This is an interesting thread.
Like Rock Chuck, I had medi-share for several years before qualifying for Medicare. Initially dubious of the whole concept ("too good to be true"), my anxieties were ultimately assuaged when I actually used medi-share for several doctor visits. Although none of my doctors had any inkling of what medi-share was (I suspect things may have changed in that regard), I simply paid their bill(s) out of my own pocket and submitted the receipts to medi-share, which promptly reimbursed me. No fuss, no muss. I was actually amazed at how easy the entire process was. Very few of the doctors I went to while on medi-share agreed to bill medi-share directly because they'd either never heard of medi-share or, if they had, were extremely skeptical. Hence, I simply paid them myself and sought reimbursement from medi-share, which was always forthcoming.
Mind you, I'm in good health (until I drop dead, anyway), so my doctor visits while on medi-share were sporadic and for only minor things. Accordingly, I can't speak to how well medi-share works with regard to massive medical expenses, prolonged hospital stays, etc. That said, my medi-share experience was uniformly positive. So positive, in fact, that I've recommended it to others, whose subsequent experiences mirror my own.
With respect to the "fine print," the only restriction I can immediately recall is that I had to be a non-smoker. Since I've never smoked in my life, that was a non-issue. If there were additional restrictions in order to qualify for medi-share, I no longer recall them. Like Raeford said, just read the application, which is straightforward.
Although several medi-share organizations exist, I think they all pretty much work the same way. I think the outfit I used was called "Liberty Healthshare," out of Ohio.
In summary, medi-share worked for me and I'm glad such organizations exist.
