The HealthShare Membership Guidelines provide a detailed outline of the structure, principles, and benefits of the HealthShare community. Zion HealthShare is a non-insurance medical cost-sharing organization where members contribute monthly to a community fund that helps share one another's medical expenses. The community is built on trust, accountability, and a shared commitment to ethical and healthy living.

 

Key principles include the expectation that members practice good health measures, abstain from illicit substances, and refrain from excessive alcohol or tobacco use. Members also agree to uphold moral integrity and are required to resolve disputes through mediation or arbitration.

 

Members are responsible for paying an Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA) for each medical incident before medical expenses become shareable. Depending on their membership tier, members can choose IUA amounts of $1,000, $2,500, or $5,000. The community shares the remaining eligible expenses without annual or lifetime limits, but some restrictions apply to pre-existing conditions, which have a phase-in period for sharing.

 

Preventive care, including annual provider visits, cancer screenings, and immunizations, is covered under certain membership types without being subject to the IUA. Maternity care, home births, and other specialized services are shareable, but expenses related to fertility treatments, cosmetic procedures, mental health, and substance abuse beyond certain limits are not.

 

Members can also contribute to the Additional Giving Fund, which provides financial support to members with unshareable medical expenses, such as those related to pre-existing conditions or other ineligible requests.

 

Zion HealthShare emphasizes the importance of self-pay discounts for medical treatments and offers a Medical Advocacy service to assist members with obtaining lower costs. Membership is open to residents of the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and members can participate directly or through employer-sponsored plans.