If you're a health sharing ministry member, understanding how hospital pricing works is essential — because it directly affects both your out-of-pocket costs and what your sharing community pays. Unlike insurance, your ministry doesn't have pre-negotiated rates with hospitals, which means you navigate a different pricing landscape.
The Four Price Tiers at Every Hospital
Under the price transparency rule, hospitals publish several types of prices:
- Gross Charge (Chargemaster Price) — The full 'sticker price.' No one actually pays this amount, but it's the starting point for all other prices. Often 3–10x higher than what insurers pay.
- Discounted Cash Price — The rate offered to self-pay patients. This is the most relevant price for health share members. Typically 40–70% below the gross charge.
- Negotiated Rates — What specific insurance companies have agreed to pay. These rates are often lower than the cash price but vary dramatically by insurer.
- De-Identified Minimum/Maximum — The lowest and highest negotiated rates across all payers. Useful for understanding the full range.
Which Price Applies to Health Share Members?
As a health share member, you're a self-pay patient in the hospital's eyes. The discounted cash price is your baseline. But here's what most members don't realize: the cash price is often NOT the lowest price the hospital accepts. Insurers frequently negotiate rates 20–40% below the cash price.
This is why negotiation is so important for health share members. You're starting from the cash price, but with the right data, you can often negotiate closer to what insurers pay.
Why Price Shopping Matters for Your Community
When you overpay for a hospital procedure, your entire sharing community bears the cost. Every dollar saved through price shopping is a dollar that doesn't need to be shared by fellow members. Many ministries explicitly encourage this — and some require it for procedures above a certain amount.
Consider this: if a hospital charges $40,000 for a procedure but a comparable facility 20 minutes away charges $15,000, choosing the lower-priced option saves your community $25,000. Multiply that across hundreds of members making similar decisions and the impact is enormous.
Practical Steps for Health Share Members
To get the best price as a health share member:
- Compare cash prices at multiple hospitals using MyCareCost before scheduling any procedure
- Call hospitals directly and ask for their 'self-pay rate' or 'cash price' — don't accept the gross charge
- Negotiate by referencing lower prices at nearby hospitals
- Ask for a prompt-pay or prepay discount — many hospitals offer an additional 5–15% off for paying upfront
- Get the agreed price in writing before the procedure
- Submit your price comparison research to your ministry with your sharing request