Frequently Asked Questions
A HealthShare is a nonprofit facilitator of a medical cost-sharing community’s funds, whose members share in one another’s medical expenses. A HealthShare is not health insurance.
This is an acronym for the “Initial Unshareable Amount.” The first $1,000, $2,500, or $5,000 (depending on the member’s chosen IUA) of a medical expense relating to an eligible sharing request is the member’s responsibility. See Initial Unshareable Amount in the Defined Terms section of the Member Guidelines.
1. Submit a Sharing Request – Unless it is an emergency, contact Zion HealthShare prior to any medical appointment. Our Medical Advocacy team can help you navigate your healthcare experience.
2. Present as a Self-Pay Patient – Zion HealthShare is not insurance. At your appointment, please present as a self-pay patient.
3. Share with the Community – Eligible medical expenses will be shared among community members. When your medical need is determined eligible for sharing, Zion HealthShare will work with you to coordinate provider payments. As you receive bills from your provider, request itemized statements and send them through your member portal.
Contact Zion HealthShare if you have any questions. 888-920-9466 or e-mail member@zionhealthshare.org.
You can pay your IUA either to your provider within six months of service or to Zion HealthShare after your sharing request has been approved. If paying your provider directly, be sure to keep your receipts and submit them online or via e-mail needs@zionhealthshare.org. If you would like to pay your IUA to Zion HealthShare, contact our Member Care team at 888-920-9466.
Once your sharing request has been approved, and you have paid your IUA (either to Zion HealthShare or to your provider), we can share either by mailing a check, ACH transfer, or via credit card payment over the phone.
Complete the Medical Advocacy Service Request located on our website. Contact the Medical Advocacy team for assistance in identifying a quality provider in your area and making prepayments. Call 888-399-0017 or e-mail advocacy@zionhealthshare.org.
Do not show your member ID card. The ID card is for your personal use and includes contact information and prescription discount codes. When you go to your doctor’s appointment, present yourself as a self-pay patient and request any available discounts. Also request an itemized bill which you will forward to Zion HealthShare via the Member Portal or e-mail needs@zionhealthshare.org.
A medical condition that a member has within the 24 months prior to joining Zion HealthShare. A pre-membership medical condition can be any illness or injury for which a member has been examined, been diagnosed, taken medication, had symptoms, or received medical treatment. Pre-membership medical conditions are not shareable in the first year of membership but may be considered for sharing beginning in the second and subsequent years. The pre-membership condition may also qualify for Additional Giving in your first year of membership.
Yes, there are specific deadlines or waiting periods.
Please read the Member Guidelines, specifically the Submission of Sharing Requests section and Preventive Medical Sharing Guide.
No. Insurance arrangements are a contract whereby one party agrees to be legally responsible for and accept another party’s risk of loss in exchange for a payment—a premium. Medical cost sharing is where members agree to share medical expenses through the act of voluntarily giving to their health share community. Not all medical expenses are eligible for sharing because of this.
If you have health insurance, workers compensation, or a liability insurance policy, you must disclose them to Zion HealthShare. Since your membership is not health insurance, when you have insurance coverage your insurance company is primarily responsible for the payment of your medical expenses.
We will only consider bills for sharing after your insurers have processed and paid claims related to your medical need. The same applies for auto insurance after a car accident. Failure to disclose your relevant insurance coverage to Zion HealthShare may result in sharing ineligibility.
If you have a medical need arise, and you are eligible for benefits through either insurance or government assistance, please contact Zion HealthShare to speak with a Member Care representative before you submit a sharing request. Call 888-920-9466, or e-mail member@zionhealthshare.org.
Please refer to the Automobile Accidents section and Insurance, Third Party Administrators, & Government Assistance Plans section of the Member Guidelines for more information.
For members who are traveling abroad, acute or emergent, eligible medical expenses may be considered for sharing no matter where in the world they were incurred and treated.
All other medical evaluations and treatments are ineligible for sharing without prior approval.
Yes. Although we are an individual and family medical cost-sharing organization, we allow for a company contribution list. Employees who participate can be added or removed from the contribution list at any time and are billed directly. Participation in our medical cost-sharing community is always voluntary, both from the company’s and the employee’s perspectives. Business owners choose to work with us because they value community and personal responsibility and because they want to use a cost sharing approach to ensure provision of quality healthcare for their employees. There are numerous factors that contribute to our greater efficiency for both companies and employees.
Yes. As Zion HealthShare is not health insurance, we have no network limitations. Members can go to any healthcare provider within the US and Puerto Rico.
Contact Medical Advocacy for assistance in finding a low-cost provider. Call 888-399-0017 or e-mail advocacy@zionhealthshare.org.
Essential Membership is a base membership that allows members to add additional features.
Direct Membership is a packaged membership that includes cost sharing, preventive, Rx Share, and Teladoc.
LifeWorks can be added to either membership for an additional monthly contribution amount.
Direct members, and Essential members who have added Rx Share to their memberships, have access to $5 and $15 generic prescriptions as well as discounted rates on all other prescriptions. For more detailed information, refer to the OptumRx website and Rx Sharing.
DPC is an acronym for Direct Primary Care. Direct Primary Care is a new healthcare model where physicians partner with their patients for a flat monthly fee. By moving outside of the traditional insurance-based billing system, DPC practices can provide a wide spectrum of care in a transparent, affordable manner.
Any accidents and or injuries incurred while committing an illegal act are never shareable. Refer to Zion HealthShare’s Principles of Membership.