Liberty HealthShare Official Blog

We are all too familiar with the unrealistic New Year’s resolutions and how quickly they can fail. Here's a few simple tips and resources to help you reach your goals this year.

Throughout the course of your enrollment and membership in Liberty HealthShare, you have likely noticed that we use terminology that is specific to our organization and work. There are several reasons we choose to communicate in the way we do.

What Liberty HealthShare Members Need To Know Claiming your exemption as a member of a healthcare sharing ministry is a relatively simple process.

Hi there! Thanks for joining us. We’ve spent the last few weeks exploring ways you can pursue and increase your health as temperatures drop, and we’re continuing that blog series today. So far, we have touched on ways you can stay active outdoors and indoors. We have also shared recipes for winter squash, cruciferous vegetables, grains and baked goods, and soups and stews. We’re wrapping up the seasonal eating portion of this series today, but stay tuned as we’ll move on to discuss maintaining mental and emotional health as temperatures drop and days get shorter. We love summer for so many reasons, not least of which is the fact that cooking operations can be moved outside. You can’t beat that grilled flavor, plus it’s always nice to be able to avoid heating up the kitchen by using a range or oven. But it’s fall now, and apart from some brave souls, most people move meal prep back indoors. Fortunately, oven-roasting achieves similar results, yielding foods that are low in calories and big on flavor.

One of the most rewarding parts of my work here at Liberty HealthShare is getting to see members graduate from our HealthTrac program. If you aren’t familiar with HealthTrac, it is a program for those sharing members who enroll in Liberty HealthShare with certain pre-existing conditions that can be improved with lifestyle change. These chronic conditions include diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, high cholesterol, obesity, and tobacco use. At the added cost of $80 per month, and provided these members are willing to make the changes necessary to achieve a healthier lifestyle, they are then matched up with a health coach who will work with them, setting realistic, tailored objectives that work for their unique situation.

The holidays can be hectic. Between parties, hosting family and friends, shopping, cooking, and trying to actually enjoy this time, you’ve got more than enough on your plate. So when you or your child come down with the flu or badly burn a finger trying to make your grandmother’s candy recipe, it can feel like the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Hi there! If you are just joining us, we are midway through a blog series on health during colder weather. We’ve already talked about pursuing fitness through outdoor and indoor activities, and we’ve also covered ideas for eating seasonally with winter squash, cruciferous vegetables, and baked goods. Keep checking back here for more recipes and tips for protecting and increasing your mental and emotional health as the days grow shorter and colder. Healthy eating influencers often tout the benefits of eating seasonally. By thi,s they mean eating those things that are in season in your part of the world; those fruits and vegetables that can reasonably be considered fresh. But if you live in a part of the country where temperatures are on a downward trend right now, the list of things that are “in season” is shrinking by the day.

Thanks for joining us! We’re about halfway through a blog series on ways to prioritize your health during the fall and winter. So far we’ve detailed some ideas for both indoor and outdoor exercise as well as seasonal eating tips using winter squash and cruciferous vegetables. Keep checking back for more recipes and additional tips on keeping yourself mentally and emotionally healthy throughout the autumn months. During the autumn, bread and pastries infused with cinnamon, caramel, and pumpkin (just to name a few flavors) are on display at every bakery, coffee shop, and café. At home, Thanksgiving tables groan under bread and pies, and we start baking cookies because after all, this is the time of year for it. There’s no denying these baked goods are a delicious way to celebrate the season, but indulging has its consequences.

In this short video, Liberty HealthShare Executive Director Dale Bellis re-establishes our mission and commitment looking ahead.

Welcome! If you’re just joining us, you have arrived in the middle of a blog series on improving and maintaining your health during the fall and winter. We’ve already covered some ideas for staying active in colder weather, both indoors and outdoors, as well as recipes for winter squash. Stay tuned for more delicious seasonal recipes and ways to protect your mental and emotional health as the days get shorter. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and everywhere you look, comfort foods will start to threaten your best intentions. Before you give up on being able to have the things you love, we’d like to suggest redefining comfort food to mean flavorful and satisfying, rather than fattening.

Over the next several months, we're covering a variety of ways to maintain your health during the colder months. We've already looked at some fun ways you and your family can keep moving both outdoors and indoors. Looking ahead, keep an eye out for seasonal recipes and tips for supporting your emotional and mental health as temperatures drop. You’re trying to get or stay on-track during the fall. Does that mean the delicious flavors of the season are off-limits? Not at all! A surefire way to keep sugar and fat consumption under control is to simply plan ahead.

Welcome! We’re in the middle of a series on fall and winter wellness. Check back here for ideas for managing your diet, staying active, and reducing stress as the holidays approach. In our last post, we covered some ways we can prioritize fitness by fighting the urge to hibernate and instead enjoying autumn’s many opportunities for physical activity. Now that the days are getting shorter and temperatures continue to drop, it’s even more important that we find ways to keep moving indoors as well.

Last year, Liberty HealthShare member Christine Lloyd visited her doctor when she became unwell. What she thought was a simple cold was actually the beginning of a health spiral that left her in the ICU, fighting for her life. Watch Christine's husband Norman share their story.

