Ask anyone about their frustrations with their current healthcare program, and you’ll likely hear “it’s limiting” among their top grievances. When it comes to choosing a provider, no one wants to be told who they can turn to for care and who is off the table. And for good reason – healthcare is, and should be, a personal journey. Being limited to in-network providers is incredibly frustrating when patients feel that they cannot connect with the doctor or the clinician that they feel most comfortable with.  

That’s why United Refuah HealthShare respects every member’s choice of providers. United Refuah is not limited to any provider contract and members are free to use any provider who can accept self-pay patients. Medical expenses are then shared up to 150% of Medicare allowable for doctors, 160% for hospitals, and 170% for out-patient facilities – worldwide. That means that eligible expenses can be shared no-matter where or with whom the member chooses to receive care. 

How does it work?

In a nutshell: Members make monthly contributions, and after a small portion is used to cover administrative expenses, the rest is transferred directly to the member’s Refuah ShareBox. When a member encounters an eligible medical expense, the funds are shared from other members’ accounts as needed. Membership starts as low as $219/month for a single, $349/month for a couple, and $519/month for a family.

What do members do when they need to see a provider? 

When visiting a provider, a member should explain that he or she is a self-pay patient but is part of a health-sharing community known as United Refuah HealthShare. The member presents their member ID card at visits, giving the provider or facility the information they need for billing. Many doctors and clinics will accept health-sharing since they are usually reimbursed at a higher rate and do not have to deal with endless paperwork. However, in the case that a provider does not accept health-sharing members, the member simply pays their bill as a self-paying patient and then submits it to United Refuah for reimbursement processing according to the sharing guidelines. 

About United Refuah: Combining health, values, and savings:

United Refuah Healthshare helps alleviate a crushing financial burden that faces many frum families in America today. Following the strict rules and guidelines of health-sharing, United Refuah keeps administrative costs low. Members share in eligible medical expenses and member-advocates assist members in navigating the healthcare system to enable members to utilize the best combination of care-quality and cost.  

Savings aside, United Refuah is about a community of people united toward greater health. United Refuah is based on the moral and Torah principles that it is an inherent obligation for members to maintain their health and wellness and to promote the best life possible for themselves and their families.

To that end, members strive to live healthier lifestyles, which results in lower overall medical costs. That is because health conscious people have fewer bills, lower costs, and much more rapid recoveries. And finally, by eliminating procedures that run contrary to Jewish values or are unnecessary, United Refuah saves its members hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. 

United Refuah Healthshare is proud to have been a sponsor of recent 13th Siyum Hashas and is honored to play and integral role in the unification of Klal Yisroel. 

For more information or to become a member, visit UnitedRefuahHS.org or call 440.772.0700. 

United Refuah HealthShare, the first and only Jewish Health-sharing organization, offers the American Jewish community a chance to share in each other’s healthcare costs. United Refuah HealthShare is not an insurance company and does not offer insurance. It is a thriving community of like-minded people who support one another, all based on Torah-true principles and values. Currently, it has nearly a thousand active members in more than thirty states across the U.S.