- Healthcare sharing memberships enroll year-round, without an open enrollment window or COBRA-style election deadline.
- After a job loss, individuals and households typically weigh four options: the full COBRA premium, an ACA marketplace plan, going uninsured, or a healthcare sharing membership.
- ACA marketplace premiums for subsidized enrollees are projected to more than double for 2026 after enhanced tax credits expired, according to KFF.
Norfolk, VA, Sept. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Under federal continuation rules, a COBRA enrollee pays the entire health plan premium plus an administrative fee of up to 2%, the full cost an employer previously shared. For family coverage, that premium averaged a record $26,993 in 2025, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).¹ Households weighing COBRA alternatives after job loss generally compare paying the full COBRA premium, going uninsured, or buying an ACA marketplace plan, options that often carry a higher cost. Members of WeShare Health, a nonprofit healthcare sharing organization, contribute a set amount each month to share one another’s eligible medical expenses and are provided with detailed membership information that can be compared against the other three options.
"When you lose a job, you shouldn't have to choose between your rent or mortgage, food, car payment and going without health care. There are other options to consider," said Christopher Jin, founder and CEO of WeShare Health, who spent over two decades inside the insurance industry before founding the organization. “WeShare Health was built to provide individuals with another choice where lower cost and access to quality care aren’t mutually exclusive.”
COBRA's Full Cost, the ACA's Rising Premiums, and the Risk of Going Uninsured
The options available to people after a job loss each carry significant costs. Electing COBRA keeps the familiar employer plan, but the individual or household absorbs the portion an employer previously paid. Buying an ACA marketplace plan is another path, and it has become more expensive. KFF reports enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025, and the average subsidized enrollee's payment is projected to more than double for 2026.² Alternatively, going uninsured converts every doctor visit into an unpredictable bill and turns a routine prescription refill into a budgeting decision.
A healthcare sharing membership is a fourth option, and it is not insurance. As a nonprofit model built on community care rather than corporate profit, a healthcare sharing ministry (HCSM) facilitates member-to-member sharing of medical expenses. Members contribute a set amount each month, shared toward another member's eligible medical needs.
"After spending more than 20 years in the insurance industry, I've had a direct view of how the system can fail the people it's supposed to serve," Jin added. "The option for healthcare sharing exists because people are in need of a safe, trusted, and transparent way to handle medical expenses and without the complexity and costs that price many people out of healthcare.”
There Is No Enrollment Window for a Healthcare Sharing Membership
Healthcare sharing organizations enroll members year-round, with no open enrollment window and no COBRA-style election deadline because membership isn’t bound by ACA regulatory calendars. Applications approved by an organization’s monthly cutoff typically take effect on the first of the following month.
Household Types That Choose Healthcare Sharing
Healthcare sharing tends to fit specific situations such as:
- Individuals or households whose employer coverage has ended and are comparing it against COBRA
- Self-employed, 1099, and freelance workers without access to a group plan
- Anyone who needs to enroll outside a fixed annual window
- Young adults after 26 years of age who are now not eligible to be covered by their parent’s health insurance
People navigating health care coverage decisions have several options to consider. Determining the best fit depends on how an individual or household expects to use care over the coming year, weighed against what each program publishes as eligible before enrollment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Is there a less expensive alternative to COBRA after job loss?
Answer: Yes. Costs vary by organization, household size, and program level. WeShare Health members access a national network of more than 1 million physicians at 30 to 60% less than comparable traditional insurance, and its contribution rates have not increased in more than four years.
Question: How quickly can someone be eligible for sharing after leaving an employer health plan?
Answer: Applications approved by an organization’s monthly cutoff typically take effect on the first of the following month. Healthcare sharing organizations are not bound by ACA regulatory calendars and can enroll members year-round, with no open enrollment window and no COBRA-style election deadline.
Question: How do I switch from COBRA to a new option without a coverage gap?
Answer: Confirm the new option's effective date in writing before ending existing employer coverage, then time the cancellation of the old plan to the day the new one begins. Keeping documentation of both the end date and the start date protects a household from a lapse in coverage without an option in place to handle a medical expense.
Sources:
¹ KFF, 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey, October 22, 2025. https://www.kff.org/health-costs/2025-employer-health-benefits-survey/
² KFF, ACA Marketplace Premium Payments Would More than Double on Average Next Year if Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire, September 30, 2025. https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/aca-marketplace-premium-payments-would-more-than-double-on-average-next-year-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire/
About WeShare Health
WeShare Health is a nonprofit healthcare sharing organization built to make health care simpler, more affordable, and more human. Members contribute monthly to share one another's eligible medical expenses, and WeShare Health partners with organizations including Noom, BetterHelp, and Amwell to help keep members healthy before they ever need to file a share request. Founded in 2018, WeShare Health has served more than 100,000 members nationwide and shared more than $50 million in medical expenses. Members access a national network of more than 1 million physicians at 30 to 60 percent less than comparable traditional insurance. WeShare Health is rated 4.6 out of 5 on Google Reviews and is certified as a Great Place To Work®. For more information, visit www.wesharehealth.org.
Sarah Evans, CEO Zen Media sarah@zenmedia.com
