Do you accept insurance?

No. Your DPC membership covers the cost of access to your provider. Eliminating insurance middlemen allows us to provide more access to care with less frustration.

Can I still see other doctors?

Absolutely! Direct primary care works alongside specialty and hospital care, and you are free to see any other provider as needed.

Can I use my insurance for labs, imaging, or other services?

Yes, you may use your insurance for labs or imaging performed outside of our office. We can also help arrange discounted or cash-pay options when available.

Who is a good fit for direct primary care?

Direct primary care is a great fit for individuals and families who value personalized, relationship-based care, transparent pricing, and easy access to their provider.

What is Integrative Medicine?

Integrative Medicine uses both traditional and functional or holistic medicine approaches to treatment based on patient needs and preferences. At MorningStar we partner with you to develop a treatment plan and we honor medical freedom.

Will you bill insurance for your direct primary care visits?

No. Your direct primary care membership gives you access to your provider for a simple monthly fee, so you do not have to deal with insurance for your routine visits. That means no copays, no deductibles, and a clearer way to get care.

Can I still see other doctors?

Absolutely! Direct primary care works alongside specialty and hospital care, and you are free to see any other provider as needed.

Can I use my insurance for labs, imaging, or other services?

Yes, you may use your insurance for labs or imaging performed outside of our office. When available, we can also help arrange discounted or cash-pay so you can choose what works best for you.

Who is a good fit for direct primary care?

Direct primary care is a great fit for individuals and families who value personalized, relationship-based care, transparent pricing, and easy access to their provider. It works well for those who want more time during visits and fewer barriers to care.

What is Integrative Medicine?

Integrative Medicine uses both traditional and functional or holistic medicine approaches to treatment based on patient needs and preferences. At MorningStar we partner with you to develop a treatment plan and we honor medical freedom.

How Direct Primary Care and Health Care Sharing Plans Work Together

MorningStar Integrative Health
1 day ago
6 min read

Two models built outside traditional insurance — and why so many families are pairing them.

If you've started looking into alternatives to traditional health insurance, you've probably run into two terms over and over: Direct Primary Care (DPC) and health care sharing ministries. On their own, each one solves a different problem. Together, they form a combination that a growing number of families — especially those who want their health care dollars to reflect their values — are using as a full replacement for a conventional insurance plan.

At MorningStar Integrative Health, we're a DPC practice, so we get asked constantly: "Can I pair MorningStar membership with Medi-Share or Samaritan Ministries?" The short answer is yes, and for many of our members, it's the whole point. Here's how the two pieces fit together, what each one actually covers, and what to watch for as you build out your coverage.

Direct Primary Care, in one paragraph

Direct Primary Care flips the usual doctor's office model. Instead of billing insurance for every visit, you pay your physician's practice a flat monthly membership fee. In exchange, you get extended appointments, same- or next-day access, direct texting or calling your doctor, and — in a functional medicine setting like ours — the time it actually takes to dig into root causes instead of rushing through a 10-minute visit. What DPC does not do is cover you for a car accident, a surgery, or a cancer diagnosis. It's built for the relationship-driven, everyday side of your health, not catastrophic events.

That's exactly the gap health care sharing ministries are designed to fill.

What a health care sharing ministry actually is

Health care sharing ministries (HCSMs) are not insurance, and every reputable ministry will tell you that plainly. There's no contract guaranteeing your bills will be paid, no state insurance regulation, and no actuarial promise behind it. Instead, members — typically united by a shared Christian faith and an agreement to live by certain biblical standards — send a monthly "share" that goes toward paying down other members' eligible medical bills. When you have a qualifying need, other members' shares go toward yours.

It's a model built on trust, community, and often literal notes of encouragement and prayer sent along with the payment. Samaritan Ministries, for example, has members mail their monthly share directly to another participating family with verified medical bills, along with a card of encouragement.

"Health insurance is an actuarial contract. Health-care sharing ministries make no promises or guarantees — we deal with what has happened rather than what might happen."

— James Lansberry, Samaritan Ministries / Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries

The major Christian health care sharing ministries

There are a handful of well-established organizations in this space, each with its own guidelines, pricing structure, and community requirements. Here's a look at three of the most recognized names.

SINCE 1993

Medi-Share (Christian Care Ministry)

Medi-Share was established in 1993 under Christian Care Ministry and describes itself as an affordable alternative to health insurance, where members agree to share each other's eligible medical bills according to member-voted guidelines. It's grown into one of the largest ministries, with roughly 300,000 members. Sharing generally extends to doctor visits, emergency care, hospitalizations, maternity, and telehealth, with different membership tiers based on your household's Annual Household Portion (similar in concept to a deductible).

