Liberty HealthShare Celebrates 30th Anniversary

• Ministry Began at Small Mennonite Church in Rural Virginia
• Expansion Followed Passage of Affordable Care Act
• Headquartered in Ohio Since 2015

CANTON, Ohio, Jan. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's most-comprehensive healthsharing ministry got its start 30 years ago this month when a group of five families held the first service of their new church, the Gospel Light Mennonite Church in rural Virginia.

The families took a Mennonite tradition with them: helping each other by sharing healthcare expenses among congregation members. They established the Gospel Light Mennonite Church Medical Aid Plan, which today is better known as Liberty HealthShare^®.

"God has certainly graced Liberty HealthShare with His blessings," said Dorsey Morrow, chief executive officer. "He has presented us with some challenges over the years, but we continue to do His work by helping our members share the burdens of their fellow believers since 1995."

After the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in 2010, Gospel Light Mennonite Church's leadership decided their Medical Aid Plan could serve Christians outside of their small congregation and began to look for a partner to help accomplish this. Their first step was achieving the federal government's recognition of their Medical Aid Plan as an eligible healthcare sharing ministry, making its members exempt from ACA insurance mandates. This recognition from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was granted in 2014, making the Gospel Light Mennonite Church Medical Aid Plan one of a limited number of healthcare sharing ministries to receive federal recognition.

Around the same time, Liberty HealthShare was established in Ohio to offer Americans an alternative to government-mandated healthcare plans.

After being introduced to each other by a mutual business associate and spending time discussing their visions and goals, leaders of the two organizations saw the possibilities of combining their missions and having Liberty HealthShare manage the ministry in Ohio.

Gospel Light Mennonite Church extended membership in its Medical Aid Plan to Liberty HealthShare members in 2015 and began to use the Liberty HealthShare tradename.

Many of those earliest Gospel Light Mennonite Church Medical Aid Plan members remain with the ministry today as do the first Liberty HealthShare members. Gospel Light Mennonite Church members continue to enroll in Liberty HealthShare's medical sharing programs.

"God has placed many storms before us and our resolve was tested numerous times," said Morrow. "But through it all – the ups and the downs – the Liberty HealthShare team took on every task put in front of us as we knew we were doing the Lord's work."

While Liberty HealthShare is celebrating its 30^th anniversary, something only a few healthsharing ministries have achieved, Morrow said the organization is not focused on its past.

"Throughout this year we will also be looking at, and praying about, what we can, and should, do to further strengthen this ministry and its position as the most-comprehensive healthcare sharing ministry in America for the next 30 years," he said.

Liberty HealthShare provides a cost-effective, faith-based alternative to health insurance. Members enjoy the freedom to choose providers, telehealth access, and prescription discounts while participating in a compassionate, Christian community. Transparency and stewardship are central, with programs tailored for families, seniors, and individuals.

Liberty HealthShare offers six affordable medical cost sharing programs that are designed to fit the needs and budgets of individuals as well as different types and sizes of families. Monthly share amounts for individuals range from $87-$369. Share amounts for families of four start at $319 per month.

Liberty Dental, the ministry's new dental sharing program, features monthly share amounts as low as $35 and allows members to see the dentist of their choice without any network restrictions.

As Liberty HealthShare is not insurance, enrollment is available year-round with no requirement for special life events to qualify. For more information about its sharing programs visit LibertyHealthShare.org or call (855) 585-4237.

Liberty HealthShare is a non-profit 501(c) (3) charitable Christian medical cost-sharing ministry focused on members helping each other in times of need. The faith-based program, which facilitates healthsharing for its members, is a caring community of health-conscious individuals and families who choose to support one another and agree to the Christian values of stewardship to make healthcare affordable for all. The ministry has been recognized by both Charity Navigator and Candid, the nation's leading non-profit evaluators, for its operational excellence, transparency, and accountability.

Liberty HealthShare is not an insurance company nor is it offered through an insurance company. Liberty HealthShare's Sharing Programs do not guarantee or promise that a member's medical bills will be paid or assigned to others for payment. Whether anyone chooses to pay a member's medical bills will be totally voluntary. As such, Liberty HealthShare's Sharing Programs should never be considered as a substitute for an insurance policy. Whether a member receives any payments for medical expenses and whether or not Liberty HealthShare continues to operate, the member is always liable for any unpaid bills.

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SOURCE Liberty HealthShare