How Health Sharing Works: A Simple Guide for Beginners
A recent study by the AAPA found that 73% of U.S. adults “say that the healthcare system is not meeting their needs in some way.” And considering the stories we’re constantly hearing from our Members about why they chose WeShare, we’re inclined to agree.
At WeShare, we want to give you something more than contracts, rows of fine print, and stacks of legalese. We believe your overall health and well-being are directly linked to the level of freedom you feel when easily accessing, navigating, and engaging with the benefits you receive as a Member of a health sharing community. That’s why we want you to have this crystal clear guide to all you get to receive if you join the WeShare community—a one-stop-shop so that you understand exactly how our community supports one another through our programs.
Here’s how it works:
WeShare serves as a connector, administering the cost-sharing program and helping healthshare members support each other in their medical expenses. When you choose to become a Member (something you can do at any time!), you pay a Monthly Contribution Amount that WeShare records and stores in an escrow account. You’ll receive a monthly explanation showing how those shared dollars helped out other members with their eligible medical expenses.
When you need healthcare, you’ll present your WeShare Member card to a participating provider at your appointment or service. When you’re at your appointment, you’ll pay any applicable Consult Fees relevant to the program you’re in (don’t worry, we clearly break all of that down here). Through a partnership with the largest individual PPO network in the nation (PHCS), WeShare’s already done the work of building relationships that get you the best price possible for your care.
From there, our team takes the bill from your provider to find out if the services you received are eligible for sharing and applies your Annual Member Care Share (similar to a deductible) according to the membership guidelines and your Sharing Program benefits (we’ll send you all of those materials when you become a Member, but you can find a great overview of those here). Once we’ve analyzed the bill, we send any amounts that are eligible for sharing to your provider, then send you a document called an Explanation of Share to explain what you still need to pay your provider, if anything.
Our community isn’t only here during emergencies or doctor’s appointments; we partner with a variety of organizations in the health and wellness space to help you meet your goals and care for all aspects of your well-being. You’ll be able to access all of those membership benefits as soon as you join, and we also have an entire team of people who believe you should have the freedom to know what you’re getting when it comes to your Sharing Program.