will most hospitals write-off the “over and usual customary charges” and adjust off the remaining $15,000? Or can they bill the patient for that amount? I hope this question makes sense, because like I said this little worry is my ONLY reason for not joining LH now. Thank you.

    1. I totally understand. I had a $10,000ish procedure done last year. The total bill was more than 10K, but Liberty only shared around 7K after they negotiated it down. Apparently the hospital and doctor accepted that amount, but I worried I would get a “balance bill” for a very short period of time. But apparently, they got it all worked out on their end.

  38. Thx for sharing, this is my plan for early retirement insurance. So glad you are having a great experience. I plan to retire with a family of four in a sharing ministry, hopefully by 41. Someone wrote they don’t cover certain immoral expenses but the ones I read about seemed irrelevant (don’t drive drink and get injured???)

    1. No problem. Glad we can share it. For us, Liberty has been great. It has kept our costs (waaaaay) down and we have personally had no issues with cost sharing. While it isn’t the right fit for everybody, it has been the best option for us.

      Best of luck on the early retirement! We’d like to get there in our early 50s.

  39. Will Liberty pay for alternative medicine procedures/treatments? Can one choose a licensed Naturopathic/holistic doctor or bill Liberty for massage/acupuncture therapy, spiritual/healing/diet/fasting retreats done by a christian church, or healing sessions (reiki, hypnosis, tai chi, qigong, etc.) ? I have Christian friends who have been healed by alternative methods and I was wondering how restrictive Liberty is on what they will cover and not cover. Thanks.

  40. Does Liberty also cover dental/vision? Will they cover braces, root canals, lasik eye surgery, etc or just annual visits and prescription lenses/contacts?

    1. No. Liberty does not share in dental and vision expenses. That said, you can pick up individual dental and vision plans. We actually pay our dentist on an annual “subscription” service, which includes cleanings, exams, xrays, etc.

  41. Ann Smith says:

    I have a couple of questions. My daughter who is an adult under 26 is on our health insurance, but her fiance doesn’t have any. He smokes a pipe occaisionally , probably a couple of times a month with friends. Is the no smoking rule, no smoking ever ? Also, is there a no drinking alcohol rule? Thanks.

  42. Liberty healthshare plan is really good one. This concept is different from the insurance. In insurance, the person saves money for his future needs, but where in Liberty healthshare money is given as a sharing contribution. But in Liberty healthshare plan, some exceptions of drinking and smoking are there.

    1. True. Smoking is not allowed and you have 6 months to quit. Drinking is allowed but you agree not to drink excessively or abuse alcohol.

  43. Love this concept! Definitely makes health care more affordable. We have health and dental insurance, but I am curious there is any kind of vision plan that you know of? Thanks Greg and Holly!

  44. Very informative – have you thought about adding on some sort of supplemental high deductible insurance in the case that something wasn’t covered? Definitely looking into this once I reach FI

  45. I became a member in March 2017 with LHS. I just spent a day calling around to health providers to see if they will bill LHS direct. None had heard of them, but I dug and one of the three had them in their records and will bill direct, and second of the three I believe will bill direct (but not totally sure). But one really big well known hospital system in my area I talked to the billing dept and they will NOT bill them direct. They will bill you and you have to get reimbursed.

    Also, I’m single so I have $500 unshared amount until LHS kicks in and pays So for my first doctors appointment I called the health provider I planned to go to and they told me they charge around $300 for a general office visit of around 30+ min. Insurance companies that are contracted with this health provider have pricing agreements where that $300 is greatly discounted. So with traditional insurance I would pay far less than $300 for my out of pocket with a deductible. My worry with LHS is that they will not be able to negotiate this down and I will owe all $300 for this first office visit out of pocket. I talked to LHS numerous times and was not able to get a clear answer about it.
    I know they do try to negotiate when the are billed, but it didn’t seem like a guarantee. And if you are billed direct (and upload to the LHS web site) vs. health provider billing LHS direct, is their any negotiation that happens that case? Do some health providers refuse to negotiate?

    I really like the concept with LHS, and I strongly disliked ACA and thought is was terrible and a huge rip off. But I have to admit I am worried because there are just a lot of unknowns here with LHS. There are just a lot of things that are a bit murky and I feel like LHS is one of those things in life you are just not going to really see the whole picture until you have a lot of medical bills. And I’m sure it is totally fine, just some uncertainty going into uncharted waters here.

    1. Hey Thomas, We’ve been billed both as a cash pay customer and had Liberty billed directly. Most of the time, I just show them my card as if it is insurance and they bill directly. However, we have also been considered “cash pay” and always been reimbursed. In that instance, I’ve always asked if they give a discount to pay in full, which they normally do. I also ask for an “insurance discount”, if possible. Either way, even if you’re not getting the “insurance” discount and have to pay out of pocket, you’re still saving thousands a year by not paying the high ACA premiums, right? If you do that math, you probably still come out way ahead.

      1. I’m single so the monthly premium ACA vs. LHS isn’t a huge difference ($199/mo vs. $253/mo). And I can’t write off LHS from by business but I can write off ACA, so after write-offs the premium is probably a wash. But the deductible with ACA is $7,500 and the unshared LHS is $500, so that is a HUGE difference if I go significantly over $500 in health costs.

        Greg, what have you found to be a bigger discount, being self pay or having them bill LHS direct and having LHS negotiate? I have an office visit coming up and the doctor gives a big discount for paying cash up front. But if you pay cash and take that up front discount, they don’t give you an itemized bill with all the codes, so I could not submit that to LHS and have it go to my unshared. Trying to decide to have them bill LHS direct or pay cash at front. Risk if I have them bill LHS that the bill may be much higher than if I just paid cash (but then if pay cash does not go to my unshared).

        I also have a worry (probably unfounded) that if I had something major done, say $15,000 or so, and the health care provider would not take LHS negotiated rate. Would I ever have to pay any of that over my $500 unshared? Or would LHS just pay that full non negotiated amount?

        1. First, we deduct our Liberty sharing based on advice from our accountant.

          Second, who says you can’t submit your doctor bill (with cash discount) to Liberty? I think you’re making a lot of assumptions there. I would submit it anyway. Also, why wouldn’t your doctor give you at least an itemized bill? I’m not sure the codes are necessary, a bill would probably suffice for it to count toward your unshared amount.

          As per your last worry, it is unfounded. I had a $10,000 procedure done last year. Liberty negotiated it down to around 6K for their own purposes, but I only paid my $1,500 annual unshared amount (the amount for a family of four).

          I think you are overthinking it.

          1. My CPA is familiar with health shares and said I cannot deduct it, I will have to ask again. I guess its interpretation. That would be great if I can.

            The reason in this one instance I don’t think I could submit the cash pay up front to LHS is because the bill is not itemized and doesn’t have the codes, and LHS says you need that. But this is a rare case, it’s a urgent care facility, and if you take their big cash pay up front discount they just happen to not give you an itemized coded bill. Most cases if I pay cash up front to a doctor office I would think I could get the itemized coded bill.

            But curious with your experience what tends to be cheaper, paying up front self pay and getting a discount or having the doctor office bill LHS direct and seeing if LHS can negotiate a discount?

            Thanks by the way for your excellent article and responses:) I do believe LHS is an excellent option to ACA people need to look at.

          2. Hmmm… this is totally anecdotal, but it seems like we’ve gotten better rates when bills are directly sent to Liberty. It’s also more convenient, so I like to go that route whenever possible, which is most of the time.

          3. To add to the conversation, I think it depends on the specific doctor’s office. I went to the dermatologist earlier this year and they weren’t willing to send the bill to Liberty or offer an upfront discount. It ended up not mattering because the procedure I had was deemed cosmetic, but still. It may have also mattered that the doctor wasn’t a primary care physician. I think it’s very YMMV. I’m actually going to see a new primary care physician today, one whose secretary seemed uncertain how things will work with Liberty. I’ll update with how it went – whether I had to send my bill myself and whether they offer an upfront discount.

  46. Thanks again Holly for writing this terrific article that reviewed LHS. I read your blog 6 months back when I was looking to escape from the highway robbery of ACA (that completely throws middle class self-employed/independent contractor type people in front of the bus!). It is a great thing what you are doing to help make people aware of alternatives out there to the tyranny of ACA. I will post more feedback once I have some experience with getting healthcare and getting billed.

    1. The tryanny of the ACA – YES. I am so with you. Let me know how it goes!

      As a quick update, I just went to a new primary care physician I hadn’t visited before. Since I was already in their system (already saw a different doctor in the hospital system), they didn’t ask a single question about Liberty. They just made a copy of my card and asked if my information had changed. So, it appears that maybe things get easier once you have some proof Liberty works as explained.

      Please update us on how it goes!

  47. Hi, from everything I’ve read here and the information posted on Libertyhealthshare.org I understand that it looks like the system is working for something minor but I would like to know if anybody suddenly had some seriouse health issues, or need to use ambulance ride, emergency room, hospital stay, surgery, or went through a pregnancy and delivery with Libery Health shares. Also did anybody had to have a lab work done which was over $400 (LHS limit) in cost? How was it resolved? According to their guidelines they have so many limitatations. What if doctor says/recomends still to stay at the hospital, but LHS says there is no need and won’t cover ? Who is deciding at LHS what is best for a patient ? On who’s opinion they make their decisions? I am and my family are very healthy but nobody knows what can happen to us tomorrow, right? Will LHS be there for me? I’ve read so many negative reviews about it. It seems to me that LHS is only good for a very minor health issues. Am I wrong? Please let me know your experience. Thanks.

    1. $400 limit on labs? I’ve never seen that, and it certainly isn’t in the paperwork.

      Also, have you ever read the paperwork for a traditional health insurance policy?I know the cheapest ACA plan in my state and county is $800+ per month with a $13,000 deductible, yet there were pages of regulations on what drugs were/weren’t covered, along with other rules. I also couldn’t visit any specialty hospitals with the cheapest ACA plans because they were so narrow network.

      Also, where are all the negative reviews? Please share a link. I have literally only seen a few and I have read countless pieces and reviews of LHS.

      1. Hi Holly, thank you for your response. I don’t have an intention to say something bad about LHS. I am just looking for a reviews and experiences of people who uses or used LHS. I am strongly considering to sign up with LHS. I just want to know what to expect and how it works. And I know how ACA works that’s why I am here researching for an alternative options. Maybe I didn’t understand correctly about $400 limit for labs. I will double check. I read it here https://www.libertyhealthshare.org/content/Sharing-Guidelines.pdf.
        The reviews I read here:
        https://www.bbb.org/canton/business-reviews/private-health-services-plans/liberty-healthshare-inc-in-canton-oh-92006475/reviews-and-complaints.
        If you could please share where I can find more info and reviews about LHS.
        Thanks.

        1. I read the 11 BBB reviews. It sounds like a few people had pre-existing conditions that weren’t covered. Who knows with the rest, honestly. I know that when I had Anthem health insurance with our first child, they repeatedly tried to make me pay more than my deductible. I kept getting bill after bill and had to keep faxing in all my paid receipts to prove I had met my out-of-pocket max. Then, inexplicably, they would lose it all and I would have to fax it in again.

          Our experience with LHS has been opposite of that. Except for one thing – I accidentally paid a bill once we had met our $1,500 annual out-of-pocket. But when I called, they were fairly helpful and issued me a refund within a few weeks. So that was good.

        2. Also Olga, I understand how stressful this decision is! We had two kids when we switched to LHS. I found it terrifying because we had always had traditional insurance either through work or plans we purchased ourselves. What pushed me over the edge was just how crappy the ACA plans were in our state/county – expensive, narrow network, ugh. I hated the idea of paying $800 per month and still having a $12,000 or $13,000 deductible to meet. And if my kids were sick, we couldn’t even have taken them to Riley Children’s Hospital or Peyton Mannings Children’s Hospital (out of network). The fact that LHS doesn’t have networks really sold me because you can see any doctor you want in any network.

          1. Hi Holly, thank you for your response. I dicided to give it a try. We just signed up with LHS. We will see how it goes!
            Olga

        3. olga,
          how have you liked being a member of liberty health share

      2. I concur with Heather. I did a lot of Google searches and surprisingly saw few negative reviews of LHS. And some of the negative reviews I did see were from people who must have not been 100% clear that LHS does not cover any medical care for pre existing conditions in the first year.

      3. Holly – I’m surprised to hear you say you haven’t heard of this $400 limit. In fact, it’s not on bloodwork alone. It’s on the annual wellness exam, bloodwork, and any other associated diagnostics or procedures , combined. Here’s the actual language in the Sharing Guidelines, under Sharing Limits (p. 20):

        21) Screening and Wellness Visits. ​Charges for one wellness exam or physical including
        physician fee per membership year, for which there are no medical symptoms or diagnosis in
        advance, including routine laboratory tests, radiology, and other ancillary services or
        procedures that occur during or as a result of the wellness visit are eligible for sharing, after
        the first 60 days of membership, up to a maximum of $400 of the fair and reasonable
        charges as determined by Liberty HealthShare
        SM and not subject to the Annual Unshared
        Amount (AUA).

        Aside from being clearly stated in the Sharing Guidelines, this was something that was specifically highlighted in the verbal overview given to me by the rep I spoke to during my initial inquiry on the program (the other day). For the record, I’m in the process of trying to decide whether to enroll or not, and at this point, still have many questions and doubts.

        1. I’m surprised you would think I would know all the Liberty terms/conditions by heart. I am just a customer- not a Liberty rep.

          I think you are overreacting to the $400 limit you are posting here. This is clearly for the annual wellness exam. Just like with traditional health insurance, this exam only includes a regular checkup and screening – not drawn out blood work intended to diagnose symptoms. At that point, it would not be a wellness checkup anymore.

  48. Dale Schrock says:

    Hi, a lot of folks on here are asking what happens when you have something major happen. My wife just had a orthoscopic hysterectomy (pre-notification/approval given by LHS). The hospital billed us directly (even though they had LHS’s info on file) and I have been directing them to bill Liberty directly. I now have received bills in excess of $40k….so yeah, I hope this all works out. One thing that concerns me a lot is a bill I got from the hospital that they said they mailed to LHS month ago and it never showed up anywhere in my healthshare account, nor was the bill discounted in any way ($700 of lab work). Anonther thing that concerns me is bills I scanned and uploaded on 4/17/17 still say “assigned to processor” but it’s now 6/3/17 and it doesn’t look like anything is happening. I’ll keep everyone posted but I have to say this is a little stressful. I’ll call them again on Monday for an update and additional advice/guidance.

    1. Dale, thanks for the update. Keep us up to date when you hear back on this. I officially joined LHS March 1st 2017. I had a standard Dr. appt on May 2nd and had annual preventative blood tests on May 3rd. Doctors appt I know I will have to pay for out of pocket since I have not hit my $500 unshared amount yet. But I am interested in if LHS are able to negotiate this to lower then what I would have paid if I paid cash up front at the doctors office. I could not get clear information of whether it would be cheaper to have the clinic bill LHS direct (and hopefully have them negotiate) or to pay the bill up front a the clinic with cash. The jury is still out on this. LHS says they cover up to $400 annually in preventative (aka physicals). I waiting to see if they cover my annual preventative. It’s interesting that it has now been one month since my doctors visits and I have seen no trace of a bill from anyone yet. I’m hoping everything goes smooth, this will be my very first experience with LHS.

      1. Dale Schrock says:

        Here’s my update: To summarize I’m feeling better about being a part of LHS.

        There have been two main problems I’ve been dealing with: 1). I finally learned last week that UVA Medical Center will NOT mail the bills directly to LHS–only to us. I learned this after 3 different people on 3 different dates told me the bills had been mailed to LHS with LHS saying they had not received any bills. I finally got the medical billing codes and uploaded them directly to Liberty.

        2) Bills actually received by LHS from doctors, hospitals, clinics, etc do NOT show up in your share box until they have been processed (currently taking 45 business days or roughly 2 months). I have been able to call though and check on the bills received but still being “processed”. This seems like a simple thing they should fix.

        I’ll keep you posted about this whole process. However, I Think that the simplest advice I can give everyone is upload every medical bill you receive directly to LHS and be prepared to wait 2 months for them to process it.

  49. I was checking out LHS and what they do not cover. Can you explain this one to me?” Not Covered: Hospital employees. Professional services billed by a Physician or nurse who is an employee of a Hospital or Skilled Nursing Facility and paid by the Hospital or facility for the service.” So if you are admitted to the hospital, these services wouldn’t be covered? I’m confused.

    1. I happen to be a physician and understand what this means. Many physicians are employed by the hospital, examples could include hospitalists, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, pathologists, surgeons, radiologists, pediatricians and internal medicine. There is usually no way for you to know that employment situation and from a care and expense concern, it does not matter a single bit. However, LHS apparently does not cover those charges. Based on this, I am not going to sign up for LHS. Approximately one in six physicians in the United States are employed by hospitals and that number is growing. They are often measured and paid based on productivity. I can assure you that most of these physicians would prefer to not be employed by the hospitals but due to financial reimbursement by insurance companies, they have had to abandon their private practices and have been forced into this type of practice arrangement. Thankfully, I’m not in that employment situation yet. Buyer beware.

      1. A different greg says:

        Earl, the wording you’re referring to, states that LHS isn’t going to pay for the same services rendered by a hospital employee, who bills for these SAME services, if/after the hospital also has billed LHS for rendering these same services.

        If your argument is that as an employer, hospitals don’t pay “enough” to its doctor-employees, I understand. And for your sake, I hope you won’t ever have to work for an employer/hospital that doesn’t pay its doctors enough–just like you state you’re glad you’re not in that position.

        However, if you should CHOOSE to work for such a hospital (for whatever reasons), then why should I have to make up the difference between what they pay you that you don’t think is enough, and the amount that you think you should be paid more?

        That would be like me owning a lawn trimming business and paying a worker to mow your yard, and then that worker coming back to you the next day and saying I’d not paid him enough–that I don’t pay my employees enough, so you need to pay him the difference between my low wages to that worker and what that worker thinks they should be making. Your agreement to pay was with the worker’s boss–me–not the worker. His dispute with me as his employer not paying him enough may be valid–maybe I’m a cheapskate boss. But why should it be your responsibility to pay him more, when he agreed to work for me at my low wages?

      2. Priscella says:

        I would double check that with LHS, I believe what it means is they don’t pay for bills that have already been paid for. IE> Hospital Employee!!

  50. I had my first doctors appt with Liberty Healthshare as my health plan and so far so good. I also had a annual preventative screening (which LHS covers up to $300). It took three months to get my bill from my local doctor, but LHS did a good job. They negotiated rates down for my doctors appointment and covered 100% of my annual preventative screening. The health clinic I am using agreed to bill LHS directly so that was cool. Just wanted to report back. So far so good.

    1. I submitted 6 mths of Concierge Doctor Payments (DPC) and received reimbursements from 25 – 44%, so they are smart to acknowledge and reward the fact that many of our health problems come from lack of access. So far so good!

      Also, I was told just today that a wellness visit is covered up to $400, including colonoscopies.

      And, the best thing is that wellness visits do NOT require you to meet your deductible before being covered!

      the link below explains in detail

      https://blog.libertyhealthshare.org/blog/preventative-care

      1. The $400 for wellness visits is per family member or for the entire membership group? Given that each person has to be seen separately and billed separately $400 isn’t much for 2 adults wellness visits + X kids if it’s the latter!

    2. Awesome. Glad to hear it. In the several years we’ve used Liberty, we’ve had no problems.

  51. We have been members of LHS since January. We are a young healthy family traveling on the road, so thought this would be a good solution for us. However, I have since had a miscarriage (that wasn’t covered due to being a pre-existing condition), and am again pregnant. We have spent over $4,000 in medical bills, excluding our monthly share amounts, and have yet to be reimbursed for anything. Our share box says our AUA only has $700 applied to it, although I’ve uploaded every bill so far. I have bills submitted in May (and June and July) that have yet to be processed. I’m quite displeased! It feels like a scam, paying out nearly $500 a month in member dues and then still acquiring medical bills at an alarming rate!

    1. I’m so sorry for your loss in the miscarriage. That must have been difficult to go though. I hope you are doing well.

      But were you aware before you signed up for LHS that they don’t cover pre-exising conditions in year 1 of membership? In year two they cover $25k of pre-exising, year 3 $50k, etc… Did you tell them before you signed up that you were pregnant and ask them if your child birth would be covered? They are very clear that they do not cover pre-exising conditions. I was very aware of that when I signed up. If I had major pre-existing conditions I would have went with Obama Care.

  52. Dale Schrock says:

    Ok so here’s my update for everyone… if you like getting mail from collections agencies then Libertyheslth share is the choice for you. They pay their Medicare plus rates, you get “balance due” bills, you forward those “balance due” bills to MedCost Solutions while the hospital files a judgement against you. Sound like fun????? Especially while you’re trying to recover from whatever medical condition you happen to be suffering from. I’m truly sorry I ever signed up for Liberty healthshare….I just hope my wages don’t get garnishe….. this is really, really stressful.

    1. Holly/Greg – Could you comment on this? The rep (salesperson?) I spoke to at Liberty the other day told me that once Liberty negotiates your bill down and pays it, you are done. Dale’s experience clearly shows otherwise. This is my biggest fear of joining this program – being hung out to dry like this. For those who have not seen this, here’s the language from Liberty’s General Legal Notice:

      This program is not an insurance company nor is it offered through an insurance company. This program does not guarantee or promise that your medical bills will be paid or assigned to others for payment. Whether anyone chooses to pay your medical bills will be totally voluntary. As such, this program should never be considered as a substitute for an insurance policy. Whether you receive any payments for medical expenses and whether or not this program continues to operate, you are always liable for any unpaid bills.

      1. I have read the handful of bad reviews out there. In my opinion, most of the bad reviews boil down to user error or a misunderstanding of the program. We have had a very normal experience with Liberty in terms of bills being negotiated down and paid on our behalf. A few bills have been paid on the slow side, but that’s the only problem we have had. Please keep in mind that this review is OUR experience.

  53. We’ve had this plan since the beginning of the year, and so far, are pretty happy with it. It does take awhile to process claims! It took them over three months to process my annual wellness exam and submit a check to me to pay for it (covered 100%). And it took a long time to show up in the Sharebox, too, so they have some work to do there.
    My child had surgery this summer, and I’ve just gotten notification that is has been processed, again close to three months later. It did not show up until the claim was marked processed, either. Happily, they covered all of the bills (well over $10,000) and all we have to pay is the remaining amount of our deductible, so that is fantastic.
    MY QUESTION. Can they drop you if they feel you filed too many claims? I am worried about going to the doctor for an issue I am having because I am concerned they will be unhappy about the amount they have already paid for my child’s surgery and drop us when re renew this January. ALSO, can they raise the monthly share price if they feel your bills are excessive? Again, it’s not been hundreds of thousands in bills; in total this year, probably $18,000, which is an anomaly for us as we’re rarely sick, but it concerns me anyway.

    1. I can’t comment on the question about dropping you for excessive claims (though I suspect they don’t). But regarding the time it takes for claims to process … if you file online (rather than via postal mail), the submitted claims appear in your share box right away. My claims all took about 2 months to process/pay.

      1. I’ve had a few claims that have taken longer to process than that, but it’s still been reasonable.

  54. I have to admit, insurance sucks when you are self-employed and making more than $25k a year. This is such a comprehensive review, and I plan on sharing it with all my other small business owners and freelancers. I’m so glad this is an option!

    1. Thanks Chonce! We’re small business owners too, and something like this was really our best option.

  55. Kelly helgeson says:

    Hi! Wow, what a great article and so fantastic that so many experienced people have posted responses! This was exactly what I was looking for in terms of info across the board on this health share plan. I do have a few questions…
    1. I know that under this plan you cannot contribute to your HSA. But can you still use your HSA to pay for your doctor visits, etc?
    2. I never saw responses to: are oral contraceptives covered? Chiropractor, holistic, etc. services?
    3. Are any prescription drugs covered? Do you send in your receipt for them just in case?
    4. Is this only for services provided in the U.S? And if you are traveling in another state, can you submit your bill from anywhere? Would there be any states excluded from coverage?
    Again, thank you for this awesome post. I also appreciated when people posted follow ups so we could track how things are going for them. My husband owns his own business and already pays practically a mortgage payment for his health insurance alone, and I am soon to be a full time college student, so I will no longer be able to work full time and have my health insurance provided from my employer. I feel much more informed now and definitely empowered to have choices!! Thank you!

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  61. According to the recent LHS Sharing Guidelines, Lifetime Limits is listed as “None”. Does it mean it has no lifetime maximum limit? If that is the case, will LHS share beyond $1M maximum share limit per incident under the Liberty Complete program?

  62. I simply want to thank you for taking the time to share your experience and thoughts. VERY helpful information about a ridiculously complicated, stressful, and disgusting but necessary topic!

  63. Fed Up in TN says:

    THANK YOU THANK YOU for this review and comments! I am about ready to sign up with LHS. I am tired of paying $1,200-$1,500/month for insurance that is of NO benefit to me due to impossible deductibles for most people, and having to do this EVERY SINGLE YEAR! I always get a sick feeling in my stomach when enrollment season comes around… back before Obamacare was even around, I had insurance that did not cover maternity. I was well aware of that fact, yet when I became pregnant I knew I would have to have another c-section as with my first child. I went to my hospital ahead of time and talked to the financial department. I asked them what kind of discount they would offer me if I paid my entire hospital bill the day of discharge. They discounted it 50%! It was doable as we knew well ahead of time. I let my Dr. know I would have to leave the hospital as soon as I could, not staying the full 3+ days after a C-section like normal. I left in 36 hours, paid my bill, and went on with life. Fast forward to recent times with Obamacare. I pay OUT THE NOSE every month for a plan that benefits me in NO way. I have paid almost the same amount as my c-section for a visit to the ER for stitches for my son, which included a CT scan, and a visit for me, no special things done, just testing and some labwork. I just keep getting bills… and I know FOR A FACT that a negotiated self pay discount is MORE than an insurance repricing discount. SO, no thank you Obamacare… I am going to be more responsible with my health care dollars and share costs with people who are actually trying to live healthy, not just being insured as a government mandate.

  64. Holly – thank you for your review and subsequent e-mail exchange providing your latest thoughts. Our family made the transition to Liberty Healthshare from a traditional insurance plan this year (for all the reasons that have been shared here) and we are hopeful it’s the right choice for us. We are going to chronicle our experience transitioning on a blog. It’s not flashy but we’ll just document things as they happen, step by step. Hope this can be another resource for those making this decision down the road and will also be a great opportunity for us to share what we learn.

  65. I urge everyone to be wary of this business. A mix-up between Liberty Health Share and my local health hospital ended up with me getting my policy cancelled and stuck with the entire bill. I spent more time on the phone trying to get my situation straightened out than I care to remember. Liberty’s customer service was…. abysmal… to put it lightly. They flat out refused to investigate as I provided documentation to prove my case. It took nearly NINE months for them resolve my account, which as I mentioned, ended in cancellation. Only recently have I gotten the records corrected with the hospital and am working towards compensation. LHS thought I could be appeased with a “refund” of a few hundred dollars, no, I’m coming for every dime I was charged. Stay away from this business, it’s no good.

    1. What was the mix up? Can you explain how your plan gets cancelled? The only reason I can see for cancellation would be if you quit paying your monthly sharing contribution.

  66. This is a really helpful article, thank you. I am about to pull the trigger and go with Liberty Health, however, I have a couple questions. My biggest health issue is a pre-existing condition, however, it’s pretty much under control and I’m otherwise extremely healthy. I’m hoping there aren’t any big issues in the coming year or two and eventually I will get coverage again. I do take a fairly expensive prescription. Right now I am a part of the drug company’s patient assistance program which gives me free Rx. In order to be eligible, I need to have some sort of commercial insurance. Any suggestions for a supplement or a way around this? Thanks in advance.

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    here.
    prosplek kerja manajemen keuangan

  68. I was excited about working with Liberty Healthshare, and advocated heavily to have my workplace work with them, but unfortunately have had a terrible experience. I delivered my a baby via emergency c-section last year. Liberty notified me that they were working on adjusting the amounts that hospital was billing, even though they don’t have a contract with my hospital. The hospital didn’t accept the adjustments and began sending me balance bills. Liberty assured me for 7 months that they would either get it adjusted or pay the difference (after I met my annual unshared amount). First they incorrectly calculated what I had paid for my AUA, which I had to call them to correct. Then they’ve told me over and over again to not pay the disputed amounts – while their affiliate agency (MedCost), worked it out. Meanwhile I’ve watched my account go to collections, and have begun getting calls from debt collectors, which Liberty had promised me that MedCost would work out so that it won’t affect my credit. Now they are sending me emails telling me that I am responsible for the amounts that they’ve been disputing, despite multiple promises over the last few months that they would take care of it. I have had to call multiple times monthly to make sure that my account was being taken care of by their company. Many of my coworkers have very similar stories. I feel that I have been working with a dishonest company that tells me one thing and then does another, and I fear my experience with them may ruin my excellent credit.

    1. Sorry to hear about your experience Krystal, but I will also say I’m not surprised. You have to tread lightly with Liberty. I have mixed feelings about them. They’re a company that you really have to document ALL your conversations with them and sometimes you have to call several times to speak to a representative that actually knows what they are talking about. No one seems to be thoroughly trained on what the policies are, also the policies/what they cover seems to change on a regular basis (they state you are supposed to be able to vote on everything, but they made changes last year that members didn’t vote on). I would like to go with Good Samaritan (I think that’s their name) but they’re pretty strict about what religions they accept and I don’t like supporting a company (Good Samaritan) that is so close minded and discriminatory, plus that other company doesn’t allow you to pay via credit card which I really like doing (to get credit card points). We really need more (better) options, or Liberty has to mainstream things better.

  69. If the doctor’s office wasn’t willing to submit the bill directly to LHS, what paperwork do I need when I leave the doctors office? I would like to have all my ducks in a row and get all paperwork needed to submit to LHS before leaving. Is it just the bill….do I need to ask for an itemized bill…do I need to ask for doctor’s notes from that day? What actually needs to be submitted to LHS in order for them to approve and pay the bill? If I self paid that day, do I need to send in the receipt of payment to LHS? Thanks for your time.

    1. I always submit my own bills. I always tell the doctor’s office that I don’t have insurance but belong to a Health Sharing program that might reimburse some of my expenses. I tell them that in addition to the receipt, I need something that shows what I was being seen/treated for and any diagnosis codes (or just descriptions).

      Before I see the doctor, I tell them that I don’t have insurance and will be self-pay. I ask if they have discounts for uninsured people who pay at time of service. Most of them do … but not all.

      Before I signed up with Liberty, I read every single thing I could find about the company. It was almost all good. I felt that most people who complained about not getting reimbursed simply didn’t understand that some things were not covered (like prescriptions), others needed pre-authorization, and they also need to pay their unshared amount first (i.e., deductible). The only legitimate complaints I read were people who had trouble AFTER Liberty paid their doctor bills. Some providers accepted payment from Liberty, but did not consider it payment in full. These Providers would then balance bill the patient and expect the patient to pay what Liberty didn’t pay. I wasn’t surprised to hear this because I used to run a medical billing company. No provider has to accept payment below the billed amount unless they are contracted with an insurance company. Since providers aren’t contracted with Liberty, they do NOT have to accept Liberty’s adjusted rates as full payment. Some people who had trouble were getting collection company calls.

      So … I figure that if I arrange self-pay discounts myself and pay them in full in advance, I won’t ever run into this problem.

      It’s AMAZING how much providers discount the bill when you pay in advance. My husband just had his first colonoscopy. His Hospital bill was discounted from $4500 to $1000. His anesthesia bill was discounted from $1494 to $512. And his doctor/surgeon bill was discounted to $477 (I don’t know what the full charge would have been). Additionally, when they found out we were self-pay, rather than send my husband to the pharmacy to pick up the stuff you have to drink beforehand, they gave him some for free. That saved us a ton of money too.

      Liberty is NOT speedy to pay bills. So if we’d just had all those providers send the bill to Liberty, I would have been stressing for months while wondering if it was all going to be paid okay or if I was going to be stuck with a huge bill down the road.

