Health care sharing ministry
A health care sharing ministry is an organization that facilitates sharing of health care costs between individual members who have common ethical or religious beliefs in the United States. A health care sharing ministry is founded on the biblical mandate of believers to share each other’s needs.[1] Their goal is to apply Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ” to the ever-rising medical costs which can be quite burdensome for anyone, single or married, young or old. It is a principle that has been around since the birth and growth of the early Church. The Book of Acts reports, “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need,” (Acts 2:44-45)[2] Health Care Sharing Ministry does not use actuaries, does not accept risk or make guartentees, and does not purchase reinsurance polices on behalf of its members. Members of health care sharing ministries are exempt from the individual responsibility requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,[3] often referred to as Obamacare. This means members of health care sharing ministries are not required to have insurance as outlined in the individual mandate.[4] Members of health care sharing ministries see it as a benefit that their dollars are only used for tests and procedures that align with their faith.
Twenty-eight states have laws that recognize healthcare ministries as distinct from health insurance organizations and under a different regulation regimen. [5]
Number of Members
According to www.healthcaresharing.org, an alliance of the two largest ministries in the US, over 240,000 Americans participate in health care sharing.[6] Among those 240,000 participants, more than $180 million are shared per year to pay for one another’s medical bills.
The monthly cost of membership in a health care sharing ministry is generally lower than the cost of insurance rates.[citation needed]
Ministries
The three largest health care sharing ministries are Christian Healthcare Ministries (established around 1990),Medi-Share, a program of Christian Care Ministry (established in 1993), and Samaritan Ministries (established in 1994). All three ministries are biblically based, a requirement to be authentically called a "health care sharing ministry". Membership guidelines vary, but often include requirements such as living a Christian lifestyle, abstaining from tobacco, and believing in God.
Federal definition of a health care sharing ministry
- Must be a 501(c)(3) organization
- Members must share common ethical or religious beliefs
- Must not discriminate membership based on state of residence or employment
- Members cannot lose membership due to development of a medical condition
- Must have existed and been in practice continually since December 31, 1999 (a grandfather clause)
- Must be subject to an annual audit by an independent CPA which must be publicly available upon request[7]
References
- ^ Whyte, Liz Essley. Philanthropic Freedom: Sharing Health. Philanthropy Magazine. Summer 2014.
- ^ http://www.healthcaresharing.org/hcsm/
- ^ Pub. L. 111–148 (text) (PDF) Sec. 5000A(d)(2)(b)(i)
- ^ http://www.npr.org/2013/09/28/227238887/the-religious-alternative-to-obamacares-individual-mandate
- ^ Safe Harbor Laws
- ^ http://www.healthcaresharing.org/hcsm/
- ^ Pub. L. 111–148 (text) (PDF) Sec. 5000A(d)(2)(b)(ii)
 | This health-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |