There’s nothing worse than going through a difficult illness and dealing with a mountain of bills, and Liberty HealthShare totally understands that. The health-sharing ministry is taking a community approach to sharing collective medical expenses. It comes at a relevant time as Americans are struggling with the rising cost of eggs and other food prices, soaring housing costs, and other challenges.
Options, according to Chief Executive Officer Dorsey Morrow, are one of the attributes that make Liberty HealthShare unique.
“We’ve got a number of programs that somebody can select whatever works best for their family,” Morrow explains. “As well as, with the healthcare-sharing ministry and Liberty HealthShare in particular, you can join our membership, and if you determine it doesn’t work for you, you’re not locked into it. You’re free to move to another program, another ministry, or some other option.”
Liberty HealthShare’s members aren’t constrained to a particular network. “We do participate in a network, one of the largest in the country, which helps our members control costs, but you’re not obligated to use it,” Morrow mentions. “So I think that’s, to me, the biggest benefit is the opportunity for options for members and potential members.”
How Does Liberty HealthShare Work?
Liberty HealthShare operates as a healthcare-sharing ministry where members contribute monthly shares to help cover each other’s eligible medical expenses. When members need medical care, they can visit any provider of their choice, though using providers in the Private Healthcare Systems network may help avoid excess charges.
The process involves presenting a Liberty HealthShare member ID card at medical visits, after which the provider sends bills to Liberty HealthShare for review. Eligible bills are then shared among members through payments sent either to the provider or the member directly. The program includes an annual unshared amount that members must meet before their expenses become eligible for sharing, and depending on the specific program chosen, members may have a co-share percentage they’re responsible for after meeting their AUA. The ministry also includes wellness benefits and preventive care coverage, subject to certain waiting periods and guidelines.
The Power of Prayer
Faith and prayer are at the root of Liberty HealthShare. The ministry maintains deep connections with its approximately 165 team members and broader membership community. “We have a list distributed internally every Friday of prayer requests from our members,” Morrow shares. “It’s one of those times during the day you just stop, you read through it, and then we pray over it. Whether it’s with the member or for the member, we are about prayer. We strongly believe in that here.”
While medical expenses continue rising nationwide, Liberty HealthShare takes proactive steps to help members. “Since we serve more as a facilitator on behalf of our members, we don’t have reserves, we don’t have unallocated contributions left over each month, we have to be very intentional in how we set contributions,” Morrow notes.
The ministry works with multiple vendors to negotiate with medical providers. “We don’t use just one or two vendors to help us negotiate with medical providers on behalf of our members,” Morrow explains. “We’ve got three or four various vendors, and each of them have a very specific task and help us identify problem areas.”
Member-Driven Program Development
Member feedback shapes program offerings. After hearing from members about dental needs, Liberty HealthShare launched a dental-sharing program. “We want to have that constant reevaluation, constant look at the products that we offer, how we do it, what we’re doing, how we’re servicing our members,” Morrow says.
Liberty HealthShare provides extensive support to new members who are learning about healthcare sharing. “You can expect from us a lot of communication, a lot of resources,” Morrow states. “The first year, you’re probably going to be inundated with emails and communications and videos. How do you do this? How do you do that?”
The ministry retains nurses on staff to assist members. “We honestly and sincerely want to cater to our members and help them navigate their healthcare journey because there are providers out there who are difficult to work with, or who are not going to be transparent in talking to you,” Morrow adds.
Liberty HealthShare emphasizes openness with members and providers. “Trust is built more through the service to our members than it is the actual products,” Morrow explains. “We do what we say, and we say what we will do. Anything and everything you want to know about Liberty HealthShare, you can go to our website. You’ll see we are an open book.”
Through a personalized online resource called ShareBox, members track their contributions’ impact. “All of our members can sign in through their sharing portal. They can go to their portal to see who their contributions have helped through their membership,” Morrow describes.
The future holds promise for Liberty HealthShare members as the ministry maintains its focus on member service rather than profit. “Our focus at Liberty HealthShare is on our members,” Morrow adds.