      One more thing … the hospital had actually worked with Liberty previously. They had a “pre-pay” person who worked with Liberty on our behalf before the procedure. Liberty paid the $1000 hospital bill BY CREDIT CARD three days before the procedure.

      1. Thank you so much for your help. So you are always in a position where you have enough money to pay in advance? The biggest thing that is holding me back from joining is the fear of having to pay up front each time. For instance if my child gets sick and I have to take them to an urgent care place, will they only see us if I pay 500 dollars up front. Then how long does it take before LHS to reimburse me? Do I have to pay up front for labor and delivery? Are most places willing to bill them directly? I guess I am just fearful of having to pay alot of money out of pocket and not having the money to do so.
        And now I am confused about which route is better.. telling the doctor to bill LHS directly or me paying up front then getting reimbursed? Anyone have any insight or experience?

        1. I can see how not being able to pay up front complicates things. I think that’s it’s better to pay upfront when you can. But not everybody can. Hopefully the provider will bill Liberty for you.

          Call Liberty and ask them specifically about Labor and Delivery.

        2. Don’t forget that you’re always going to need to pay your “unshared amount” before they pay anything.

    2. Jill Mayer says:

      One more thing … the first time I submitted my claims directly to Liberty … I did it after waiting for months. I just kept putting it off. But it was SO EASY. I have a printer/scanner at home and can scan my bills to a PDF. It then takes about 2 minutes to upload the bills on their website. They give you a box to explain what you’re submitting bills for and a button to upload your documents. DONE. The next day you’ll see that it was assigned to a processor. Then you have to wait a few months for payment.

      I’ve read comments by people who submit by mail. It takes a LONG TIME before you can see online that they received your reimbursement request. They never new if Liberty had even received their claims. That would drive me nuts.

  70. Holly and Greg
    I am a member of LHS and am curious on the screen showing your bills why there is no repricing as I have seen on mine.

  71. Beware your first year of joining! Our family has been fairly healthy and we have 2 teens. We joined Liberty Healthshare in January and had a few bills to submit in March. Remember, they do not cover anything until AFTER 60 days. So you really pay a 1500 deductible plus 2 months of premiums until you are eligible to file anything. Liberty Healthshare has designated EVERYTHING so far as a preexisting condition, even though they were not and the doctors said they were not. I am appealing everything and we will see what happens. So far the first year does not look good with them. This is how they keep their costs low, just deny everything. I am curious who else had this experience in their first year.
    The author of the article says they did not have any real claims until years later after the “preexisting condition” clause is more lenient.

    1. Charles (and everyone else) – Only routine expenses aren’t covered for the first 60 days. Here’s the language from the Sharing Guidelines, under Sharing Limits (p.14):

      2) First 60 Days of Participation. ​For sixty (60) days after Enrollment Date as a Sharing
      Member, medical expenses for any reason, other than accidents, acute illness or injury, are
      not eligible for sharing among members.

      The entirety of the Sharing Guidelines can be found at:

      http://www.libertyhealthshare.org/content/Sharing-Guidelines.pdf

  72. Unless I’m not properly comparing, I don’t understand the title on this article/blog with ‘2018,’ and the actual cost from the Liberty Healthshare site. It’s $299/mo vs what is shown here at $199/mo, for a single person, age 30-64.

    Very disappointing. $3600/year is way too much.
    🙁

    1. They recently updated pricing. We’re coming out with an update to the article in the next few weeks.

      1. Hi Greg-
        Can you PLEASE put DATES on posts? It would be vey helpful to know when things are written (and when “next few weeks” is, relative to now).
        Thanks!

  73. BEWARE! They excluded me from coverage because I had thyroid cancer 3 years prior to enrolling with them. They said that they will NEVER cover anything that may have to do with my thyroid, which is all aspect of health, right. Read the fine print. Their theory in coverage sounds great but be sure it will cover what you need.

  74. As health insurance costs continue rising uncontrollably, folks are going to be looking for alternatives. I’ve been reviewing numerous health share plans recently, because I’m one of those folks who would likely benefit the most. I’m in excellent health – haven’t been to a physician’s office in 15 years, and that was for a routine physical. I pay a ridiculous monthly premium for the cheapest ACA plan, and it’s free money for the insurance company. My need is simply a catastrophic type policy – I don’t care about the small stuff, I’ll pay for office visits and prescriptions if necessary. Unfortunately, my state does not offer such policies, not even the short-term policies. I simply want/need a plan that will be there if one day in the future I really need it. The biggest issues I’ve found with all the health share plans are two fold:

    1. As they say over and over – it is not insurance. They can decide not to “share” to cover your medical expense and in the end, you are ultimately responsible. Again, for me, not a problem for 99% of the time. I need it to be there for the 1% – do I need a surgery for something which unexpectedly arises? I’m certainly not going to self-pay $50,000 up front and then look for reimbursement.

    … which leads to

    2. Members should question the financial strength and stability of any health share organization they are considering to sign up with. Not being insurance, they do not fall under state insurance regulatory oversight. I went and found Liberty’s financials, and they aren’t extremely strong. Here is the link to Liberty’s 2017 financials: https://www.libertyhealthshare.org/assets/public/latest_annual_audit.pdf

    In reviewing the financials, my concern is they are skating very close to the edge, having a cash cushion of under $2 million. Pay particular attention to Note C on page 8 in the financials document linked above. They are extremely dependent on the month to month contributions to cover current expenses. With such a small buffer, should a few members have expensive claims, insolvency is a real possibility. My guess is that because of such a slim buffer, they will have a need to raise monthly contributions. Likewise, operating with such a slim margin for error, I get the feeling that when a member does have a need for covering an expensive claim, even if it should be completely covered by plan guidelines, there is incentive for the plan administration to look to deny the claim. Granted, it is much the same with insurance companies. However, if your insurance company denies coverage unreasonably, your insurance regulator is there to step in and you have more of an ability to get the claim approved/covered. The health share is outside of insurance regulatory oversight, will simply come back with the program documentation pointing out that it is not insurance and ultimately you are responsible for payment.

    Again, I’m not worried about the small stuff – even when we say $5,000 and $10,000 is “small stuff”. I’m most concerned about what might be the unexpected $100,000 or $1 million.

    Bottom line, color me skeptical.

    1. Murray,
      Can you tell me what you have found in your research of short-term plans? My state offers several for around $300-500 per month which I’m willing to pay and I can also shoulder the “small stuff” if needed. I only need a plan for a few more years until I’m eligible for Medicare. I just worry these “junk” plans won’t pay out.

  75. QUESTION: ARE ROUTINE DOCTORS VISITS SHAREABLE? LIKE SAY I GO INTO MY DOCTOR FOR A CHECK UP, WOULD I BE ABLE TO SHARE THAT BILL?

    1. According to the 2018 sharing guidelines, you are entitled to one wellness exam per year. As always, you should verify this with LHS before making any decisions.

  76. Jerry Norton says:

    Am leery of any article where people are compensated like Greg and Holly. Nothing against them but it becomes like a Brady Bunch episode when everything seems to be lollipops and unicorns for every situation. We are on the cusp of joining and maybe today, but the reviews on Yelp scare me to death. And the damage control that has been done on FB does also. The Bestseller review site is a pay for good reviews and suppresses bad ones. So that site is a scam. It appears to me that if you are healthy, in great shape and will not use LHS its great. But from the reviews, its when you need them to pay is when it gets dicey.

    1. Hey Jerry,
      As we stated in the article, we’re in the middle of about $45,000 worth of medical bills for my daughter’s broken arm right now. If something doesn’t work out, you can be sure we’ll let everybody know. In the past, they’ve covered over $10K in surgeries for us without issue.

    2. Hey Jerry, Not sure when you wrote, but they keep upping the costs and deductibles. It does work and it is cheaper, but they never respond personally with email. Just like a copy past email. They take 2+ months on average to process bills. So you are out all expenses till they finally come through. I don’t know if they would help you if you had 45k to pay, but probably could do something. They never respond timely. Soon as can find a cheaper option I’m moving on!

      1. Hi Greg,

        I’m not sure what you mean by “they keep upping the costs and deductibles.” They raised the premiums and deductibles this year and that was the first time in the five years we have been with them. Also, I’m not sure why you’re out of pocket until they reimburse you. We have our medical providers submit bills directly to Liberty. We only pay after they’ve been processed. Sounds like you’re misinformed and also doing it wrong.

