Christian Healthshares are a viable option to traditional insurance for many US families. Liberty HealthShare has run into some problems and has a lot of complaints. Should you leave Liberty Healthshare? Also, what are the good alternatives to Liberty Healthshare?
Cliff Notes: I left Liberty for Zion Healthshare for a variety of reasons (which I review in this post). I’ll share the now, but I finally feel secure with Zion.
- Check-out Zion Healthshare
- Register for Zion Healthshare Here! {and be sure to tell them you heard about them from Hilary at Pulling Curls)
Table of contents
I’ve done a few podcasts on it (but if you want to skip those click here)
Here is an update on us using a healthshare when I had a ruptured appendicitis:
I also did a recent podcast on having a healthshare with a DPC:
I also did a podcast on why a healthshare isn’t for everyone (and it shares my experience as of fall 2023 with Zion — when we did have a member need fulfilled).
Liberty Healthshare Review
I joined Liberty Healthshare about three years ago when we were priced out of the Arizona health insurance market.
We had been on a traditional plan during Obamacare that had been a bit cheaper (it didn’t offer maternity and was grandfathered in). However, once it surpassed our mortgage cost (with a 14k deductible for our family) I started to look at other options.
I decided on Liberty because they covered preventative medicine (which is what we most often use health care for).
I also felt they were less “religious” — as a nurse, reading some of the documentation at the time was off-putting. Liberty seemed a bit more mainstream and more like insurance (although it says EVERYWHERE that it is NOT insurance — I hope you “get” what I mean).
I also vaguely liked the idea of meeting with a dietician each month to help with my weight issues (even though it cost more to do so).
** Liberty is NOT insurance, it is not governed by the insurance board. So, definitely keep that in mind as you move forward with any healthshare.
Liberty Healthshare Problems
The problems came down to a few things:
Liberty HealthShare isn’t Paying My Medical Bills
I have a flu shot from October 2018 (writing this in December 2019) that they never fixed or paid us for. We finally just paid the doctor’s office for it. I have called them maybe 6 times about it since February and have gotten the same story each time.
We actually got three flu shots that day. Two were processed correctly, but the third was denied and a portion was applied to our deductible. Each person I talked to said that was totally wrong… and here we are, 10 months later….
I also have bills from June (5 months ago) that have been approved but still haven’t had a check cut.
They keep saying that it is a software issue they fixed in April, but now that we are eight months out from that and not really seeing any fixes — it just makes me nervous.
** I want to insert here that I do believe that it is a software issue. I don’t think the people at Liberty are scamming us of our money, I just don’t know that they have the leadership to get it all back together. I also am not sure I can keep trusting them at this point. They did recently have a CEO shift, so hopefully things will pick up.
2020 Update: I have yet to get anything paid from 2019 as of February 2020 and I ended up paying my doctor hundreds in cash, which was sad.
2023: Update — Liberty did end up paying for the flu shots after I filed a Better Business Bereau Report on them. I had left the company by the time they paid (but they did still pay me).
Liberty Healthshare Healthtraq Program Wasn’t Helping Me
Yes, my dietician was faithful, and yes she had some good ideas. Ultimately, I have gained weight in the program. Not saying that it is the program’s fault, but I did have to call in with my weight each month and the guilt I felt from each call weighed heavy on me.
I felt like she didn’t really have any ideas for me, and that she was more an accountability partner that I was paying quite a lot of money for her to say “yeah, that’s hard.”
Anyway, it didn’t work. I felt happy to cancel my next call. But I also plan to keep trying to lose weight. 🙂
Liberty Health Share Complaints
The more I looked, the more complaints I saw about Liberty.
Yes, I know insurance, in general, has a lot of complaints leveled at it. People don’t submit bills right, etc.
But, when issues (like not paying medical expenses) are consistently dragging on for years it makes me double think it. I found a lot more complaints about Liberty than other HealthShares.
Almost all of the complaints are about bills not being paid — for YEARS.
Why I left Liberty HealthShare
Ultimately, I decided to leave. I need them to act like insurance, even if they are not. Recently, their letters have gotten vaguer, the customer service wait was forever long. I just didn’t feel good about it.
What are some Alternatives to Liberty Healthshare?
As I considered leaving Liberty I talked to a few friends and found a lot of people liked two options.
I should note here that I have limited use of Christian Healthshares. Many don’t consider members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Christian. The ones below are fine with us though:
Christian Health Ministries vs Liberty HealthShare
Christian Health Ministries (CHM) is a bit more “religious” in their talk on the website (although, I found it better than it was a few years ago).
