You shouldn't have to sign a statement of faith to share healthcare costs.
Yet for years, that's been the deal. Most health sharing communities were born out of religious tradition, and they've kept those requirements intact. If you're secular, non-religious, or just someone who doesn't want to mix healthcare with doctrine, you've been stuck with limited options.
Until now.
The health sharing world has evolved. A small but growing number of secular health share plans have emerged, offering the same cost-sharing benefits without requiring you to affirm any religious beliefs. This guide covers everything you need to know about non-religious health share plans in 2026, including who offers them, what they cost, and how to choose the right one.
What Is Health Sharing, Actually?
Health sharing isn't insurance. It's a community-funded model where members contribute monthly amounts into a shared pool. When someone has a medical need, the community shares the cost.
Think of it as crowdfunding meets healthcare, but with structure and predictability. You pay a monthly share (similar to a premium), and when you have eligible medical expenses, the community helps cover them.
The key differences from traditional insurance:
- Not regulated as insurance (about 30 states exempt qualifying sharing ministries)
- Usually lower monthly costs
- Often more flexibility in provider choice
- No network restrictions in most cases
Modern health sharing started with Christian communities in the 1980s and 1990s. Groups like Christian Healthcare Ministries (1981) and Medi-Share (1993) were designed for people who wanted to support each other outside the traditional insurance system. That religious foundation made sense at the time.
But healthcare needs don't have religious requirements. And as more people have left traditional insurance looking for alternatives, the demand for secular options has grown.
Why Most Health Shares Require a Statement of Faith
The short answer: legal protection.
Health sharing organizations aren't insurance companies, so they rely on exemptions from insurance regulation. The Affordable Care Act exempted members of "health care sharing ministries" from its individual mandate penalty, but only if the ministry met certain criteria, including that members share a common set of ethical or religious beliefs and that the ministry had been sharing costs continuously since December 31, 1999.
That grandfather date meant the exemption only covered ministries that already existed. It wasn't meant to create a new healthcare model, but the category grew anyway.
The federal penalty has been $0 since 2019, but the shared-beliefs test still matters. About 30 states exempt qualifying sharing ministries from insurance regulation, and several state mandates (California, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., for example) exempt only members of ministries that meet the federal definition. Requiring members to sign a statement of faith keeps a program inside those definitions.
Secular programs take a different route. Sedera, which never required a statement of faith, now operates as a benevolent fund of Covenant HealthShare, a Christian sharing ministry that has shared costs since 1990. CrowdHealth doesn't pool money at all; it runs a crowdfunding platform. Zion HealthShare, formed in 2018, calls itself a health share, but Washington's regulator and courts ruled it was acting as an unlicensed insurer there.
That's the trade-off with secular options: fewer religious strings, but less legal certainty.
The Secular Health Share Alternatives
If you're looking for a non-religious health share plan, the main options are Sedera and CrowdHealth, with Zion HealthShare somewhere in between. Each takes a different approach. (Gabriel Care, covered below, isn't a health share at all.)
Sedera
Sedera, founded in 2014, is the most established non-religious health share. It has never required a statement of faith; members agree to an ethical-beliefs statement based on the golden rule. It now operates as a benevolent fund of Covenant HealthShare, a Christian sharing ministry.
Its ACCESS+ membership runs $210 to $336 a month for a single member aged 30 to 39 in 2026, depending on the IUA you choose ($500 to $5,000). You get predictable monthly costs, no provider network, and no annual or lifetime sharing cap.
What you get: sharing for medical needs like hospital stays, surgeries, doctor visits, labs and imaging, plus prescriptions for the first 120 days after a new diagnosis. What you don't get: functional medicine, naturopathy, acupuncture, supplements, marijuana or wellness IV drips, which Sedera's guidelines class as alternative and not shareable.
That's not a criticism. If you want dependable cost sharing for mainstream medicine and don't care about alternative modalities, Sedera is solid.
CrowdHealth
CrowdHealth takes a different approach. Instead of pooled funds, it uses a crowdfunding model. Each month, you pay a $60 membership fee (2026) and are asked to help fund other members' bills.
The upside: a low base cost. The downside: your monthly cost varies with what the community needs, though the ask is capped at $140 a month for members under 55 ($280 from 55 to 64). By CrowdHealth's own figures, a single member under 55 paid about $142 a month in total on average in 2026. You also pay the first $500 of each health event.
CrowdHealth also has strict eligibility rules. It excludes men over 260 pounds and women over 220 pounds (except in California and New York), and anyone who has used tobacco daily for a year or more. Pre-existing conditions aren't funded for your first two years.
Coverage-wise, it focuses on catastrophic and acute care, plus one preventive visit a year and virtual primary care. Supplements, cannabis and CBD are excluded, and like Sedera, it isn't built to cover functional medicine or peptides.
Zion HealthShare
Zion welcomes members of all faiths and has no statement of faith, but members attest that it considers itself accountable to a higher power. It's an independent nonprofit based in Utah.