        1. “Also, I’m not sure why you’re out of pocket until they reimburse you”

          Hi Holly, I see what you are saying. But I think there can be cases where LHS/MCS doesn’t get a “balance bill” negotiated for very long periods. This waiting period can cause a medical bill to be sent to collections. And if you do not pay the bill out of pocket cash immediately, the collection can be reported to your credit, and thus tank your credit score. And then also be a PIA to get removed from your credit.

          I had to pay a balance bill on a $300 health screening out of pocket while I waited for MCS to resolve the bill. If I didn’t pay for it out of pocket, the provider would have reported the collection to my credit.

          By the way, I’m not a LHS hater. So far it has saved me a lot of money in premiums, been with them since 2016. But I also have not had a major medical issue in that time, so I have not had to really test them. I am still with LHS in Jan 2020 by the way.

          1. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not interested in debating about LHS all day. This is one of thousands of articles on my website,. I don’t have time or the desire to reply to every comment. A lot of the people on this thread act like I am LHS. I am not. I am just a blogger who wrote a personal review of my experience, which has been good overall. People are welcome to debate each other in the comments all day long if they want, but I have other things to focus on with my blogging business. This post was originally written 5-6 years ago and I try to update it every six months or so, but that’s all I’m willing to do.

  77. Jerry Norton says:

    And to the gentleman who said there are only eight BBB complaints, he does not know how to load more…there are seventy-two.

  78. Ummm…have you hit your annual unshared amount? If not, that’s probably why. Also, if you’re so upset and flushing $250 down the toilet, why don’t you just switch companies? Seems like an odd situation to me.

  79. I am posting this (at the “bottom” of the comment section as of today) on February 8th, 2019. This should help people see what’s relevant NOW.
    Please, Holly and Greg, considering a forum platform with dated replies (see Mr. Money Mustache forums for example).
    I REALLY appreciate your hard work on this article, and the fact that you both continually pay attention to this (obviously, at this point old) piece. It’s nice to see that you’re both still actively engaging with us, your readers.
    Keep up the good work and while it may not feel like it all the time, what you’re doing IS very important and IS making life better for others.

    1. Thanks Charles,

      Also note that I updated this piece in late 2018. It may be old, but I updated the pricing of the plans and added some new information. We will continue to do so as anything changes.

      1. Do you not see the negative responses to Liberty in this blog, google Liberty Healthshare reviews and you will see a continued thread of bad reviews. I am a member and have my own issues and unless they respond I am no longer going to contribute

  80. Rashid Sajjad says:

    For us, liberty started as a great concept in 2018 and by Jan 2019, it has turned into a management nightmare.
    Yes – liberty is pay and pray (that it gets reimbursed)

    It sounds very enticing on paper, however in the course of a year with about 40 different visits to 7 providers, liberty has messed up with about 15 visits (some with the same provider).

    Here’s the scenarios:
    (Straight forward)
    You go the doc. Doc says sure we will submit to liberty or they call liberty and say you have a deductible. You pay the visit amount and you end of story

    (Getting Complicated)
    All of the above but you have an in-office treatment. You go home and in a few weeks you get a bill. You submit to Liberty. Liberty can go all hay wired at this point. Some bills they processed and paid and some went into neverland. I had to follow up every couple of weeks to get them to process it and finally have the provider paid.

    (More Complicated)
    You go to the doc or medical center. They dont take Liberty. You pay SOME services there. They balance bill you for the REST later. You send liberty the current bill (you might have to call the provider to get medical notes since liberty MUST see the CPT code). The balance bill comes in, you pay and then you submit the balance bill and then you repeat the call to the provider to get the balance bill CPT codes, then you upload to liberty and call liberty to connect the 2 bills using the same “D” bill code (its their internal billing numbering system).
    When all is said and done, i have spent hours on the phone trying to get this done.

    (Very Complicated)
    Think of all the scenarios where you are trying to get a hold of detailed bills with CPT codes and trying to submit them and connect them at liberty.
    One annual physical, the clinic took a $100 deposit because they werent sure if liberty will end up paying for all blood tests. Since this is not a “network”, there’s no guarantees what liberty will and willl not pay, so you are the mercy of the provider.

    I am getting out of liberty after 1 year and not renewing due to all the intervention and hours i have to spend getting the billing updated.

  81. I left a 1 Star review for them on another site.

    I signed up for Liberty Health Share three years ago. I made payments on time for the entire time. I also referred two families to the program who both signed up. The pricing model is ideal.

    However…. This is the reason for the 1 star review.

    – They say they will work out balance bills. I sent copies of balance bills into the program twice and NEVER heard back…. Next thing I know I am being contacted by a collection agency to collect. Crappy credit score as a result. This happened TWICE!

    – Also, it took them a very long time to process things with any doctor or clinic I ever went to. The doctors CONSTANTLY complained to me about LHS and how they were wanting to essentially get the price almost down to cost.

    – AND the worst part of it all! I needed to cancel service, called in December to cancel on December 31st. They said they would email me the paper work, which they never did. Then I called again first day of January and they then emailed me the paperwork a week later. I PROMPTLY filled out the paperwork and sent it in. They STILL charged me for January $474 and they REFUSE to refund it at all!!!!

    They call themselves Christians, however when I asked for a refund for January, they turn into greedy Pharisees. I am not even asking them to forgive a debt… I am simply asking that I get my money back that I was charged but for no service (that is called stealing). I seem to remember Moses saying something about stealing…. huh.

    1. Beware of Liberty. We have been with them for three years and in 2018, when they started accepting way more applicants, everything went down hill. All of my providers complain payments take up to a year for them to receive. I am currently waiting and battling to get paid for services from 5 months ago. We will be looking for s different company.

  82. I give them one star for their customer service being able to stay friendly to unhappy customers and get creative with their lies. Where do I even begin?? The easiest place is to agree with the many unhappy reviews here. We have paid over $4000 to Liberty in monthly payments – in addition to paying over $5000 out of pocket for our two girls medical expenses since last September 2018. We have received $0 as reimbursement. We have been on and off the phone with them (including countless emails) since October. We have received the run-around about how to properly submit bills, lied to about timeframe of submittals for reimbursement, lied to about checks being sent but never were, lied to about when someone would “look into it and get it taken care of” but never did…. I 100% think this place is a scam. Not one person has been consistent with information. I have read several of the same story on other review platforms so we aren’t the only ones who have been lied to and out of a lot of money.

    My husband is currently on the phone waiting to talk to a supervisor (did I mention it takes at least 30 min to an hour to get any kind of person on the other end). This will be the fourth “supervisor” in the past 3 months. Every time, that person is SUPER friendly and promising. They even somehow manage to change the updates in the system to make it look like things are being handled and processed. But please Liberty, explain to me why you tell your customers 30-45 business days when it has been OVER 6 MONTHS that we have seen any type of reimbursement. We were told a check was processed and mailed out over a week ago. Today, the first person told him that no checks have been mailed out.
    My husband just informed me that he spoke to 2 people now. The second lady kept telling him things that didn’t make sense. She was flustered and said, “hang on let me transfer you to Autumn, who is my supervisor..she is sitting right here and told me to go ahead and transfer you.” Once he was transferred over, the call went straight to her voicemail. Her voicemail box was FULL, so the call hung up. He called back and finally reached her, but she said we were on a Prompt Payment list and several people were ahead of us..it’s going to be another few weeks until we receive anything. That means we would’ve paid Liberty more in monthly payments than what we’ve paid out of pocket since we’ve been members – and only getting a percentage of that back – IF we ever see it.

    I am so sad for all the people who have lost money to these people. If you are in your first few months, PLEASE CANCEL your membership to save you stress and heartache. To call themselves a Christian ministry is outright audacious and evil. Our daughters are 2 yo and 9 months, and our youngest has severe allergies and eczema. Both have had ongoing medical issues, and we are getting down to the point where we feel we can’t take them to the doctor unless it’s a severe emergency – my husband and I don’t even go to the doctor for our own needs – because we know we can’t afford it and definitely can’t continue to pay for HealthShare that isn’t reimbursing us as promised. We were told that since our baby is under 1 yo, all of her medical costs would be reimbursed, no question. We are still waiting for over $1500 just for her since last September.

