Alternatives to health insurance

Table Of Contents

tl;dr (conclusion) #

I’ve had Knew Health for over a year and haven’t had to use them for an emergency. I recommend them because they’re not faith-based and they lean towards functional/integrative medicine. For non-emergencies I pay out of pocket. I generally distrust practitioners that take health insurance anyway.

Needs #

I had been paying out of pocket for practitioners for the past few years that I was employed and I’m not on pharma drugs. So basically I needed something to help out with expenses in the case of an emergency. I have enough savings to cover most things, up to a point. I also wanted to unplug from the health insurance system.

Consider your needs, goals, and risk tolerance. Here are some questions that may help.

  • Do you use pharma drugs?
  • Do you regularly visit doctors?
  • How much money could you afford in the case of an emergency?
  • Are you employed and does your employer provide health insurance?
  • Do you need support with regular care or emergencies only?

Option 1: Lowest cost employer health insurance #

When I was employed I did this for a few years. Basically I got no benefit but I had a safety net for emergencies. I was seeing some out-of-network practitioners and eventually the company’s health insurance stopped paying for them entirely. In my opinion this is a great baby step to make the transition easier. If you’re employed and you have this benefit try it out for a few years, if a healthshare feels too uncomfortable.

Option 2: Health share #

This is where you pay in to an organization and members share the costs of medical needs.

Most of these organizations are faith based and you have to agree to the set of beliefs, and I hear in some cases get a note from a pastor. I don’t label myself Christian or Catholic so I feel it would be dishonest for me to join them. There are a couple options that aren’t faith-based though, so I’m focusing on them.

Here is a great article explaining Health Shares.

And here’s a podcast interview from Wellness Mama, explaining health shares, and specifically Knew Health, which is one of the organizations that isn’t faith-based, and the one I chose.

Make sure to check the Member Guidelines of each option to see if you align with their beliefs and standards.

Not faith based #

  • Knew Health – See the Wellness Mama podcast link above for more on this one. They’re into functional/integrative medicine and include perks like health coaching, telemedicine, and discounted labs and supplements. They will negotiate the bills. They seem to be pretty new and modern. The cost sharing includes a minimum amount you pay per medical need (injury, illness, pregnancy) and then the sharing kicks in, and there is no upper limit. The review site trustpilot has good reviews. I recommend them although I haven’t had an experience.
  • Zion Health – Has some standards to adhere to. Has very specific list of things that are shareable. I’ve heard a recommendation but I’m unsure they had a medical incident.
  • Altrua Healthshare – Not faith based but has standards.
  • I looked at The Wellness Company and it doesn’t look like a Health share. I could be wrong though.

Faith-based #

Lots more options here. I mostly found these through recommendations or searching but I haven’t looked deeply into any of them.

Something else: Crowdfund Health #

I don’t know much about this one, other than I heard it accepts bitcoin.

Option 3: Guaranteed universal life insurance #

Someone mentioned this to me but I haven’t looked into it. I think it’s borowing against a life insurance policy when you need money for an emergency? Not sure.

Option 4: Do nothing, and/or keep savings #

Another option suggested to me is to don’t get anything and know that it’ll all work out. I’m working on my abundance mindset but I’m not ready for this yet. Maybe if I had a hundred thousand dollars or so that I could get access to easily I would be more okay with this option. Also means I would need to negotiate bills myself.

Updated on March 7, 2025