Here are the benefits I have found (these $ are true of a few years ago, not sure the comparison is still true in 2023).
- Their incident deductible is $500 (and they lower that if you get prices decreased)
- They answered a phone call on a Monday morning in 10 minutes (Liberty took over 30)
- With their brother’s keeper program there is no incident maximum (which always worried me with Liberty)
- Their price is cheaper than Liberty
The cons for CHM were similar to all Health Shares. It’s not regulated like insurance. I do believe they still take a few months to get checks cut, but that is how it is with many of the programs.
However, they were also SUPER religious. Like their messaging was off-putting to me. Many Christians wouldn’t have that issue, it was just something that both my husband and I noticed.
Zion Healthshare vs Liberty HealthShare
Zion HealthShare seemed great. However, they seemed new. The girl I spoke with on the phone had to ask someone else almost every question I had.
Things I liked about Zion:
- Their turnaround time is QUICK — guys, 7-14 days once they get the information they need!
- They help you find the lowest cost options.
- You can lower your price by using their Essential membership with a direct care doctor (this is a doctor you pay a monthly amount to and they coordinate your care).
Some things that concerned me a bit:
- The price. Zion’s monthly price is more than the other option I had (if I pick the lower IUA).
- They don’t share until each incident incident hits 1k (or more depending on your chosen IUA amount. That seems to be a more catastrophic-type plan. That means if your kids break their arm you pay 1k (they pay the rest), and then you need your appendix out — you pay 1k (they pay the rest). They do say that after three incidents they waive the rest — so, ultimately you wouldn’t have a member responsibility for much more than 3k.
- They are so new. I think they started in 2019 and while they seem to have a firm financial footing, I was just worried.
That all being said, I switched to Zion after a few months with CHM. I finally feel a bit settled.
Zion Health Reviews
Things I have liked so far:
- You get free Teladoc on their Direct Membership — which means I can assess my family and call in to have a doctor help us, pretty much any time of day (which could decrease doctor or emergency room visits).
- I emailed with a question and they called me back with the answer to ask if I had any other questions. Very nice touch.
The MAIN reason I switched was their quick turn-around, and their medical advocacy department helps find low cost options. I just feel more secure with this, and I finally feel “settled”.
I mean, the reason you get this type of thing for is for the BIG stuff, not the strep throats or small things you can be seen for…
If you register, I’d also love it if you used my name (Hilary Erickson) or website under the comment as to how you heard about them. 🙂 It helps me out.
I would also encourage you to call them, they were great at answering questions.
I also did a whole podcast with Zion HealthShare, talking about who it IS good for (and who it’s not):
Cons of Zion Health Share
The whole pay per incident type thing can be something that could have a LOT of bills. They call it an IUA, this means that they don’t pay anything until you hit the IUA. This means that they only pay once your bill hits $1,000 (and you have to pay that full $1,000 first).
As with all health shares, they do not cover pre-membership conditions right away (she talks about that in the podcast above). It’s definitely something all prospective members need to consider before choosing a health share (as far as I know they ALL have this stipulation).
FYI a pre-membership medical condition would be some medical conditions you had prior to joining the plan. That would be something you’ve had treatment for in the past 3 years (every pre-membership — often called “pre-existing” — timeframe is different) — but I think theirs is 3 years (check their member guidelines for the most up to date info). In year one they won’t pay anything for pre-membership conditions, and that increases to $25,000 in year two (and goes up from there to $125,000 in years 4+).
Zion HealthShare Essential Memebership
In 2020 I joined Zion’s DPC program, which is now called the Essential Membership
A DPC is a Direct Primary Care. I basically have a concierge doctor that is on 24/7 for me. I can call/text/email him at any time for any service and he will see me. I pay $195 for our whole family to see him.
My Zion price went down $200 dollars, so — basically I am paying the same, but I can get care under this physician any time I want.
Now, he is a family practice doctor — so he can’t do EVERYTHING, but he can do all our checkups, and minor things… and also let us know if something is serious that we should see someone else.
HUGE fan of this model.
Hey, and if you do sign up with Zion it does mean a lot to me when you say you heard it recommended by Hilary at Pulling Curls. I love this model and I want to share it with everyone who is in search of an affordable alternative health insurance!
BTW with the Essential Membership it doesn’t have free teladoc (because your DPC would take care of those items). I believe we’d also have to pay a bit extra to get preventive services included in our monthly payments (like Mammograms). Because I have to get a diagnostic mammogram (dense breast tissue) I would have to pay that out of pocket either way, I believe. SO, we don’t do it yet.
