We left a ~$1,800 BCBS premium for ~$700 CrowdHealth

I’m Justin Wise. Like a lot of self-employed / LLC operators, our family hit the unsubsidized premium wall. We were on a bare-bones Blue Cross Blue Shield setup costing about $1,800 per month. We moved to CrowdHealth at roughly $700 per month for our household.

Those figures are what our household experienced. Your ages, family size, crowdfunding ask, and plan tier will differ. Company-reported average for an individual under 55 is about $142/mo. Family of 4 advocacy floor alone is $240/mo before crowdfunding. Talk to CrowdHealth for your quote.

Why this site exists

Most “health share” content speaks to generic shoppers. I wanted a thin, honest page for founders staring at the P&L line called “health insurance,” including when not to join.

CrowdHealth’s public referral model pays members, not agencies. If you join with code JUSTIN and stay active 3+ months, I may earn a member referral reward. That conflict is disclosed in the footer and CTA notes.

Secular mattered

We did not want a statement-of-faith gate. CrowdHealth positions itself as not a health sharing ministry. That was a real filter for us versus Medi-Share / CHM / Samaritan-style options.

Pregnancy / maternity. handled carefully

Family health decisions around pregnancy are high-stakes. CrowdHealth’s eligible maternity path is a Global Pregnancy event with a $3,000 member commitment. Critical rule:

• If the expected delivery date is less than 300 days after the mother’s membership start date, maternity is not eligible for crowdfunding.
• Newborn standard care in the first 6 months is a separate event ($500 commitment when baby is added).
• Black Swan tier: maternity is not eligible.

Do not read our story as “CrowdHealth replaces maternity insurance.” If you are already pregnant or due inside the 300-day window, verify eligibility in writing with CrowdHealth before switching, or keep regulated insurance.

What I want you to do

1. Read who it’s for / not for.
2. Skim how the model differs from insurance.
3. If you still fit, talk to CrowdHealth with referral_code=JUSTIN and verify eligibility, maternity timing, and pricing live.

If you don’t fit. stay insured. That’s a successful outcome for this site too.