{"id":8112,"date":"2025-02-11T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elizabethmccravy.com\/?p=8112"},"modified":"2025-02-11T16:50:25","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T16:50:25","slug":"health-insurance-as-a-self-employed-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elizabethmccravy.com\/health-insurance-as-a-self-employed-family\/","title":{"rendered":"How We Handle Health Insurance as a Self-Employed Family (Talking Healthcare, Finances, and more!)\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 10<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n\n\t

Wondering how to choose health insurance as a self-employed family? You’re in for a treat! My amazing husband, Adam, is back on the podcast-and it’s been almost a YEAR since his last appearance. Clearly, I need to have him on more often because I know you all love these episodes with him. In fact, when we announced baby #3, many of you thought we were launching a co-hosted podcast together. Maybe someday!<\/p>\n

But today, we’re diving into a super important topic: health insurance as a self-employed family. Whether you’re self-employed, both you and your spouse are, or you simply don’t have access to employer-sponsored health insurance, we’re sharing what works for us. Plus, we’ll talk about some financial strategies we use to support our family.<\/p>\n\t

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:<\/p>\n\t

Subscribe & download the episode to your device:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Apple Podcasts<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0Spotify\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0 \u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0iHeartRadio<\/a><\/p>\n

Search for episode 305!<\/em><\/p>\n\t

Our Employer Health Insurance Story<\/h2>\n

To start, Adam used to work for a nonprofit ministry called Young Life, and for the first five years of our marriage, we had employer-provided health insurance through them. And let me tell you-it was excellent! Young Life really takes care of their staff when it comes to insurance, so we know firsthand what great coverage looks like.<\/p>\n

Back then, health insurance wasn’t even something we thought much about. It was just part of Adam’s job. I was running my business, and I hadn’t been at my first 9-to-5 long enough to qualify for employer-provided insurance.<\/p>\n

But everything changed when Adam quit his job and went back to graduate school to become a therapist. Suddenly, we were both without insurance-and without an employer plan to fall back on.<\/p>\n

That meant we had to start looking for coverage we could purchase on our own, and let me tell you, private insurance is insanely<\/i> expensive. We researched our options and ultimately found an alternative to traditional health insurance: Christian Healthcare Ministries<\/b><\/a>-which we’re going to dive into today!<\/p>\n\t

Keeping a Job You Hate for the Insurance\u00a0<\/h2>\n

That was our story of losing employer-provided insurance. But for so many people-including many of you listening-health insurance and other benefits are the only thing keeping you in a job you don’t love.<\/p>\n

This is especially true when kids are involved, and your whole family depends on the coverage from your employer. But even if you don’t have kids yet, the thought of leaving a full-time job to pursue your dreams can feel impossible when you think it means going without healthcare.<\/p>\n

And honestly? That fear is valid. It would have scared us too.<\/p>\n

As someone who loves encouraging you to chase your business dreams, this is such a personal topic for me. I’ve seen so many people stay in jobs they don’t want-not because they love them, but because of insurance.<\/p>\n

That’s exactly why I love to shout from the rooftops about what we do for healthcare. Because if this is something holding you back, I truly believe it could be the solution you need too.<\/p>\n

Read more: 6 Reasons Why it’s a Good Thing if Your Business is a Side Hustle<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\"using\n\t

Finding Christian Healthcare Ministries<\/h2>\n

How we found CHM<\/a> as a way to handle health insurance as a self-employed family.<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam<\/b>: When I started graduate school and we had to make this big pivot, I came across Christian Healthcare Ministries-and we’ve been with them ever since. From Elizabeth’s first pregnancy and birth with Colin, to Ethan, and now baby #3 on the way, our whole family has been part of CHM.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth<\/b>: And if you’ve been following me on Instagram<\/a> or listening to the podcast, you’ve probably heard me talk about CHM over the past few months. It’s been so fun chatting with you all about it, and I love seeing so many of you make the switch for your families!<\/p>\n\t

How CHM is Different From Health Insurance (+ A Cost Comparison With Traditional Health Insurance)<\/h2>\n

I know CHM<\/a> can be a little confusing at first-it definitely was for me when we first started using it. That’s because it’s NOT insurance.<\/b><\/p>\n

So, to be super clear: Adam, our kids, and I do not have any form of traditional health insurance. No backup plan, nothing. But that doesn’t mean we’re covering every medical bill completely out of pocket. We still receive plenty of healthcare, and we’re saving tons<\/i> of money in the process.<\/p>\n

CHM is what’s called a “health cost-sharing ministry”-or simply a “health share.” And even though it’s not insurance, CHM actually covers 100% of qualifying medical bills, which is often more<\/i> than the typical 70% or 80% coverage you’d get with traditional insurance.<\/p>\n

I know this can sound complex at first-but I promise, it’s actually really simple once you understand it. In just a minute, we’re going to break down exactly how CHM works, step by step.<\/p>\n

But first-let’s talk numbers<\/i>.<\/p>\n

We’re going to be completely open and share exactly how much we pay per month for CHM and compare that to what traditional insurance would cost for our family of four (soon to be five!). Spoiler: The difference is huge<\/i>.<\/p>\n

And if you’re curious about what it would cost for your own family, you can get a free quote on CHM’s website here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We pay $861 per month<\/b> for our entire family-Elizabeth, our two kids, and me. CHM memberships are structured in units<\/i>: one unit for me, one for Elizabeth, and one for all<\/i> of our children, no matter how many we have.<\/p>\n

So when we had just one child, we paid for one child unit. When we had Ethan, and now with baby #3 on the way, the cost stays the same because CHM charges a flat fee for all children in a family. That’s one of the biggest advantages-it doesn’t get more expensive as your family grows!<\/p>\n

Our $861 monthly cost breaks down like this:<\/p>\n