Zion HealthShare Review 2023
Guys, I’m still really happy — almost 3 years after I initially joined them.
We did have a need this past summer and they paid within the month. In my mind I thought it would be 7-14 days from when I submitted but they do have to wait to get the information from the doctor.
Ours was a suspicious mole that was found to be cancerous so we had to go to a dermatologist and have a it removed. It was removed in a Mohrs surgery and edges were clear. It was just under $2000 for the whole thing (biopsy, initial dermatology consult and then the Mohr’s). We paid the Dermatologist and then once they found it to be shareable they actually just paid the lab after we got the bill.
We had a check back for our dermatology payment (the amount that was over our IUA) before our credit card was due. I’d guess about 20 days after the submission.
The process to submit was really clear. They also kept us updated about what they were doing to collect records, etc.
Note: If we’d had previous cancerous lesions, only a certain percent would be shareable, but because it was the first find it was 100% shareable (after our IUA).
You HAVE to know that pre-membership conditions just aren’t shareable as well under any healthshare. As long as you’re good with that, I really think a Healthshare is a great way to go. However, I see a LOT of people complaining they didn’t know XYZ wouldn’t be covered even though they’ve been getting treatment for it for years. You just need to know that going in.
Is Zion Health worth it?
The BIGGEST benefit to Zion is their quick turn-around. I think they’re able to do this because of the higher IUA amount. They aren’t cost-sharing frequently for small things (which means a LOT less overhead for them). I think Zion HealthShare is the best medical cost sharing service out there. If you can’t afford a “regular” insurance plan — check them out!
Liberty Healthshare Customer Service
People have always been nice enough on the phone. But, wait times have increased over the time span that they haven’t paid bills.
Also, when I ask them if I should stay, I don’t get a very passionate or very positive answer. They say they understand my concerns. They keep saying they’re fixing things, but I have yet to see any of that come to fruition (and I’ve been calling monthly since Feb 2019)
How to cancel Liberty Healthshare
Here is what they sent me (after I remained on hold for 30 minutes):
To cancel your membership, we will need your request in writing via email or mail. Please include the following information in your written notice:
- Your Name
- Member ID Number
- Requested Cancellation Date
- Reason for Cancelling
Your written request must be sent to cancellations@libertyhealthshare.org and received by the 20th of the month to cancel your membership on the 1st of the following month.* Once the membership is processed for cancellation, you will receive a cancellation confirmation via email.
For me, I have taken my payment method out of their portal. I don’t plan to pay again, so I will see if that is an issue as I didn’t inform them before the 20th. I started CHM on December 1st.
ETA: I did get an email back saying they would cancel my coverage on November 30th. So, that worked out fine.
I hope that we take health reform seriously in this country. I rarely go to the doctor (and am willing to shoulder a lot of the cost on my own), so to have health insurance cost more than the home I live in seems unnecessary.
It will certainly affect who I vote for in upcoming elections, and I hope you’ll help make a change with me.
CJR says
I’m grateful for your research- as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also, I’d been with another health share network who after 5 years decided they weren’t okay with my membership in the church, so I left and went to Liberty because they didn’t have a problem with my choice of church membership. But I’ve yet to be reimbursed for nearly $4,000 and have received no help or support and I submitted needs the same way as the other share network and always got paid- and I’ve decided to file a complaint with the BBB after reading your reviews. I like what you have to say about Zion and I hope that maybe one day other Christian health share networks will let others be accepted as we too follow the doctrine and teachings in the Bible. From my experience with Christian health share networks, I feel it necessary to point out that the Good Samaritan didn’t check religious beliefs regarding the Godhead before helping those in need. I’m looking forward to good things with Zion and again am thankful for your research. 🙂
Hilary Erickson says
It is SO weird, but I chose to not use my energy in that way. I really like Zion, I believe their system is set-up for success. 🙂
Hilary Erickson says
OH! and if you do move, please let them know you found them through me. 🙂
Sheree L says
I am so glad I found this blog! I’m researching health sharing right now and am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One thing I found in the 63 page PDF on CHM’s website is this: “CHM Statements of Beliefs 1. Statement of Faith, a. We believe the Holy Bible to be the only inspired, trustworthy and true, without error, Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:16-17).” That first statement of faith does not jive with our beliefs, so I will pass on them. On the Samaritan website, it came right out and said “NO members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (as well as a few other churches). But I’m looking at Liberty (but maybe not so much, after reading this), Altrua, and now Zion (thanks to you). I’m just beginning my research, but your articles have really helped. Thank you!
