It’s open enrollment season right now for Marketplace insurance, which means many families are reviewing their health coverage options. If you’re self-employed, you know how expensive those monthly premiums can be! That’s why I wanted to share the health insurance alternative that my family uses today. It’s been an incredible, cost-effective option for us for the last 5 years. So I’m breaking down all the reasons why we love it!
What We Do for Health Insurance
I get asked all the time by clients and friends what we do for health insurance since my husband and I are both self-employed. We use Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM), which is an affordable, faith-based health insurance alternative. Rather than lining the pockets of greedy traditional health insurance companies, CHM is a healthcare cost-sharing solution — where the money you contribute each month goes directly toward other members’ medical bills.
I’m self-employed as a brand and web designer, and my husband is the general contractor for our construction business. Together, we needed something that covers our needs for medical expenses, and doesn’t break the bank. CHM has absolutely been that for us. I have been a member since 2020, and my husband was actually a member a few years before that, since we were both self-employed before we met. It was easy for us to combine our accounts and then add our baby after he was born.
What We Pay for Our Healthcare Coverage
We currently pay $861 per month for coverage for me, my husband, and our baby. The beauty of CHM is that any future children we have will also be covered under the “child unit” at no additional cost! So it’s an incredible option as your family grows.
Here is a breakdown of what we pay:
- $255 per adult for CHM Gold (my husband and I)
- $255 for ALL children on CHM Gold (currently one baby, but all future children will be covered)
- $32 per unit for CHM plus (this is an optional add-on that removes all coverage limits)
As a single woman, I was only paying $287 per month for unlimited coverage!
This cost is significantly lower than what we would pay if we were to purchase traditional health insurance for all three of us through the Marketplace. While it can vary drastically, the cost for a family of three through the Marketplace would be closer to $1800 per month for the premium alone. On top of that, some of these new plans can have insanely high deductibles — with upwards of $20,000 out-of-pocket requirements before they will provide ANY coverage.
Christian Healthcare Programs and Pricing
CHM’s programs and pricing are clearly displayed on their website. You can easily compare plans and choose the best option for your family and your budget.
How This Health Insurance Alternative Works
One of the things I love most about CHM is how simple it is to use. Here’s how it works:
- Choose your healthcare provider without network restrictions.
- Submit your bills to CHM through their easy-to-use online portal.
- Once everything is processed, CHM mails you a reimbursement check!
Instead of operating like a traditional insurance company, CHM uses a cost-sharing model, meaning members help share one another’s medical expenses. Another great benefit is that you receive a self-pay discount on your services — typically ranging from 20%-40%. That’s huge in cost savings for both you and CHM! I love how genuinely transparent the system is, especially compared to traditional insurance.
Why CHM Works So Well for Self-Employed Families
Christian Healthcare Ministries is flexible enough to fit the unpredictability of entrepreneurship, offers generous family coverage, and removes the stress of unexpected medical bills. So whether you’re just starting out or have been self-employed for years, it’s definitely worth exploring!
If you’re thinking about joining, you can use my affiliate link to sign up and get 50% off your first month. I’ve been so happy with it for our family and would never recommend something that I don’t fully believe in.
Even if you’re not a fully self-employed family, it’s worth running the numbers to see if CHM could save you money compared to your employer-funded plan. Every situation is different, but for many families, this can be a game-changer!
The Biggest Benefit of This Alternative Health Insurance
For us, the biggest advantage of using CHM has been the maternity care. This is one of their best features. We only paid $1,000 out-of-pocket for our son’s birth in early 2025, and CHM covered everything else. This included my maternity care, emergency delivery, and his three-week NICU stay (which totaled over $100,000 in hospital bills — read more about our story below).
I’ve had friends and family who paid over $8,000 out-of-pocket for their deliveries under traditional insurance, and that’s on top of their already high monthly premiums and sky-high deductibles.
Our Experience with CHM
Our personal experience with CHM has been fantastic. While pregnant with our first baby, we chose to go a non-traditional route and have prenatal care from a midwife and birth center. CHM covered the global fee for everything, and we were only responsible for paying $1,000 out of pocket.
Our plans changed quickly when I went into labor at 34 weeks. I went to the emergency room at PVH in Fort Collins and ended up delivering my baby boy just a few hours later. We ended up spending 3 weeks in the NICU, while medical bills piled up from doctors, specialists, and 24-hour care for our baby. But because I had the CHM Gold Plan with CHM Plus (an added safeguard against catastrophic illness or injury), I didn’t have to worry about the bills. I was able to focus my energy on my baby 100%, knowing that everything would be covered.
Other Benefits of This Alternative Health Insurance
Beyond maternity care, there are so many reasons I recommend CHM to other self-employed families:
- Transparent pricing – You always know exactly what you’re paying, and you don’t have to worry about any surprise bills or vague explanations of payouts (or lack thereof).
- You can join anytime – You don’t have to wait for open enrollment to start coverage, you can sign up anytime you’d like!
- Freedom to choose your doctor – There are no restrictive in-network requirements or extra costs for seeing an out-of-network provider. If you love your provider, you don’t ever have to worry about switching due to your coverage.
- Free Virtual visits – Telehealth appointments are available through the CHM program, and they’re free of charge!
- Lower costs for major needs – Whether it’s surgery, cancer treatment, or another large expense, the cost savings are often substantial compared to traditional insurance.
- Faith-based and values-driven – The CHM team genuinely cares about their members’ well-being. There is a Prayer Wall within your account, where you can ask for and receive prayers from other CHM members.
- Group plan option – If you’re an employer, you can even offer CHM to your employees as a benefit and pass the cost savings on to them.
- Independently Accredited – CHM is an independently accredited and federally certified healthcare cost option.
- CHM is proven and trusted – CHM has been around for over 40 years and has a strong reputation as an alternative healthcare option.
As a Self-Employed Family, We Absolutely Love CHM
With health insurance costs continuing to rise, finding a more affordable solution is SO important, especially for families running their own businesses.
Christian Healthcare Ministries has been that solution for us. It’s flexible, transparent, and affordable, which is everything we need in a healthcare plan.
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