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Sedera vs Zion

Sedera and Zion HealthShare solve the same problem in different ways. Sedera is a medical cost-sharing membership (not insurance) that pairs well with Direct Primary Care. Members choose an Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA) they pay per medical event before the community shares the rest, similar in feel to a deductible but applied per incident. Sedera is not faith-based, which broadens its appeal, and it emphasizes transparency and member support. As with all sharing, pre-existing conditions and certain services are limited by the guidelines. By contrast, Zion HealthShare is a non-denominational medical cost-sharing membership open to anyone regardless of faith. Members select an Initial Unshareable Amount per need and share eligible costs from the community pool. Zion is known for straightforward guidelines and add-on memberships for things like maternity and telehealth. It is not insurance, and pre-existing conditions phase in over time under the guidelines. Below we compare them on cost, coverage, eligibility, and who each one fits best — with sources you can check.

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Before you compare

Side by side

How they differ, factor by factor.

Sedera compared with Zion
FactorSederaZion
Typical monthly costApprox. $130-$450/mo depending on age, household, and IUA choice (a share, not a premium)Approx. $120-$430/mo by age, household, and IUA (a share, not a premium)
Relative cost$··$··
CategoryHealth sharing organizationHealth sharing organization
Is it insurance?No — a membershipNo — a membership
ACA-compliant major medicalNoNo
Covers pre-existing conditionsLimitedLimited
EligibilityOpen membership with a healthy-lifestyle agreement; no statement of faith required.Open to all; healthy-lifestyle guidelines apply.
Best forHealthy self-employed members; People pairing sharing with DPCMembers who want no faith requirement; Healthy families and individuals

Sedera

Sedera is a medical cost-sharing membership (not insurance) that pairs well with Direct Primary Care. Members choose an Initial Unshareable Amount (IUA) they pay per medical event before the community shares the rest, similar in feel to a deductible but applied per incident. Sedera is not faith-based, which broadens its appeal, and it emphasizes transparency and member support. As with all sharing, pre-existing conditions and certain services are limited by the guidelines.

Pros

  • Non-faith-based
  • Per-incident IUA flexibility
  • Pairs with DPC
  • Nationwide, no network

Cons

  • Not insurance
  • Pre-existing limits
  • No essential-benefit guarantee

Zion

Zion HealthShare is a non-denominational medical cost-sharing membership open to anyone regardless of faith. Members select an Initial Unshareable Amount per need and share eligible costs from the community pool. Zion is known for straightforward guidelines and add-on memberships for things like maternity and telehealth. It is not insurance, and pre-existing conditions phase in over time under the guidelines.

Pros

  • No religious requirement
  • Flexible IUA tiers
  • Add-ons for maternity/telehealth
  • Nationwide

Cons

  • Not insurance
  • Pre-existing phase-in
  • Guideline caps

Dated company facts

The companies, checked and sourced.

Prices, the amount you pay first, pre-existing rules and any legal history, each with the date we checked it.

Sedera

Listed — no business relationship
Medical cost sharing (not a ministry)Not insurance

Secular cost sharing with several state actions in its history.

Price
From $166/mo single (ages 18–29, $5k IUA). (as of 2026-03-01; source)
You pay first
IUA $500 to $5,000, up to 3 per year.
Pre-existing conditions
36-month look-back: year 1 $0, year 2 $15k, year 3 $30k, then full.
Faith requirement
Secular ethical beliefs.
Where
Not open to new members in WA, VT, PA, NM, CA.

Legal history: 2025-03-14: California’s Attorney General announced a $1.3M settlement over health plans falsely advertised as non-insurance; Sedera is barred from California. Also faced actions in Washington (2022, $50k), Vermont (2019) and Alaska (2019, withdrawn). Source: California Attorney General. We show this because it may affect whether your bills are shared.

Not insurance. Payment of medical bills is not guaranteed. What that means

Visit Sedera site(opens in a new tab)

We have no business relationship with this company. This link goes straight to its site with no tracking. How we make money

Zion HealthShare

Listed — no business relationship
Medical cost sharing (not a ministry)Not insurance

Secular cost sharing with published prices. Not insurance and not a ministry.

Price
From $114/mo for one person. Family by quote. (as of 2026-10-15; source)
You pay first
IUA $1,250 / $2,500 / $5,000, up to 3 per rolling 12 months.
Pre-existing conditions
24-month look-back. Year 1 $0, year 2 $25k, year 3 $50k, year 4+ $125k. Controlled hypertension, cholesterol and diabetes are exempt.
Faith requirement
No faith requirement.
Where
Not open to new members in WA.

Legal history: 2023-12-19: Washington’s insurance regulator fined Zion HealthShare $50,000 and ordered it to stop selling unauthorized insurance. Upheld by the Washington Court of Appeals on 2026-02-05. Zion no longer enrolls in Washington. Source: Washington OIC. We show this because it may affect whether your bills are shared.

Not insurance. Payment of medical bills is not guaranteed. What that means

Visit Zion HealthShare site(opens in a new tab)

We have no business relationship with this company. This link goes straight to its site with no tracking. How we make money

Every sharing program, ranked for your answersFilter by state, budget, faith and pre-existing conditions.

Questions

Short answers, with sources.

Is Sedera or Zion cheaper?

Sedera and Zion sit in a similar monthly cost range (approx. $130-$450/mo depending on age, household, and iua choice (a share, not a premium) vs approx. $120-$430/mo by age, household, and iua (a share, not a premium)). The better value depends on your health and whether you qualify for a subsidy.

What is the main difference between Sedera and Zion?

A non-faith-based medical cost-sharing community built around a per-incident "Initial Unshareable Amount." A non-denominational cost-sharing community with flexible IUA tiers and no religious requirement.

Is Sedera real insurance?

No. Sedera is not insurance — it does not guarantee payment and typically limits pre-existing conditions. If you need the legal protections and guaranteed benefits of insurance, an ACA-compliant plan is the safer choice.

Sources

OLYRON HealthMatch is free to use. We may be paid when we connect you with a licensed advisor, and some companies we list may pay us a referral fee if you enroll. Payments never change the order of our comparisons or ratings. Our methodology

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