Understanding Zion HealthShare Terminology

Zion HealthShare is not an insurance company or provider of insurance. Zion HealthShare is a nonprofit medical health share program that provides an organized structure for members to contribute toward each other’s medical costs. As such, we use terms very different than traditional health insurance.  

Words that we do not use are: 

Enroll, cover, benefits, insurance, co-pay, deductibles, claims, out-of-pocket, premium, etc. 

 

Zion HealthShare does have an approved list of terms, known as the Glossary of Terms, that we use often to describe the processes within our organization and the community. Provided below are some examples: 

Sharing Request is a common term that is used in the Zion HealthShare community. It is a required form, submitted via the Member Portal, to notify the medical cost-sharing community of a member’s medical need and associated medical expenses. There is no limit to the amount of Sharing Requests that a member can have in their membership lifetime. Each Sharing Request requires the IUA to be met prior to the community sharing into any eligible medical expenses. 

Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA) is often confused with deductible. However, they are very different terms and have very different definitions. An IUA applies to each eligible Sharing Request. Zion HealthShare provides a safeguard for households that experience more than three (3) sharing requests in a rolling 12-month period. Each household membership will only be responsible for three (3) IUAs in a rolling 12-month period beginning on the date the member submits the verified IUA. If a household has paid three (3) IUAs in a rolling 12-month period, any additional eligible sharing requests exceeding $500 will be shared with no IUA responsibility. 

Monthly Contribution is the set monetary amount voluntarily submitted by a member and placed in the care of Zion HealthShare, for the purpose of maintaining active membership and sharing in the medical expenses of fellow members. Funds are disbursed each month for members’ medical expenses, other than the small portion of these funds allocated for administrative and vendor costs, as allowed by law. The term monthly contribution can oftentimes be confused with premium. 

To learn more about Zion HealthShare terminology, please visit the Glossary of Terms.