Christian health care-sharing plans founded on faith

[Guest guest]

Christian health care-sharing plans founded on faith

By JENNIFER GARZA - McClatchy Newspapers

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gertner believes her faith will help pay the

medical bills. That's why every phone call with her health care representative

ends the same.

" We pray to remember that God is in control and not to worry about the bills, "

Gertner said.

Gertner signed up with Medi-Share, part of Christian Care Ministry in Florida,

and one of several faith-based health care sharing ministries across the

country. Bill sharing, they believe, is rooted in scripture such as Galatians

6:2. " Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the laws of

Christ. "

Gertner lives in Sacramento, Calif., with her husband, Luke, a pastor at

Hillsdale Boulevard Baptist Church, and she home schools their three children.

Their small evangelical congregation does not offer employees health insurance.

So she asked friends and family about their coverage. Her mother-in-law told her

about a plan in which members share medical costs and religious beliefs.

An estimated 100,000 people across the country belong to these ministries,

according to industry experts. While small, it's a growing alternative to

traditional health care insurance.

Promoted at churches and on TV, health care sharing programs have been around

for decades and are more common in the South.

Interest has increased since passage of the federal health care reform bill last

year.

That's because members of health care sharing programs are exempt from the law's

requirement, which goes into effect in 2014, that every adult American have

health insurance.

" People want an alternative, " said Tony Meggs, president of Christian Care

Ministry. " We are up 150 percent. "

Gertner said she pays about $200 a month for health care.

For the past five years, her medical needs have been covered, including expenses

related to two pregnancies. " It has been a major blessing for us, " she said.

How does it work?

Medi-Share members deposit monthly fees into an account as they would with a

traditional health premium. Medi-Share oversees the money flow to pay other

members' health costs.

The company does not receive the money directly, said Meggs.

That's one difference between the health care sharing ministries and traditional

insurance, a distinction Meggs wants to make clear.

The law says health care sharing ministries must be nonprofit and medical

expenses must be shared among members.

State officials in Oklahoma and Kentucky have both challenged Medi-Share,

questioning whether the company is operating as an insurance company.

Niles of Blackwell, Okla., said Medi-Share refused to cover brain surgery

treatment for his wife, , in 2008, although it had previously paid. " They

just stopped, " he said.

Oklahoma regulators had ruled that Medi-Share was acting as an insurance company

and temporarily closed the program in the state.

Medi-Share already has paid $450,000 for Niles' care, said Meggs in a statement.

It said it could no longer operate in Oklahoma after the ruling. The company

resumed operations there in 2009.

" We are disappointed with the hardship the Nileses experienced, " Meggs said.

Medi-Share offered to ask members to contribute to their medical expenses. They

also suggested the couple move to Kansas, where they could become Medi-Share

members.

" Regrettably, we did not receive a response from the Niles until they sued, " he

said, adding that the couple's experience is not typical.

Niles is bitter toward the ministry now. " I was never late on a payment all

those years. " His wife died nearly three months ago.

The ministry is now available in all states but Montana. Not all of the programs

are alike. They have different ways of working and eligibility requirements,

although most say members must live by biblical standards.

Medi-Share, for example, requires applicants to sign statements that they are

Christians. The company may ask their pastors to verify their statements.

Participants in the program must agree not to use drugs, abuse alcohol or have

sex outside traditional Christian marriage. AIDS and HIV are covered if the

member contracted the disease through blood transfusions. Abortion is not

covered.

How does the company know if members are living according to the Gospel?

Meggs said they take members at their word. The company also has an internal

review process that periodically checks medical reports to make sure members

adhere to the statement of faith.

For example, he said, let's say a member filed a claim for a broken leg saying

it was broken in a car accident. But if the company later learned the leg was

broken because the member was intoxicated, then that bill wouldn't be eligible

for sharing, Meggs said. Members are responsible for their own medical bills, he

added.

Meggs said the ministry has been around for 18 years, and members have shared

more than $400 million in medical expenses.

Members also share emotional support.

They pray for others who are sick and often send get well cards. They have a

concept similar to Twitter called Prayer Stream, where members post prayer

requests and words of encouragement.

Gertner said her family has been fortunate that they are healthy. But she

worries about the rising costs of health care. She said talking to her

Medi-Share representative helps ease her anxiety, especially after they pray.

" Like it or not, this is something all of us have to deal with, " she said. " And

when I hang up, I feel like I've been to church. "

http://www.macon.com/2011/06/25/1608897/christian-health-care-sharing.html