Coverage is standard: traditional medical expenses, hospital care, surgeries, with no annual or lifetime maximum. It doesn't share supplements, and it shares alternative therapies only for an eligible medical need, with caps. A single member aged 30 to 39 pays $175 to $260 a month in 2026. One caution: Washington ordered Zion to stop selling there, and a state appeals court upheld that order in February 2026.
Zion sits in a middle ground: far less religious than Medi-Share, but with a higher-power attestation that Sedera and CrowdHealth don't ask for.
How They Compare
Here's what you need to know at a glance:
| Feature | Sedera | CrowdHealth | Zion | Gabriel Care |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | $210-$336 (single, 30-39) | $60 + monthly asks (about $142 average under 55) | $175-$260 (single, 30-39) | From $249, alongside your insurance |
| Faith Requirement | No (ethical-beliefs statement) | No | No (higher-power attestation) | No |
| Model | Traditional pooled | Crowdfunding | Traditional pooled | Wellness membership alongside insurance |
| Functional Medicine | No | Limited | Capped, for eligible needs | Yes |
| Peptides (BPC-157, GLP-1s) | Not addressed | Not addressed | Not addressed | Yes, where legally prescribed |
| Cannabis Medicine | No | No | Not addressed | Yes, where legal |
| Psychedelic Therapy | Not addressed | Not addressed | Not addressed | Yes, where legal |
| Wellness Benefits | Telehealth, second opinions | One preventive visit a year | Preventive visit up to $175 | $500-$1,500 a month, by tier |
| AI Health Advisor | None advertised | None advertised | None advertised | Yes (Gabriel) |
| Catastrophic Coverage | Yes (shared) | Yes (crowdfunded) | Yes (shared) | Through your health insurance |
| Weight/Health Restrictions | Pre-existing phase-in | Weight and tobacco limits, pre-existing wait | Pre-existing phase-in | None |
Want coverage that actually covers modern medicine? Gabriel Care members get access to functional medicine, peptide therapy, cannabis treatments where legal, and AI-powered health guidance, alongside their health insurance. No statement of faith required. See the coverage list →
Why Gabriel Care Is Different
Full disclosure: this is Gabriel Care's blog, and Gabriel Care isn't a health share. It's a wellness membership that works alongside your health insurance, built for how people actually want to take care of themselves in 2026.
Most health shares are stuck covering medicine from 1996. They'll share costs for hospital stays and surgeries, but if you want to optimize your health with peptides, treat chronic pain with cannabis, or explore psychedelic therapy for depression, you're on your own.
Gabriel Care was built differently from the start: keep your insurance for conventional and catastrophic care, and use Gabriel Care for the care insurance and health shares ignore.
What Gabriel Care Actually Covers
Memberships start at $249 a month and come with a wellness benefit that actually means something. Your health plan still handles conventional and emergency care. Here's what Gabriel Care covers:
Functional Medicine: Comprehensive lab work, metabolic panels, hormone optimization, nutrient therapy. The stuff that keeps you healthy instead of just treating you when you're sick.
Peptide Therapy: BPC-157, GLP-1 agonists, thymosin alpha-1 and other physician-supervised protocols, where legally prescribed and dispensed.
IV Therapy & NAD+: Nutrient infusions and NAD+, which traditional insurance and health shares generally don't cover.
Cannabis Medicine: Medical cannabis where legal, with a practitioner's recommendation, for chronic pain, sleep, PTSD and more. Eligible expenses are reimbursed from your monthly balance.
Psychedelic Therapy: Ketamine care at clinics and through telehealth, and psilocybin sessions in state-licensed programs, through licensed providers. Get pre-approval before you book.
Advanced Labs & Diagnostics: Continuous glucose monitors, microbiome testing, genetic panels, advanced imaging. The kind of testing that catches problems early.
Biological Dentistry: Mercury-safe removal and holistic dental care, after review. Your mouth affects your whole body, and Gabriel Care treats it that way.
Your Insurance, Kept: Hospital stays, surgeries, emergency room visits and specialist care stay with your ACA or other health plan, which must cover pre-existing conditions and can't put a lifetime dollar cap on essential benefits. After a covered emergency, Gabriel may help offset your deductible, at its discretion and after a 90-day waiting period.
The Wellness Benefit
Each month, members get a wellness balance of up to $500 on Emerald, $750 on Sapphire, or $1,500 on Onyx, reimbursed at 100% with Gabriel Network providers and 50% out of network. That's real money you can use for the treatments and therapies that keep you healthy.
Compare that with Sedera's telehealth and second opinions, or CrowdHealth's one preventive visit a year. Most health shares pay for sickness. Gabriel Care pays for health.
Gabriel: Your AI Health Advisor
Every Gabriel Care member gets access to Gabriel, an AI health advisor trained on functional medicine, longevity research, and integrative health approaches.
