Wondering how to choose health insurance as a self-employed family? You're in for a treat! My amazing husband, Adam, is back on the podcast—and it’s been almost a YEAR since his last appearance. Clearly, I need to have him on more often because I know you all love these episodes with him. In fact, when we announced baby #3, many of you thought we were launching a co-hosted podcast together. Maybe someday!
But today, we’re diving into a super important topic: health insurance as a self-employed family. Whether you’re self-employed, both you and your spouse are, or you simply don’t have access to employer-sponsored health insurance, we’re sharing what works for us. Plus, we’ll talk about some financial strategies we use to support our family.
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Our Employer Health Insurance Story
To start, Adam used to work for a nonprofit ministry called Young Life, and for the first five years of our marriage, we had employer-provided health insurance through them. And let me tell you—it was excellent! Young Life really takes care of their staff when it comes to insurance, so we know firsthand what great coverage looks like.
Back then, health insurance wasn’t even something we thought much about. It was just part of Adam’s job. I was running my business, and I hadn’t been at my first 9-to-5 long enough to qualify for employer-provided insurance.
But everything changed when Adam quit his job and went back to graduate school to become a therapist. Suddenly, we were both without insurance—and without an employer plan to fall back on.
That meant we had to start looking for coverage we could purchase on our own, and let me tell you, private insurance is insanely expensive. We researched our options and ultimately found an alternative to traditional health insurance: Christian Healthcare Ministries—which we’re going to dive into today!
Keeping a Job You Hate for the Insurance
That was our story of losing employer-provided insurance. But for so many people—including many of you listening—health insurance and other benefits are the only thing keeping you in a job you don’t love.
This is especially true when kids are involved, and your whole family depends on the coverage from your employer. But even if you don’t have kids yet, the thought of leaving a full-time job to pursue your dreams can feel impossible when you think it means going without healthcare.
And honestly? That fear is valid. It would have scared us too.
As someone who loves encouraging you to chase your business dreams, this is such a personal topic for me. I’ve seen so many people stay in jobs they don’t want—not because they love them, but because of insurance.
That’s exactly why I love to shout from the rooftops about what we do for healthcare. Because if this is something holding you back, I truly believe it could be the solution you need too.
Read more: 6 Reasons Why it’s a Good Thing if Your Business is a Side Hustle
Finding Christian Healthcare Ministries
How we found CHM as a way to handle health insurance as a self-employed family.
Adam: When I started graduate school and we had to make this big pivot, I came across Christian Healthcare Ministries—and we’ve been with them ever since. From Elizabeth’s first pregnancy and birth with Colin, to Ethan, and now baby #3 on the way, our whole family has been part of CHM.
Elizabeth: And if you’ve been following me on Instagram or listening to the podcast, you’ve probably heard me talk about CHM over the past few months. It’s been so fun chatting with you all about it, and I love seeing so many of you make the switch for your families!
How CHM is Different From Health Insurance (+ A Cost Comparison With Traditional Health Insurance)
I know CHM can be a little confusing at first—it definitely was for me when we first started using it. That’s because it’s NOT insurance.
So, to be super clear: Adam, our kids, and I do not have any form of traditional health insurance. No backup plan, nothing. But that doesn’t mean we’re covering every medical bill completely out of pocket. We still receive plenty of healthcare, and we’re saving tons of money in the process.
CHM is what’s called a “health cost-sharing ministry”—or simply a “health share.” And even though it’s not insurance, CHM actually covers 100% of qualifying medical bills, which is often more than the typical 70% or 80% coverage you’d get with traditional insurance.
I know this can sound complex at first—but I promise, it’s actually really simple once you understand it. In just a minute, we’re going to break down exactly how CHM works, step by step.
But first—let’s talk numbers.
We’re going to be completely open and share exactly how much we pay per month for CHM and compare that to what traditional insurance would cost for our family of four (soon to be five!). Spoiler: The difference is huge.
And if you’re curious about what it would cost for your own family, you can get a free quote on CHM’s website here.
We pay $861 per month for our entire family—Elizabeth, our two kids, and me. CHM memberships are structured in units: one unit for me, one for Elizabeth, and one for all of our children, no matter how many we have.
