MPB Health vs. Medi-Share: How the plans compare

Medi-Share is the largest health care sharing ministry in the country and it’s often the first plan people research when they start looking into health sharing. MPB Health, offered via Smart Share, runs on a similar cost-sharing structure but takes a different approach on many of the important details. Here’s how they compare.

Quick Comparison

	MPB Health	Medi-Share
Faith requirement	No statement of faith required	Trinitarian statement of faith and active church involvement required
Deductible-equivalent term	IUA (Initial Unshareable Amount)	AHP (Annual Household Portion)
Plan structure	Multiple coverage/pricing tiers	Single core sharing program with selectable AHP levels
Sharing cap	No annual or lifetime sharing cap	No annual or lifetime sharing cap
Pre-existing condition wait	Not shared for the first 12 months, phased limits afterward	Not shared for the first 36 months; phased limits afterward
Provider network	No network requirement	No network requirement
MEC & HSA compatibility	Available with specific plans	Not available

The Faith Requirement Is the Clearest Difference

Medi-Share requires members to affirm a Trinitarian statement of faith and maintain active church involvement as a condition of membership — this is a genuine eligibility gate, not a formality. MPB Health doesn’t have an equivalent requirement; membership is based on general guidelines rather than a religious affirmation. See our guide to non-religious alternatives for the broader landscape beyond just these two.

Cost Structure: AHP vs IUA

Both plans use a similar underlying mechanic — a personal amount you’re responsible for before sharing begins — but the way they are applied is significantly different.

Medi-Share’s Annual Household Portion (AHP) works very much like a deductible (and out of pocket maximum) in standard insurance. It’s the amount you pay before all future costs become shareable at a 100% level. The AHP resets every 12 months on the anniversary of your start date. AHP options include $3,000, $6,000, $9,000, and $12,000. Monthly membership contributions depends on the AHP level you select as well as member age and household size. Published monthly contributions range from $115–$470 for individuals and $390–$850 for a family of four.

MPB Health’s Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA) works on the same basic principle as AHP but is specific to an ‘incident’ that causes you to seek medical treatment (e.g. an auto accident) rather than a yearly amount. You only pay the IUA once per incident regardless of the number of services received or time frame in which they are rendered. Let’s look at an example:

You have an auto accident where you are admitted to the hospital for a broken leg. The hospital charges you $5,000 for x-rays, setting the leg, etc. You then incur $500 for a follow-up visit to the Dr. and $1,500 for physical therapy. Your total bill for this incident is $7,000. If you selected a $1,500 IUA amount when you signed up for you plan, you will pay $1,500 and the remaining $5,500 will be shared (paid) by the plan. This is true even if the physical therapy, for example, occurs more than a year later.

IUAs options include $500, $1000, $1250, $1500, $2500, and $5000. You are limited to only paying three IUAs per rolling 12 month period. This is similar to an out-of-pocket maximum in standard health insurance. If you have more than 3 incidents in the 12 month period, they will be covered without you having to pay an additional IUA.

Pricing for MPB Health plan depends on the plan tier, IUA you select, household size, and member age but for plans similar to Medi-Share, they range from $166–$295 for individuals and $445–$762 for a family of four. See the Smart Share plan and pricing tool for more detailed information on MPB plans.

Pre-Existing Conditions

This is one of the more significant practical differences. Medi-Share’s published guidelines indicate they do generally share pre-existing conditions for the first 36 months of membership, with phased sharing limits kicking in afterward. With MPB Health, pre-existing conditions are not shared in the first 12 months but sharing is phased-in starting in the 2nd year with a cap of $25,000, increasing to a cap of $50,000 in the 3rd year. Depending on the plan, coverage starting in the 4th year is either uncapped or capped at $125,000. All plans are fully uncapped in year 5.

See our waiting periods and pre-existing conditions guide for the general concepts both plans build on.

Network Access

Neither Medi-Share or MPB Health require a network for treatment. Medi-Share has, however, partnered with First Health Network and PHCS for discounted rates in order to keep overall organization costs down as well as member costs down prior to them reaching their AHP limit.

Sharing Caps

Neither Medi-Share or MPB Health impose annual or lifetime caps on sharing.

MEC & HSA Eligibility

Medi-Share does not provide plans that include Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) preventive services or that make you HSA-eligible. MPB Health on the other hand does have plans that combine health sharing with MEC and HSA availability. They further provide a standalone MEC and HSA availability plan that can be combined with other health share plans such as Medi-Share. See our full MEC + HSA eligibility guide for how that works. So if you decide on Medi-Share for health sharing but you also want MEC and HSA eligibility, you can leverage MPB Health for the latter as an add-on.

Who Tends to Fit Each Plan

Medi-Share tends to fit practicing Christian households comfortable with the faith and church-attendance requirements and who don’t need MEC coverage for preventive services or HSA eligibility.

MPB Health tends to fit people who want a secular membership, those who are interested in MEC and HSA eligibility, and those who want tier flexibility between lighter and more comprehensive plans.

Bottom Line

MPB Health and Medi-Share share the same underlying health-sharing model but diverge on important details: Medi-Share’s faith requirement versus MPB Health’s secular guidelines, different approaches to unshareable amounts (AHP vs IUA), different coverage for pre-existing conditions, and how they handle support for MEC and HSA eligibility. Neither is a strictly better option. The right fit depends on your situation. And as is the case with all health shares, it is important to read plan guidelines and research the organization’s track record for paying out sharing requests before making a decision.