SINCE 1994

Samaritan Ministries International

Samaritan Ministries is one of the largest Christian health care sharing organizations in the country, with member households sending monthly shares directly to other families with verified medical needs rather than through a central fund. Members commit to a biblically-guided lifestyle — including abstaining from tobacco, illegal drug use, and sex outside of marriage — as part of membership. Samaritan is also known for sharing costs related to non-conventional and natural treatments, such as chiropractic and naturopathic care, which appeals to families already pursuing an integrative approach to health.

ALLIANCE OF HEALTH CARE SHARING MINISTRIES

Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM)

CHM is the oldest health care sharing ministry in the country, tracing back to 1981, and operates on a similar direct-share model with tiered monthly "Gold," "Silver," and "Bronze" programs based on how much you share per medical incident. Like Medi-Share and Samaritan, CHM is a nonprofit ministry rather than an insurance company, and membership requires an affirmation of Christian faith.

Other names you may come across include OneShare Health and Liberty HealthShare, which operate on comparable sharing principles, sometimes with a bit more flexibility around faith-statement requirements. Whichever ministry you're considering, it's worth reading the current member guidelines directly from the source, since share amounts, waiting periods for pre-existing conditions, and eligible-need definitions are updated periodically and vary meaningfully between organizations.

Why DPC and cost sharing pair so naturally

● No networks, on either side. DPC practices don't bill insurance, and most sharing ministries don't use provider networks either. You choose your doctor and your hospital freely, without worrying about in-network status.

`● Coverage that doesn't overlap. DPC handles the everyday: sick visits, chronic disease management, labs, and prevention. Sharing ministries step in for the big, unpredictable events — surgeries, hospitalizations, emergencies.

● A relationship when it matters. If a shareable need comes up, your DPC physician can help you understand the diagnosis, coordinate referrals, and advocate for you — something a call center rarely offers.

● Lower combined cost. For many healthy individuals and families, a DPC membership plus a monthly share still comes in well below a comparable traditional insurance premium.

Direct Primary Care physicians who work with functional and integrative medicine, like our team at MorningStar, are also well-positioned to help sharing-ministry members get ahead of problems before they become "shareable" hospital-level events in the first place — through early detection, root-cause lab work, and lifestyle-based prevention.

The tax and structural details worth knowing

In 2020, the IRS proposed regulations recognizing that payments for both DPC arrangements and health care sharing ministry memberships qualify as medical care expenses, meaning they can be reimbursed through an employer health reimbursement arrangement and may be deductible if you itemize. That was a meaningful shift, since it treats these arrangements more like traditional medical expenses for tax purposes.

There is an important caveat: the same guidance notes that individuals covered by a direct primary care arrangement are generally not eligible to contribute to a Health Savings Account, and individuals in a health care sharing ministry cannot contribute to an HSA either, with limited exceptions. If an HSA is part of your financial planning, it's worth talking to a tax professional before combining DPC and a sharing ministry.

Before you commit, know the limits

● It isn't insurance. Sharing ministries make no legal guarantee that your bill will be paid, and they aren't regulated the way insurers are.

● Pre-existing conditions are usually limited, at least for an initial waiting period, and vary widely by ministry.

● Lifestyle and faith requirements apply. Most ministries ask members to affirm a statement of Christian faith and agree to guidelines around behaviors like tobacco, drug use, and sexual activity.

● Routine prescriptions, preventive care, and mental health services may not be reimbursed by the ministry — another reason a DPC membership that includes wellness-focused primary care is a helpful complement.

● Guidelines change. Always confirm current share amounts, eligible needs, and waiting periods directly with the ministry before enrolling.

Putting the two together

A simple way to think about it: your DPC membership is your everyday medical home — the place you call first, the relationship that keeps you well, and the practice that helps you interpret labs and catch problems early. Your health care sharing ministry is the backstop for the big, unplanned expenses that DPC was never designed to cover. Neither one replaces the other; they're two halves of a coverage strategy built outside the traditional insurance system.

If you're weighing this combination, it's worth having a direct conversation with your DPC provider about how they coordinate with sharing ministries, what documentation they can provide for a shareable need, and how they can help you stay ahead of the health issues that tend to become expensive later.

Curious whether DPC + cost sharing fits your family?

Our team at MorningStar can walk you through how membership works alongside a health care sharing ministry, and help you build a proactive, root-cause approach to your care either way.

Learn about Membership