Health Care Sharing Plans vs Traditional Health Insurance in Boise

Chris Antrim, CLTC - Boise Health & Life Agency • November 23, 2025

Across Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Nampa, and the rest of the Treasure Valley, families are asking the same question:

“Should we stick with regular health insurance, or switch to a health care sharing plan?”

With premiums rising for some Idaho households—especially those who don’t qualify for Your Health Idaho subsidies—health care sharing plans have become a serious alternative.

To help people make a clear decision, this guide lays out how each option works, who it fits best, and what Boise advisor Chris Antrim looks at when comparing them side-by-side.

Quick Comparison – Health Care Sharing vs Insurance

Feature	Traditional Health Insurance	Health Care Sharing Plans
Legal Status	Insurance (regulated)	Not insurance (ministries / sharing orgs)
Contract	Legal contract	Member guidelines, voluntary sharing
Monthly Cost	Higher, especially without subsidies	Usually 30–60% lower
Networks	PPO/HMO networks (St. Luke’s / St. Al’s, etc.)	Usually no network; go almost anywhere
Pre-Existing Conditions	Covered under ACA rules	Often waiting periods/limits
Preventive Care	Covered, often at $0 in-network	Varies, sometimes limited
Maternity	Covered per plan	Often only if member before conception
Guarantees	Strong consumer protections	No guarantee of payment

How Traditional Health Insurance Works in Idaho

Regulated and Contract-Based

Traditional insurance:

Is governed by state and federal law
Must follow ACA rules for essential health benefits
Has clear, enforceable contracts between you and the carrier

In Idaho, many Boise-area residents get coverage through:

Employer group plans
Your Health Idaho (ACA marketplace)
Individual off-exchange plans

Networks and Local Providers

Most traditional plans in Boise are tied to networks like:

St. Luke’s Health Partners
St. Alphonsus Health Alliance

Choosing the wrong network can mean out-of-network charges if your preferred doctors or hospitals aren’t included. This is a major part of Chris Antrim’s daily conversations with clients.

How Health Care Sharing Plans Work

Health care sharing plans are usually run by nonprofit organizations or ministries. Members agree to:

Live by certain lifestyle or faith standards
Pay a monthly “share”
Submit eligible medical bills for review

No Networks, More Flexibility

Most sharing plans let Boise-area members visit any provider, including:

St. Luke’s
St. Alphonsus
Primary Health
Independent clinics in Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell

The sharing organization then reimburses members or pays providers based on internal guidelines.

Individual Sharing Amount (ISA)

An ISA is similar to a deductible:

You choose a level (e.g., $2,500, $5,000, $10,000)
You pay up to that amount per incident or per year (varies by program)
After that, eligible expenses can be shared by the community

Cost Comparison for a Boise Family

Here’s a simplified example Chris often sees:

Family of four in Boise
Non-smokers, generally healthy
Income too high for large ACA subsidies

Scenario A – ACA Plan through Your Health Idaho

Premium: ~$1,400/month (example, varies by year and income)
Deductible: $6,000–$9,000 family
Out-of-pocket max: ~$16,000 family

Scenario B – Health Care Sharing Plan

Monthly share: ~$650–$900/month (depending on org + ISA)
ISA: $5,000–$10,000
Eligible medical needs after ISA: shared

Result: Health sharing often cuts the monthly cost in half, but with more responsibility to understand what’s eligible and how sharing works.

Coverage Differences That Matter in Boise

Pre-Existing Conditions

Insurance: Must cover pre-existing conditions under ACA rules.
Health Sharing: Often has waiting periods before pre-existing needs are shareable.

If a Boise resident has diabetes, heart disease, or recent cancer treatment, Chris usually leans heavily toward traditional insurance unless there’s a very specific and well-understood sharing option.

Prescriptions

Insurance usually has a structured formulary and copays.
Health sharing may only share prescriptions related to an eligible incident, or may have limited prescription support.

Heavy Rx users in Boise typically do better on insurance, not sharing.

Maternity

For growing families in the Treasure Valley, this is huge.

Insurance: maternity is covered as an essential benefit.
Health sharing: typically shared only if membership began before conception, and even then may have caps.

Who Should Consider Health Care Sharing in Boise?

According to Chris Antrim, health sharing fits best when:

The household is generally healthy
No major chronic conditions are present
There’s frustration with high ACA premiums
Income is too high for meaningful subsidies
The family is comfortable with faith-based or community-based models

This includes:

Realtors, contractors, self-employed pros
Early retirees before Medicare
Christian families wanting a stewardship approach

Who Should Stay With Traditional Insurance?

Insurance usually remains the better fit when:

There are serious or multiple chronic conditions
The person takes expensive brand-name medications
The family is planning a pregnancy soon
There’s a strong preference for regulation and legal guarantees
The member wants robust mental health and preventive benefits

Boise-Focused FAQs

Do Boise doctors accept health care sharing plans?
Yes. Most providers simply treat the plan like self-pay, and bills are submitted for sharing.
Can I switch from a health sharing plan to an ACA plan later?
Yes, but you’ll usually need to wait for the next open enrollment or a qualifying life event.
Can health sharing be combined with Direct Primary Care in Idaho?
Yes. Some Boise families use DPC clinics plus a health share for larger needs.