    I will be sharing our story and this review on as many platforms as I possibly can.

  83. Corey Whittaker says:

    try the better business bureau. When I told them I was filing a complaint there, my checks came. There was also a name and number there of a supervisor, so I called her, and stuff got done. I had very similar issues though. I am dropping them as soon as I get another plan lined up

  84. I started to use Liberty in late 2017 and had my first wellness check in August 2018. The nightmare started then. My wellness check was done in Atrium which somehow took my Liberty card without paying upfront. Atrium sent the bill (about $300) to Liberty. I suppose Liberty would take care of it as long as it is within the $400 limit for wellness check. However, Liberty repriced to $100+ and paid without the consent of Atrium. Then Atrium started sending their balance bill to me from February 2019. When I got the bill, I informed Liberty and Liberty referred me to send the bill to its partner, The Medical Cost Saving (MCS) Solutions Limited for negotiation with Atrium. I followed this Liberty’s standard procedures immediately. MCS responded pretty quickly and notified me that they have concluded with Atrium and passed back the case to Liberty to follow up. However, I could not see any updates in the Liberty system and kept on receiving the same bill from Atrium every month until April 2019. I called Liberty every time I received the bill and Liberty could not tell the status of the case and simply asked me to wait for their normal processing time of 60 business days. Then, in May 2019, I received a collection notice from Atrium’s collection agency, that I need to settle the bill within 30 days from the letter or else they will file to my credit report. What?! A wellness within $400 is well written in all websites of Liberty that it should be fully covered. Now, the bill of wellness check is not fully covered and is going to crash my credit report. My case has not yet been settled as of today 2019-5-22.

    So, if your credit rating is poor, then I have no comment on joining Liberty Healthshare program. But if your credit rating is good like me, I suggest you think twice. It could be a nightmare.

  85. Michael beecham says:

    I have been very dissatisfied with their service as of lately. In May of 2018 went to emergency room with approximately 2500 dollar bill. Did not get the bill from the hospital until sep 2018. I filled the claim and was immediately turned down. When I finally was able to talk to a human I was told they would need documentation of the codes. I went back to the hospital and got the required information from them and uploaded 4 pages of documentation with codes and waited, and waited and waited. Nothing done by Feb 2019, so called and was told they were having computer problems, but would handle it. Called back later and still no action. It is now June 2019 and I have spent 2 hours trying to get someone on phone, no luck. Meanwhile threatened by hospital for non-payment, so I paid it. I get a sinking feeling there will be no reimbursement from the company. My wife has believe-it-or-not done much better with medicare. It’s a pity a Christian company can’t do better than this. I guess in a little over a year I’ll be going to medicare. In the meantime I’d better stay well with Liberty Health Share, because it doesn’t seem to be working with this company.

    My rating so far, go somewhere else.

  86. I give Liberty Healthshare a 0 out of 5. They blatantly lied to me. I requested a cancellation letter for Nov. 1 2018 and I have it. I can send it to anyone that asks. In February of 2019 I received a charge to my credit card in the amount of $604 for my February 2019 premium payment. I called Liberty and spoke with a manager Dennis at extension 1066 and he told me I definitely should not have been charged for that month. I had already notified my cc company that it was a bogus charge. Dennis told me that since the charge was in dispute with the CC company that he wouldn’t be able to refund me the money. Actually his exact words were “if the charge wasn’t in dispute then he could refund me the money today.” So to make a long story short I decided to go ahead and take the credit card charge out of dispute because the CC company told me it would take about 6 to 8 weeks for the dispute to run its course. Since Dennis had already told me they would immediately refund my money if it wasn’t in dispute I asked the CC company to take it out of dispute. Which they did… and wouldn’t you know it when I called back and spoke with Dennis he told me that they wouldn’t be able to refund my money because I didn’t go through the proper process to cancel my account. If I didn’t go through the proper process to cancel my account then why do I have a cancellation letter from Liberty Healthshare that shows it as cancelled as of October 31, 2018. They blatantly lied and tricked me into cancelling my dispute with the CC company. And now the CC company is telling me that they can’t re-open the dispute. So here I am with a cancellation letter from Liberty Healthshare for October 31, 2018, and a $604 charge on my CC account for a February 2019 bill from Liberty Healthshare that is racking up interest every month. Very dishonest business practices… especially for what is supposed to be a faith-based company. I have all of the phone numbers and documents if anyone needs proof. Pretty unbelievable.

  87. Customer service is terrible, they don’t look out for your best interest. Save your money & sanity

  88. My 14 year old daughter had a serious condition which resulted in 2 ER visits and a hospitalization in a mental health facility. Liberty says they won’t cover any of it ! So much for brotherly love from a group of self professed Christians. Therefore, I give them a 0/5, total rip off !

  89. Scam and ripoff. Amounts to a Ponzi scheme.

  90. Seriously do your homework before signing on with this unprofessional outfit. We are on month 10 trying to get them to pay our qualifying bills. Every conversation with them starts the process over again to get paid which can take years. Their billing dept is off limits to customers to speak with. We have had a total of about 7-8 small claims totaling under $3,000 in two years. Each one has taken me 6+ months and multiple conversations/emails to try to recover. We have been taken to collections twice due to their inability to pay claims. This was a bad mistake for us… so I am recommending that you dig deep into their claims and payment process before you join them.

  91. Jim, you are not alone! There are MANY out here like you. My wife has a bill from 02/03/18 that still has not been paid. Our Sharebox says it is ready to be paid and a check number assigned and that’s the way it has stayed for atleast 2 weeks. Then, today I check it’s status, as we do everyday, and now I see the check number has been removed! I emailed a member of the escalations department, who only contacted us after my wife filed a complaint with the Ohio BBB, and am awaiting his explanation. Just two days ago he advised the Share Power for the month was in and he would watch for the share date and let us know. The above bill is just one of a couple larger bills we need paid, but they are from February of this year, so we probably have to wait until next year. I know the hosts of this blog, always seem to have nothing but good things to say about their experiences, but they are in the minority. My wife and I are seriously considering going elsewhere.

    1. It is a shame the authors of this blog do not address the many negative comments here, yet they do enthusiastically respond to the very few positive ones! I appreciate everyone coming on here with their personal negative experiences. It has definitely helped me not make a huge mistake in signing up!

      1. Hey Michelle,
        Thanks for checking out the piece. FYI, we have over 1,000 pieces on this website, so we can’t possibly respond to every single comment. Also, we’ve written an entire piece (which you presumably just read) about our personal experience with LHS, so you should pretty much know our feelings. Plus, we still use them personally, so there’s that. Finally, there are over 300 comments here, which anyone can read through to make their own determinations. I think we’ve pretty much provided as much info – good and bad – as anybody on the web.

  92. Brenda Blackwood says:

    Just found out today that scanning your medical receipts has not been accepted because that function isn’t working well. I was told to have my doc fax the invoices to them, but because some are over 120 days out, they won’t be accepted unless my doc makes plies of the emails that shows they were indeed sent. This is ridiculous! We were never told not to scan and send! I am fed up with Liberty Health…..

  93. I received a different resonse every time I called after waiting on the phone for sometimes up to 30 minutes. If the call is lost, they don’t return the call. If you leave a message for call back, that won’t happen. A few of the reps were out right rude. Finally, the amount that was posted that would be shared ended up being only half that was finally mailed after 6 months. They are very selective as to what is sharable. I would advise to do traditional insurance with a high deductible and use an HSA account. Liberty looks good, could be good, but is very undependable.

  94. LHS_survivor says:

    Is there a way to star a class action lawsuit against LHS/Medcost? i am sure there are hundreds and thousands LHS is screwing with/delaying payments purposely.

    1. I thought the same thing. I even told them that just because you say there are no guarantees does not mean they have zero obligations. That’s when I got a few reimbursements, lol.

      They are demonstrably misleading people and denying legitimate claims. I’m in!

  95. Riley Smith says:

    Well, I stopped reading the comments half way through but want to add mine. After two nights in the hospital in November 2018 Liberty still hasn’t paid as of Sep 2019, even though they told us the checks were sent out! Find a different company people! These people are the worst!