So when we had just one child, we paid for one child unit. When we had Ethan, and now with baby #3 on the way, the cost stays the same because CHM charges a flat fee for all children in a family. That’s one of the biggest advantages—it doesn’t get more expensive as your family grows!
Our $861 monthly cost breaks down like this:
- $255 per adult unit (me and Elizabeth)
- $255 for the kids’ unit (covers all children)
- $32 per unit for CHM Plus, an optional add-on that removes coverage limits
CHM Plus is a game-changer because it makes the cost-sharing limitless. Unlike traditional insurance, where there’s often a maximum payout, CHM Plus ensures that all qualifying medical expenses—even in extreme situations—can be shared, no matter how high the cost.
Of course, we hope we never face a catastrophic medical event, but if we did, there would be no financial cap on the medical expenses CHM would share.
So bottom line:
- We currently pay $861 per month for our family of four
- When baby #3 arrives, our cost will remain the same
- That includes full CHM Plus coverage for all three units
Oh, and just for reference—a quick Google search says that insurance for a family of five typically costs around $19,000 per year out of pocket.
What It’s Like to Use CHM (The Step by Step)
1. You can join CHM anytime
Unlike traditional insurance, there’s no enrolment period. You can literally become a CHM member today. Once you join, you’ll receive a CHM membership card, just like an insurance card.
2. Choose your healthcare providers
You can visit any provider who accepts self-pay clients. This means the provider bills you directly instead of an insurance company.
One of the biggest advantages of CHM is that there are no network restrictions—a major difference from traditional insurance. With standard insurance plans, switching coverage can mean that your longtime doctor is suddenly considered “out of network,” forcing you to find a new provider.
With CHM, there’s no network to worry about, so you can continue seeing the doctors you trust. However, it’s important to note that CHM only shares costs for eligible services based on their guidelines. For example, naturopathic doctors are not covered.
3. Submit eligible bills
After receiving care, you can easily upload your medical bills through the CHM Member Portal and answer a few simple questions. However, not every visit is reimbursable.
For example, when I took Ethan to the pediatrician for an ear infection, I paid $80 out of pocket because routine sick visits aren’t eligible for sharing. That said, I still received the self-pay rate, which ended up being cheaper than what I would have paid through insurance. Personally, our threshold that determines whether or not a medical event is shareable or not is $1,250.
While smaller visits like this aren’t covered, CHM fully shares major medical expenses, including childbirth, emergency room visits, and significant medical events.
Plus, for smaller, non-reimbursable visits, CHM offers “Healthiest You”—a free virtual care service where you can talk to a doctor when you’re sick without any out-of-pocket costs.
4. Receive your reimbursement
You pay your eligible medical bills upfront (we’ll go into more detail on that in a minute). Once processed, CHM reimburses you with a check in the mail—always a fun day when it arrives!
Using CHM (Christian Healthcare Ministries)
This is a big part of how we handle health insurance as a self-employed family. We personally put all of our medical bills—and really, most of our spending—on a credit card whenever possible. The card we use is the Alliant Credit Union Visa Signature Card, and if you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about it before. It’s a black card, and honestly, I think it’s one of the best credit cards out there.
What makes it so great? 2.5% cash back on all purchases. Unlike other cards that only offer higher rewards on specific categories like gas or groceries, this one gives 2.5% across the board. And here’s where it gets even better—this is actually a hidden perk of using CHM.
Because we pay for our medical bills upfront and then get reimbursed by CHM, we earn 2.5% cash back on all those medical expenses—even though CHM ultimately covers the cost. That cash back adds up fast, and we’ve been able to take family vacations completely paid for with the rewards we earn from Alliant.
Another key financial strategy we use is paying for our CHM membership through my business. Since CHM is our version of healthcare coverage, it qualifies as a business expense and shows up as a line item on my Profit & Loss statement each month. While it’s still us paying for it, structuring it this way is really helpful for taxes because it counts as a business expense rather than a personal one.
To manage this setup, I use Gusto for payroll. If you're a business owner looking to do something similar, you can sign up here and get a $100 Visa gift card when you join. It’s a great way to handle payroll and business expenses efficiently!
Cons of CHM As A Way To Handle Health Insurance as a Self-Employed Family
You guys know I’m always blatantly honest about any company I endorse or review, so we can’t talk about this without telling you the cons of doing healthshare that we’ve experienced (and then I’ll tell my pros next!).