Hilary Erickson says
Hmmm…. that isn’t good about CHM. I feel very safe with Zion. If you choose them, be sure to tell them you heard about them from me! 🙂
Kristin says
My fiancé has been a member of Liberty for three years. He’s never really had to use it until last month when he had to go to the ER twice for kidney stones. The bill is over $10,000 and I’m so stressed Liberty won’t pay.
Are you still feeling good about Zion Health? Any bills paid?
I share you sentiment about healthcare reform. It must happen.
Hilary Erickson says
I still do like Zion, I recently found a good DPC and I have him and Zion discounts my plan. I have yet to have a bill that needs to be paid.
Corinne says
I am commenting on this post in the spirit of fairness and truthfullness.
I have been with Liberty since 2017.
In 2019 i had a stroke and my hospital bills exceeded $20,000…
Liberty healthshare took care of having the bills readjusted and paid them.
My out of pocket was $1000.
My primary accepts Liberty so did an eye specialist I had to see, so those bills were submitted directly to Liberty by the provider.
Hilary Erickson says
This is super helpful, I sure have not heard much good about Liberty
r stein says
I also am planning to replace Liberty HS with Zion. I have about $2500 of reimbursements due to me from Liberty. Probably won’t be paid for 12 months or so. Did you happen to research whether canceling Liberty could jeopardize your (my) reimbursement? Thank you for all your good work.
Hilary Erickson says
I had $$ owed to me when I left. I filed a BBB complaint and got it a few weeks later. I think that seems to be the only way. I’d love it if you told Zion you heard about them from me. 🙂
Claire says
We had to keep dogging Liberty about paying for a bill that was covered, just like you did. We followed through with it for months, and were promised it would be paid. Shortly after this, we moved hundreds of miles away. In all the moving fuss, we did not remember to keep up our “is it paid yet?” vigil with the healthcare provider for a few months. Then, suddenly, we received a forwarded notice that our account had been sent to collections. The forwarding had taken a long time, and by that time, it was too late to do anything.
Our credit took a huge hit for this, and I think we ended up paying the provider ourselves. No thanks.
Pulling Curls says
I am so sorry you had to deal with that.
Jim Y says
We need some comments on people that have actually submitted bills to Zion. Without that, how do you know they’re any better than Liberty?
I’m currently a member of Liberty. I have read plenty bad reviews. I’d like to switch.
BTW, you frequently tell people to tell Zion that you sent them. I assume you’re getting some kind of compensation?
Hilary Erickson says
All the reviews I’ve read have only commented on how quickly it is. Yes, I am a Zion partner (as mentioned in my disclosure at the top of my post), but I also do use them myself.
John says
JIm Y makes an important point. I’ve read lots of positive comments on Zion, but none from people that have actually needed bills to be paid.
Hilary Erickson says
Yeah, I mean I am grateful I haven’t had a need — but I understand that. I am in a group of people on healthshares and I’ve never heard of an issue (beyond them checking a pre-existing condition which can take an extra week or so).
Joy Gatlin says
LIberty has gotten much worse. They are not paying claims that are 6 months old. Sending my cancellation letter today. I was able to get insurance through the government that will work for me until I start Medicare next summer…I am lucky, my unpaid claim was not large but I did call the Attorney General of Ohio and they have over 200 recent complaints..they are available through the Public information rule. I have ordered them…they said a lot of people have hundreds of thousands of dollars in claims that are well past a year…I think they used to be a good group but now it is bordering on a scam. I doubt I will ever see my claim as their memberships are dropping and I think they will go under hopefully some people get paid in liquidation but I hope to preven people from signing up and then having a family emergency and not getting it covered. The really crazy thing to me is they paid over 120,000 in lobbying expenses and then showed up at CPAC which costs 250,000 they did split that with another company under the same umbrella but still that could have kept a few people from having their credit ruined…it is awful…run away from them as fast as you can.
Pulling Curls says
I am so sorry that you’re going through all of this. I am glad you found something that is working for you now.
Joy Gatlin says
Wanted to add to my complaint that since I wrote this they are now the defendants in class action suit that has to be read to believe.. you can easily get details by googling Liberty Healthshare Class Action Suit. They also just had a settlement with the Attorney General of Ohio… you can also see details of it on line. It involved them and their vendors MCS and CSS and several people were required to not ever be allowed to work for Liberty again and adding new board members that have to be approved… I personally think removal of them all would have been more of a clean start but it has been a couple of months now and the problems do not seem to be subsiding… If you go with a Healthshare of any kind do your due diligence before and after you buy and most importantly if you cannot figure out who owns it, who is on the board and and who are officers pass it by there is always a reason that is not shared… and if it were me I would take a look at their 990 they are easily available just so you know how much of your money is going to vendors and officers
Hilary Erickson says
Yeah, a sad turn of events there — and good information! Thank you!
