Greetings folks,
Thanks for your interest in medical need sharing. As a staffer at one of the three health care sharing ministries operating internationally, I thought I'd try to bring a little clarity to your discussion.
A health care sharing ministry is a group of people of common faith who share one another's medical burdens without using insurance. Members commit to sending a share each month that will go to another member who has a medical need.
Health care sharing ministries serve more than 160,000 people around the world, with participating households in all fifty states. Currently, twenty-two states recognize the ministerial nature of these health care sharing ministries and acknowledge that they are not practicing the business of insurance. Participants of health care sharing ministries share more than $165 million per year for one another's health care costs
The organization I work for has not had charges of fraud levied against it, nor has any court that has looked at our structure declared us to be practicing insurance in any way. Our members do sign a broad, basic, historical statement of Christian faith, agree to either abstain from alcohol or only drink in moderation, abstain from tobacco use except for a rare celebratory cigar or pipe, and abide by the guidelines that are constructed and maintained by our member elected board. Our members send their monthly shares directly to another member (not the ministry itself.) If there is ever a dispute over a matter between our ministry's leadership, our members can request a 13 member panel of randomly selected member-peers to arbitrate the matter – and whatever that panel decides is binding upon the ministry. I have never heard of an insurance company that does that. In addition to this, our monthly share amounts are determined by the members themselves through a majority vote – when there are more needs than there are shares for three months in a row, our board submits a ballot to the membership with a proposed share increase. In the meantime needs are equally prorated (sometimes no more than 10-15% but as much as 20%) and the ministry makes members aware of the difference so that they can electively give enough to make up the difference. To date, all of the eligible medical bills that have been submitted have been shared using this model - And that is with members having shared the complete costs for cancers, strokes, and organ transplants up to and above 500K on multiple occasions.
Health care sharing ministries are 501 (C) (3) organization that simply facilitate member's sharing with and ministering to one another. The organization that I work for has 23,000 plus participating households that have been happily well-served since 1994.
Regards,
J
Thanks for your interest in medical need sharing. As a staffer at one of the three health care sharing ministries operating internationally, I thought I'd try to bring a little clarity to your discussion.
A health care sharing ministry is a group of people of common faith who share one another's medical burdens without using insurance. Members commit to sending a share each month that will go to another member who has a medical need.
Health care sharing ministries serve more than 160,000 people around the world, with participating households in all fifty states. Currently, twenty-two states recognize the ministerial nature of these health care sharing ministries and acknowledge that they are not practicing the business of insurance. Participants of health care sharing ministries share more than $165 million per year for one another's health care costs
The organization I work for has not had charges of fraud levied against it, nor has any court that has looked at our structure declared us to be practicing insurance in any way. Our members do sign a broad, basic, historical statement of Christian faith, agree to either abstain from alcohol or only drink in moderation, abstain from tobacco use except for a rare celebratory cigar or pipe, and abide by the guidelines that are constructed and maintained by our member elected board. Our members send their monthly shares directly to another member (not the ministry itself.) If there is ever a dispute over a matter between our ministry's leadership, our members can request a 13 member panel of randomly selected member-peers to arbitrate the matter – and whatever that panel decides is binding upon the ministry. I have never heard of an insurance company that does that. In addition to this, our monthly share amounts are determined by the members themselves through a majority vote – when there are more needs than there are shares for three months in a row, our board submits a ballot to the membership with a proposed share increase. In the meantime needs are equally prorated (sometimes no more than 10-15% but as much as 20%) and the ministry makes members aware of the difference so that they can electively give enough to make up the difference. To date, all of the eligible medical bills that have been submitted have been shared using this model - And that is with members having shared the complete costs for cancers, strokes, and organ transplants up to and above 500K on multiple occasions.
Health care sharing ministries are 501 (C) (3) organization that simply facilitate member's sharing with and ministering to one another. The organization that I work for has 23,000 plus participating households that have been happily well-served since 1994.
Regards,
J