Con #1: Submitting bills is extra work
There’s also work involved with traditional insurance, but it’s worth noting that while saving and submitting bills with CHM is easy, it’s still something you have to stay on top of. In our case, Adam handles it all for us, and I think it’s really helpful to have one person in charge to keep everything organized.
That said, CHM is very easy to work with when it comes to submitting bills. Their online portal is super user-friendly, making the process straightforward—but it is an extra step compared to traditional insurance.
Con #2: Some places do not take self-pay individuals
At least in Nashville, there are some doctors—particularly for childbirth—who won’t accept self-pay patients. They see it as a financial risk, so they simply choose not to take on self-pay clients. I personally don’t think this is okay, but it has been a reality.
That said, this isn’t the case across the board. I’ve given birth with two different providers using CHM and am likely switching providers again for my third baby. I haven’t had a hard time finding doctors overall, but I have had moments where I called a provider to inquire and was told, “We don’t take self-pay individuals.”
However, if you’re considering a home birth or birth center birth, those providers almost always accept self-pay. Many traditional insurance plans don’t cover home births, so these practices are already set up to accommodate self-pay clients.
Pros of CHM As A Way To Handle Health Insurance as a Self-Employed Family
Pro #1: Best Value for Families Having Babies
If your family is in a season of having babies, CHM truly offers the best bang for your buck. Birth is insanely expensive for most people, even with insurance, due to high deductibles—but that’s not the case for us with CHM! Plus, the cost doesn’t increase as you have more children!
Pro #2: Significant Cost Savings
CHM is actually, factually less expensive than traditional insurance out of pocket. It’s a huge money-saver compared to standard premiums, deductibles, and copays.
Pro #3: Exceptional Customer Service
CHM’s customer service is next-level, which is so different from most health insurance companies. Since it’s a ministry, they truly treat you like family instead of just another number. Every interaction I’ve had with their team has been incredibly kind and personal.
For example, when Adam called to let them know we’re expecting another baby, I received the sweetest congratulations email from their team—along with everything I needed to know about CHM’s maternity coverage. You just don’t get that kind of warmth from traditional insurance companies!
Pro #4: Maternity & Lactation Support
On the CHM Gold Program (which is what we use), you get a lactation consultant visit covered, which was so helpful. With both of my babies, it made it easier to say yes to that first $200 LC visit, knowing it was included.
Plus, fun fact—maternity is now available on all CHM levels, though the out-of-pocket expenses vary depending on the plan.
Pro #5: Newborns Are Covered for Free (First 3 Months!)
For the first three months, your baby’s medical expenses are fully shared under the same program the mom is on. This is such a relief during those early months when you’re adjusting to life with a newborn and don’t want to stress about extra medical costs.
Getting Started with CHM
I want to quickly go over how to get started with Christian Healthcare Ministries again. Like we mentioned earlier, you can join CHM at any time—there’s no enrollment period, so you don’t have to wait for a specific time of year.
Honestly, we both agree that choosing CHM has been one of the best financial decisions we’ve made as self-employed parents. Health insurance is a huge decision, and figuring it all out can be confusing. I really wish more people talked about options like this because so many families could benefit from knowing there are alternatives.
As we prepare to welcome another baby, we’re feeling so grateful to be part of the CHM family this year. It’s truly a blessing knowing that these costs will be shared and covered, which takes such a weight off our shoulders.
Thank you for listening all the way to the end of this episode and letting us share our experience with you! If you want to learn more or get a free quote, head here next.
Also, CHM is super helpful if you have any questions—they’re responsive on Instagram, email, and phone calls. I’ve posted about them several times on my Instagram, and I’ll link some of those in the show notes. You can even comment on one of my posts with a question, and they’ll respond directly to help you out!
This episode is sponsored by Christian Healthcare Ministries. To get a free quote for your family, head here next!
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Get a free quote with Christian Healthcare Ministries here
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Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family has been using CHM for our healthcare for 4+ years now, and we couldn’t be more pleased. As a business owner we all know healthcare is outrageously expensive with CHM you can save money on your budget and know if a medical situation ever arises CHM will be there to take care of you and share 100% of your eligible bills. Learn more here!
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