Rebecca says
Thank you for your review. I am also considering Zion (actually a subsidiary for self-employed called MPB Secure). Are you still happy with them almost 2 years after your original review?
Hilary Erickson says
I am happy with Zion. We actually haven’t really used them since we have the DPC…. but I have still mostly just heard great things. Their turn around time seems to be great for anyone who submits bills. Their payouts are less frequently which likely makes them a more stable carrier.
Katrina says
Also a Latter-day Saint… Our family has been with Samaritan Ministries for many years. About a year ago they came out and told all of us who are Latter Day Saints, that we were no longer accepted in their program. Ouch. That hurt. However, they did Grandfather us in, and told us if we can still affirm their Statement of Faith (which was worded in a way that my husband and I felt ok with), then we could stay. This was the only Health Share that we had found who covered Vision Therapy, which our daughter has been going through for several years. Well, now that she’s done, and we’re done having babies, we are thinking its time to switch… Its so frustrating that other Christians do not recognize that we are Christian too… I was looking into CHM and their statement about the Bible being the only true word of God was what makes me want to keep looking. As far as Zion goes, I feel frustrated that there are no DPC providers here in my area and having the 1k initial payment feels really steep. But, we’ll keep looking into it to find the place that feels like the right fit. Thank you for sharing this information. Now if some smart, rich member of the church could make a health share FOR Latter Day Saints, that would be great. 😉
Hilary Erickson says
It is SO frustrating, I hear you there!
Mitchell Hammonds says
I will say the main driver of high insurance costs is “expecting a health insurance plan to pay for a flu shot.” If you can imagine what auto insurance premiums would be if everyone requested a reimbursement for every minor upkeep on your vehicle. This is where Direct Primary Care facilities come in. It isn’t free (as nothing of value is free) but it is a quality and fair value for primary and preventative care. Always remember if it costs you zero then you are the product.
Jennifer says
Are you still happy with Zion? We have been on Liberty for several years. At first they were pretty good, but they have gotten progressively worse at paying their claims. Luckily we haven’t had any major medical but I am desperately searching before something does happen. I have a friend that is on Liberty and had some major claims last year and has not been paid.
I agree they grew to fast and weren’t ready.
Hilary Erickson says
I am, but again I haven’t actually had any personal claims I have needed them for. I did just have a friend have one paid out before her surgery though, so that’s awesome to hear. I would definitely be looking if that’s the plan you’re on tho.
Hilary Erickson says
One other thing, make sure to ask Zion ANY questions. They are really upfront and honest with how they answer, and I really appreciated that.
Jennifer Bundy says
Looking at Zion as well, and wondering if you think they might grow too fast to keep up with their growth? You mention you think that was an issue with Liberty, and that Zion is relatively new…so will they avoid that pitfall? Not sure how to tell that, but since you have been following it for several years, can you give any insight into that? Thanks!
Hilary Erickson says
So, I feel like the big win that Zion has is that it doesn’t pay for a ton of “small” things — so it’s billing department isn’t being PAID for that type of stuff. It is only the more major claims. I felt like that when I was eyeing it on Liberty, and I’m glad I moved.
Jennie says
It’s been a while since someone’s asked if you’re still with Zion and if you still find them favorable. Could you give us an update, please. Thanks!
Hilary Erickson says
I have. My husband had a minor surgery this summer, and we we paid by Zion before our credit card was due, with very little effort on our end. I still recommend them.
Katelynn says
I have a friend with Liberty Healthshare and they have had zero issues with being paid out. They have had surgeries, hospital stays, ambulance rides, and have never had to pay out of pocket for anything. For those reasons I was going to join Liberty Healthshare. She did tell me you have to stay on top of them and just keep submitting the itemized bills if they send back your “out of pocket cost” and they will pay the entire thing if you keep submitting. I have been reading tons of recent reviews about Liberty’s backlog of payments so now I am definitely second guessing.
After reading other reviews I am now confused on which one I would like to join or just bite the bullet and go with a traditional, more expensive insurance. I am now looking into Zion and a few others. I am concerned about cancer coverage for Zion, God forbid I ever come across needing that coverage, but I definitely want that reassurance in the event that I ever need Cancer treatments. Everything is pretty vague that I have read on their website.
Hilary Erickson says
I think Zion is the best option which is why I’m on it…. As far as I know, as long as it’s not pre-existing, it’s covered. My husband had some mild skin cancer this summer and it was covered fine….