If you love someone who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, you might already know that November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. Raising awareness about this devastating disease is a mission I personally care deeply about because it is what took my grandfather’s life. Throughout the course of his illness, I watched as this once-loving man slowly became withdrawn and angry, ultimately unable to care for himself. The effects of his disease threatened to tear my family apart.

If you have been a Liberty HealthShare member for a while, you might already know how to submit a bill or receipt through your online ShareBox. You also may or may not have encountered an issue with what's known as "balance billing." For those of you who are new to Liberty, or if you simply are not familiar with these two topics, here’s a quick refresher:

Members of healthcare sharing ministries are a unique breed. We are determined to protect our individual liberties, and yet we have committed ourselves to sharing with this community. These two behaviors may seem incongruous to some, but we believe they go hand in hand. For many of us, it is our individual freedom that compels us to share with others as they share with us. We want others to remain free as well. Participating in elections is one of the main ways we preserve and protect our unalienable rights.

This is the first post in a series on getting and staying healthy this fall and winter. Check back for ways to stay active, enticing seasonal recipes, and tips for managing stress as we approach the holidays. Fall is a great time to recommit to your fitness goals by getting outside. The views at your local parks are great, you can get health benefits from a variety of fun activities that feel nothing like a workout, and it's cool enough that you won't find yourself dripping with sweat during activity. Here are a few ways you and your family can stay active even when the temperatures drop:

Fall is finally here. The air is crisp, the sunlight is golden, and the leaves show off their best sides. There’s just something about it. But as enjoyable as this time of year is, it’s also when many of us find ourselves struggling to maintain wellness on multiple fronts.

You've probably heard the slogan "no farms, no food" before. It seems fairly obvious, but these days, most of us have lost our connection to the work that goes into providing what goes on our plates. And while farms are essential, they are only land and buildings without committed farmers who are willing to get up before the sun, in all kinds of weather, in order to steward the land and animals in their charge.

By now, you’ve probably heard about the skyrocketing price of Epi-Pens (epinephrine injection). If you need to keep epinephrine nearby to treat a severe allergic reaction, you know why recent developments are financially burdensome and could even be devastating for some. Epi-pens, or at least some form of injectable adrenaline, are not a luxury for those who need them. For this reason, we are thrilled to be bringing you good news about how SavNet can assist our Liberty Complete and Liberty Plus members in obtaining their Epi-Pens at greatly reduced prices or in many cases, for free.

When costs became her number one concern, Karen found Liberty HealthShare. Whatever your reason for joining Liberty HealthShare; whether it’s our community of like-minded people, the freedom that comes with directing and managing your own healthcare, or the financial responsibility you can exercise as a member, we are glad you are here. It is our goal that you experience all these benefits and more through your membership. Just recently, Karen O. from Florida shared her impressions with us:

I was at a conference in Washington, D.C. when I received a reminder email concerning my October newsletter article. Friends and colleagues suggested I could write about autumn and highlight fall spices that can help address certain health conditions. Although it was a good and timely suggestion, as I did some sightseeing in our nation’s capital, I found inspiration in an unlikely place.I noticed there was a fast food establishment on just about every corner, and it got me thinking about a national epidemic that likely affects all Liberty HealthShare members, either personally or by association. That epidemic is obesity.

At Liberty HealthShare, our goal is for our members to have an experience they want to share with others. That’s why it is so rewarding for us when we find out a new enrollee has been referred to us by a friend or family member. Knowing your experience as a Liberty HealthShare member has led you to tell others about us confirms our hard work is having an impact.

Drip. Perk. French press. Pour over. Cold brew. Espresso. Nitro-infused. What's your favorite way to drink coffee? Today is National Coffee Day, according to...well, whoever it is that assigns celebratory days for beloved foods and beverages. Thankfully, unlike some of the more decadent foods deemed special enough to get their own day - think bacon, pie, and ice cream - coffee doesn't have to derail your health and wellness goals. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic website, the health benefits of consuming coffee likely outweigh the risks for most people.

A sedentary lifestyle is now more the rule than the exception in our country. Not only are a huge portion of American jobs now accomplished from a seated position, but the reality is also that our downtime is dominated by a nearly unlimited number of indoor entertainment options that are constantly within arm's reach. This isn't just true for adults, either. Kids suffer from their own versions of these pitfalls and temptations, and they are a lot less likely to choose physical activity if they don't see it modeled by their parents.

It always gives our team a boost when we hear from members for whom Liberty HealthShare is making a real difference. Deborah R. from Arkansas recently contacted us to share her family’s story:

On September 17th, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed the United States Constitution, adopting it as the supreme law of this land. In recognition of its historic signing, we observe Constitution Day each year. Even today, 229 years later, this unique document remains the standard by which all other laws are measured. In fact, the Constitution is so extraordinary that other nations have used it as a template for their own governmental structures!

This past week, Liberty HealthShare Executive Director Dale Bellis attended a pastors' training event hosted by Pastor Jim Garlow, author of Well Versed: Biblical Answers to Today's Tough Issues. This brand new book does a fantastic job of explaining how we as Americans might best respond to the pressures, policies, and events that impact our lives each day - all in light of the Bible.