    1. Have you followed up with LHS or the hospital? When did they tell you the checks were sent out? As we said in the piece, we definitely had to follow up a ton for my daughter’s broken arm. It was a pain, it took roughly 10 months or so, but they eventually did pay. In many cases, they never received the bill from the hospital, which is why payment was delayed…at least on some of the bills. Of course, that is just our story and there seems to be others.

  96. They “kindly” tell you to just have the provider send the bill to them like an insurance company. What they don’t tell you is that when they do this the provider rarely asks for up front payment like they would when you pay cash. So, when they bill LHS, they put on the form that you have not paid.

    LHS has an internal policy, that is not explained in the sharing guidelines. The policy states that if a bill is submitted for sharing that hasn’t been paid then they will reprice (“cover”) only the medicare allowable rate for the service. In this case, they also fail to follow any of their normal negotiation policies that are clearly stated in the guidelines. However, if the bill is submitted with proof of payment, either by you or your provider (but your provider probably won’t) they will share the cost of the whole bill. This is when the negotiation clauses of the guidelines are in effect.

    When you try to get answers they only give as little as possible, misleading you and causing the process to be delayed. They make you ask for anything you are wanting. If you want someone that is helpful, you either have to get a third party mediator involved (lawyer or BBB, etc.), or just use another company.

    If you do use them, now or in the future, make sure that the provider submits the bills with the “paid amount” on the form, or just ignore LHS’s request for the company to submit the bill and do it yourself. Just make sure LHS knows that you paid for the service already! And keep a record of all your phone calls (who, when & what they said) when you discuss medical treatment or bills with LHS. They have a tendency to give conflicting answers as they pass you around.

  97. I would stay away from this company. I agree with many of the people posting. I am still waiting for bills to be paid since February of this year (2019). The hospital is about to send my bill to collections, which is nearly $20k and that is after I negotiated 60% price discounts. LHS hasn’t done anything in any way including reimbursements. LHS has become a terrible company to rely upon.

  98. B Marshall says:

    According to the Better Business Bureau there is a consumer alert for Liberty Health Share. It gets a BBB rating of a F-. Its hard for me too imagine that a health care provider of this magnitude too not pay its bills and have so many people file complaints against them. I would not recommend this company for your hard earned money.

  99. (this post is 1/10/2020…..as its hard to tell dates on these comments)…… have had Liberty since 2016 . I still have it, but have not had any major medical issues to really test it. I do see a common problem in delays in getting bills paid in the comments. What happened with me on a annual health screening seems to have happened to others.

    1. The provider billed LHS for the heath screeing
    2. LHS paid the medicare amount to provider
    3. the provider rejected that and continued to bill me the full amount
    4. I call LHS and tell them what has happened, they then refer me to Medical Cost Savings Solutions (MCS)
    5. MCS takes a really long time to get to the bottom of it
    6. In the mean time while MCS is working on it, the medical bill goes to collections
    7. I end up paying the bill out of my pocket because my credit is perfect and want to save my credit from a collection account getting attached to it
    8. LHS finally re-imburses but it took a long time

    I still like LHS because I’m a single health person and the premium is so much less and deductible so much less than ACA. And I am still going to stick with them. Also because I hate paying this enormous amount of cash into ACA which is terribly overpriced and burdens median income self-employed people totally unfairly.

    But it would be tough paying say a $40,000 health bill out of pocket if forced to due to a delay in LHS/MCS negotiating with them. And it is “outside the system”, so you have to “trust” that LHS is managing their reserves and finances to be able to pay your claims. So there is risk to it in that it is not totally clear. But I’m still willing to take that risk then getting completely robbed blind by ACA.

  100. Also, Greg & Holly, are you still with LHS in 2020?

      1. Thanks Holly for your response. I am still with them too in my 4th year.

        I made sure I memorized the “sharing guide” and I call the pre-notification hotline before I get care for anything in question.

        To me LHS it is still worth it due to the huge savings on premiums and deductibles. But its not for everyone. Anyone who has doubts has a right to just stay with ACA.

        And I understand you and Greg are just bloggers, and this is one of many articles you write (and 320 comments to this article alone!). Thanks for sharing the information and keep up the great work on your blog!:)

        1. No problem. Sometimes people just address me personally and act like it should be my part-time job to reply to every comment here and elsewhere on my website. I don’t have time or the desire! I just leave posts up so people can discuss among themselves. =)

          Have a nice day!

      2. Joy Gatlin says:

        Please protect your family…they are taking over a year right now to pay claims and people are leaving in masses which means there will not be the membership to share the claims…they managed to pay 250,000 dollars to go to CPAC and over 120,000 in lobbying expenses last year…this is public record but they have people who are not getting covered. My claim was 2500 and they told Key WHitman in Dallas they do not have the money to pay that claim…call them and ask what their claim time is for a hospital stay …. if you can get someone to be straight with you it will be 12 months … can you afford to not have a major claim paid if you or your family get cancer. There are healthsharing companies not having his problem But I seriously talked to the Attorney General of Ohio’s office today and he said they have so many complaints and are sending me over 200 case complaints (they are public information) please understand 5 years ago when I signed up with Liberty they were great but not so anymore. I have never made a claim before and am in their top tier at 399 per month just for me and they have not paid a 2500 dollar claim they preapproved and negotiated. Just be careful they are in deep financial trouble

  101. EX_LIBERTY says:

    For anyone still struggling with Liberty Healthshare,

    Here a couple of suggestions:

    If you paid a hospital or any provider UPFRONT or are planning to pay UPFRONT, ALWAYS and ALWAYS go ahead and pay the self-pay discounted price. This is usually your best possible discount you will receive on the service. Keep in mind, you are rolling the dice with Liberty either not negotiating AT ALL with the provider, the provider completely refusing to discount the bill since they do NOT consider liberty as in-network so they have no reason to discount the bill or liberty taking so long to work with the provider, that any window to ask for a self-pay discount might have passed and at that point the bill is in collections and the provider will refuse to do anything with the bill or not offer the self-pay discount.

    Please read the above 3 times.
    TL;DR: Pay upfront with self-pay discount, send bill to liberty later. This is your best bet.

    I am glad i am with liberty no more, it was a nightmare.

  102. Sent (4) notices to Liberty to cancel my membership to their required email address, due to the fact I’m now enrolled in Medicare. Had to cancel a cc with 14 yr 100% history. Horribly horribly inept company. 5 yrs of payments, no significant claims. Zero! Stay away from this company…cannot be strong enough in that statement.

  103. Larry medcalf says:

    Interesting information thanks

  104. Eileen Bedinghaus says:

    Agree! Liberty Health is THE WORST and should not cal themselves ‘christian’. It takes them FOREVER to pay claims. And their ‘allowable’ fees leaves the consumer to stuck with the balance. Case : November I had an ER visit and the charges were $6900. LHS is ‘allowing’ $962. The hospital is looking to me for the balance. So this program costs you MORE than traditional insurance in the long run. Run! I tell you. Run!

    1. Joy Gatlin says:

      Please call the Attorney General of Ohio and make a complaint as well as let the BBB know.

  105. This company is the worst I have ever worked with. Their communication is horrible and they have taken over a year to take care of my medical bills. My bills have been sent to collections and they did nothing to help. My credit was hit hard and they did nothing to help. This company will leave you out in the dry. I have no idea how people can rate this business higher than 1 star.

  106. Bradley Norris says:

    Great Company if you don’t need them. They do NOT cover equipment. Crutches no big deal, $1,000 CPAP machine, that’s a bigger deal. I guess they would prefer I have heart problems and and be generally unhealthy and incur those expenses, than actually help me take care of myself and reduce future health issues. LHS Sucks.!!!!!!

  107. Carmen Ripley says:

    Do not Join Liberty Health Share they are an awful sharing program that does not pay bills in a timely fashion can take up to 2 years and a million phone calls. If you give notice the prior two months of your monthly share pay do not give you any medical coverage! LHS has been awful to work with and they now raised their rates so good riddance! Save your dollars and yourself a huge headache and go read all their reviews to see all the issues customers have with them because if you join you too will have all those SAME complaints! And ignore all their responses they are just words and there is NO ACTION behind them!

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