Which exchanges did you compare, and what did you experience?
Sorry for the delay in responding. Busy day. Anyway, these are the big three Christian healthcare co-ops that qualify under the law as is:
http://mychristiancare.org (Medi-Share)
http://samaritanministries.org (Samaritan Ministries)
http://www.chministries.org/ (Christian Healthcare Ministries)
I haven’t been a member of any of these yet, but my research thus far, in very short form (i.e., much left out), is as follows:
Medi-Share is the biggest, and thanks to their size have been able to arrange a PPO, and corresponding discounts, for their members. While neither they nor the others are strictly insurance (no contractual obligation to pay a claim, no minimum reserve, etc.), it appears they (and the others) have been able to meet legitimate claims presented, including catastrophe-sized claims. They had some legal problems in Kentucky getting out from under state insurance regs, but I believe that is resolved for the time being. Medi-Share is also not so good on pre-existing conditions, based on what I have found so far. Some have been denied membership on that basis. As to cost, they have three tiers of membership, and they are much less expensive than the Obamacare programs, but not the cheapest either.
Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) is definitely the way to go if the objective is to spend nearly nothing. They also have three levels of membership, the cheapest amounting to pure catastrophic coverage. Of the three programs, they have been around the longest (about 30 years). They are more of a back-end approach, where the costs are covered *after* the bills are issued. So to the doctor’s office, you appear to be self-pay. They also have a different approach to pre-existing conditions. An episode, for example, where you are not yet a member, you discover you have diabetes, and then you join, your illness must subside to maintenance mode before they begin to cover the costs. But if you are already a member and have a new incident related to that preexisting condition, like your feet develop neuropathy, or you have sight loss, those they will cover.
Samaritan Ministries, hands down, gets the award for most best testimonials from a broad range of sources. They are comparable in price to Medi-Share (more expensive than CHM), with a slight discount for young adult families (yep us old folks really are more expensive healthwise), but no bronze/silver gold tiers. Just one basic pay-in. It also works a bit more like relational cost sharing. You actually send your monthly payment to an assigned recipient for the month. Yes yes, that makes for more busy-work, and in a sane world with a free healthcare market not encumbered by a Marxist tyrant, many would choose a regular, contract-based approach because it is more convenient. But until that is corrected, this may be a valid option for many.
A note though about preexisting conditions. Samaritan Ministries is kind of a hybrid of the other two. Unlike Medi-Share, you will be able to join, even if you have a pre-existing condition. Unlike CHM, your preexisting condition never normalizes to a routinely handled condition. So if you come in with diabetes, the regular sharing will never cover it, though you can get treatment for anything else. However, they DO have an above and beyond fund, where some contribute funds above their normal monthly payment for members with otherwise unhandled conditions. This BTW is where some of the highest praise is lavished on SM; one way or another you can get in, and you can get help, as God blesses His people and moves them to higher levels of generosity.
All three groups refuse to cover things that are immoral in any traditional Christian context. No money for abortion, sex change operations, artificial physique enhancement, etc. Also they refuse to cover conditions that are direct byproducts of voluntary body-damaging activity like smoking, illegal drugs, etc. They also generally require membership in good standing in a church of some sort. I am not aware of any denominational limitations, though they do have a statement of faith which is generic enough that nearly any non-liberal believer could sign off on it without a problem. I should also mention there is some talk of a Catholic oriented healthcare exchange starting up. They are supposedly partnering with one of the three above, because they would otherwise not qualify under the law (the exemption is only valid for organizations started before 1999, though the right lawsuit could end that limitation).
Anyway, like I said, just a short summary, and a bit disorganized at that. Hope it helps.
Peace,
SR