Ask about symptoms, get treatment options explained, understand your labs, explore therapies. It's like having a functional medicine guide on call 24/7, included in your membership.
Secular, and Built to Pair with Insurance
Gabriel Care doesn't claim ministry status and doesn't need to, because it isn't a health share. There's no statement of faith, no doctrine to affirm, no religious affiliation at all. It's a membership, not insurance, designed to sit alongside an ACA or other health plan.
It's wellness coverage for everyone, regardless of belief system.
How to Choose the Right Non-Religious Health Share
Here's what to consider when picking a secular health share:
1. What kind of medicine do you actually use?
If you only see doctors for occasional sick visits and emergencies, Sedera or CrowdHealth might work fine. If you're using functional medicine, peptides, cannabis, or alternative therapies, the health shares here generally won't cover them. Gabriel Care does, alongside an insurance plan.
2. How predictable do you want your costs?
CrowdHealth's variable monthly costs can be great or terrible depending on the community's needs that month, up to its cap. Sedera's monthly share is fixed, and so is Gabriel Care's membership fee.
3. Do you meet health restrictions?
CrowdHealth has strict eligibility rules on weight and tobacco. Sedera and Zion phase in pre-existing conditions. Gabriel Care has no weight or health-based restrictions: you can join regardless of current health status.
4. How much preventative care do you want?
CrowdHealth covers one preventive visit a year, and Zion shares a preventive office visit up to $175. Gabriel Care's monthly wellness balance ($500 to $1,500, by tier) is designed for proactive health optimization, and an ACA plan covers recommended preventive care in network at no cost.
5. What's your budget?
CrowdHealth starts lowest: $60 plus monthly asks, about $142 a month on average for a single member under 55. Sedera runs $210 to $336 and Zion $175 to $260 for a single member aged 30 to 39. Gabriel Care starts at $249 but sits alongside an insurance premium, so compare the total: insurance plus Gabriel Care versus a health share alone.
The Bottom Line
You shouldn't have to affirm religious beliefs to access affordable healthcare. The secular health share options that exist today prove you don't have to.
If you want standard medical coverage without faith requirements, Sedera works. If you're healthy and want the lowest possible base price, CrowdHealth might fit. If you're using modern, integrative approaches to health and want real insurance underneath, an ACA plan plus Gabriel Care is built for you.
The health sharing world is evolving. As more people reject the false choice between expensive insurance and faith-based health shares, new models are emerging. Secular health sharing isn't a compromise anymore. For some people, it's the best option on the market.
Want the full spectrum of medicine covered, with no faith statement required?
Gabriel Care members get functional medicine, peptide therapy, and cannabis and psychedelic therapy where legal, plus AI-powered health guidance, from $249 a month, alongside their health insurance. Join the waitlist →
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is health sharing legal if it's not religious?
Generally, yes, but with less legal certainty. State laws that exempt sharing ministries from insurance regulation usually require shared religious or ethical beliefs, so secular programs operate outside that definition, and regulators can step in: Washington ruled Zion HealthShare was acting as an unlicensed insurer. Gabriel Care is different: it isn't a health share or insurance, but a wellness membership that works alongside your health plan.
Q: Will a non-religious health share cover pre-existing conditions?
It depends on the program. Sedera phases them in over three years: nothing in year one, up to $15,000 in year two and $30,000 in year three, then fully shareable. CrowdHealth doesn't fund them for two years, then caps them at $25,000 a year. Zion shares nothing in year one, then phases in up to $125,000 a year by year four. Gabriel Care isn't a health share, but for comparison: it doesn't limit wellness benefits for pre-existing conditions, and ACA plans must cover them from day one.
Q: Can I see any doctor with a secular health share?
Generally, yes. One of the advantages of health sharing over traditional insurance is that there are usually no network restrictions. Sedera, Zion and CrowdHealth all let you choose your own doctors. Gabriel Care does too for wellness care: 100% with Gabriel Network providers and 50% out of network.
Q: What happens if my monthly medical needs exceed what the community can share?
Each health share handles this differently. Sedera and Zion have no annual or lifetime sharing cap for eligible needs. CrowdHealth funds larger bills across the whole community, but payment isn't guaranteed. Gabriel Care doesn't share large medical bills at all: your health insurance covers them, up to its annual out-of-pocket cap.
Q: Can I switch from insurance to a health share mid-year?
Yes. Health shares aren't bound by insurance enrollment periods, so you can join anytime, though many have waiting periods before sharing begins for non-emergency care. Plan the other direction too: leaving a health share doesn't qualify you for a special enrollment period, so getting back onto ACA insurance can mean waiting for open enrollment.
Q: Do employers offer secular health share plans?
Some do. Sedera offers SELECT+ through employers. Gabriel Care, which isn't a health share, offers Gabriel for Teams, an employer version that works with ICHRA. If you're interested in offering either at your company, contact providers directly to discuss group rates and setup.
See everything Gabriel Care covers at gabrielcare.co/coverage-list
Last updated: September 2026