Growing numbers of Americans are joining the sharing economy. And health sharing programs are rising in popularity. Programs like Universal HealthShare are a smart choice because they help people achieve better health and wellness in a much more affordable way. The monthly contributions that health sharing members make are about 40% of the cost of traditional health insurance premiums.

Health sharing isn’t health insurance, but sharing programs act as health care payors too. And with such big savings, now many more people can gain access to a quality health care payor than ever before.

How do they work? Here are 3 things medical providers need to know about health sharing.