From today's Washington Post - "Christian" health insurance, anyone?

[DancingBear]

(just make sure you're straight and god-fearin')

Seeking Divine Protection

Some Believers Put Faith in Church Plans Instead of Standard Health Insurance

By Sandra G. Boodman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 25, 2005; Page HE01


When his wife spent a week in Georgetown University Hospital's intensive care unit last year recovering from life-saving brain surgery, Joe Huff never worried about who would pay her $120,000 hospital bill, even though his family has no health insurance.

Huff, a 52-year-old Laytonsville real estate agent, said he trusted that a bill-sharing cooperative of evangelical Christians he joined 10 years ago -- and to which he faithfully mailed a $346 monthly check -- would come through, just as it had when the youngest of the couple's seven children was hospitalized with spinal meningitis two years ago.

<snip>

The appeal of these "church plans," as they are known in the insurance industry, is both economic and religious. Because their monthly cost is roughly half that of conventional health insurance premiums, they appeal to those who find medical insurance difficult or impossible to afford. And because their membership is strictly limited to evangelical Christians certified as regular churchgoers by their pastors, they cater to people opposed to "subsidizing high-risk, sinful lifestyles," in the words of Medi-Share's Web site.

<snip>

Tobacco use, immoderate drinking, homosexuality and extramarital sex are strictly forbidden, and anyone caught violating these proscriptions can be expelled. The plans don't pay for abortion,or treatment of sexually transmitted diseases or HIV that was not, as Samaritan puts it, "contracted innocently." While each plan's rules differ, most exclude coverage of preexisting conditions, as well as treatment related to cancer recurrence, serious heart disease, obesity, psychiatric disorders or vision problems.

link here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/22/AR2005102200046.html

[stepnw1f]

1. How Special and Exclusive

And how vile....

[tuvor]

2. Aren't all insurance plans exclusive to a greater or lesser degree?

Hard to blame people for wanting to save money in bush's America.

ON EDIT: The concept isn't new. My family had life insurance through Lutheran Life some 30 years ago. Not sure how strict they were about "lifestyle," however.

[DancingBear]

4. And this little nugget doesn't give you pause?

"homosexuality and extramarital sex are strictly forbidden"

These people aren't trying to save money -they are trying to legislate morality by wrapping it up in colored paper.

[Cactus44]

6. I disagree. I like what they're doing.

Instead of trying to force their ideas on to anybody else they started their own alternative and it's working for them. They don't bother us and we don't bother them. Americans are free to associate with anybody they want. Anybody can start a club, or an insurance plan, for any group they want and include or exclude anybody they like. I say more power to 'em.

[papau]

10. extramarital sex has a higher heart attack risk, homosexuality has a

higher death and morbility rate due to AIDS - they are trying to save money.

Actuarial data indicates the homosexuality AIDS risk is at least partially offset by greater income bringing better health care than the average person. But it is still higher.

"Association" insurance has been around in the US since around 1776!

[tuvor]

12. "Legislate"?

Of course insurance companies can't do that.

They can, however, be as exclusive (i.e. discriminate) as they wish when choosing whom and what to insure, correct?

I paid more for car insurance when I was a teenager because I was in a higher-risk group. I suppose an insurance company could have denied me insurance altogether based on that if they so chose.

If this were some gov't-backed program, I'd understand. But I presume this is a wholly private enterprise. Are they breaking some discrimination law I'm not aware of?

[papau]

20. nope - there is no law breaking in this arrangement. n/t

n/t

[harlinchi]

3. How 'bout property insurance from a company that does no...

...business on the Gulf coast? How much cheaper might that policy be compared to one where the company must pay FL, MS, AL, LA and TX post-hurricane claims several (actually many) times each year?

[papau]

5. And indeed that does exist - Insurers refuse to cover an area or a State.

That is why Ins is so heavily regulated -

there are dollars to be made by restrictions on bad claim areas.

But the State is powerless to regulated if the company refuses to sell in that state - and there is no federal regulation.

[harlinchi]

7. Do you know who does this?

I might include the Carolinas in the high-claim area as well!

[papau]

14. Every Casualty Company does this - Life Companies tend to try to

get into as many states as possible (but there is a cost for the legal work needed in each state).

I do not work in Casualty - but I would doubt the Carolinas have the problems of the more densely populated states.

:-)

[harlinchi]

11. And, California. Forest fires and mudslides that affect the......

...wealthiest of Americans shouldn't cause me to subsidize the repairs to their mansions while I live in a hovel.

[papau]

18. Depends on how the Company does it's "insurance function" - the

averaging of claim losses over its customer base.

There is both a "my state" component - very large - and small "surplus build up all states" component when needed.

The States in general do not regulate what the company can charge (only Mass as far as I know actually has the government set the rates - and that is in Auto only).

[Selatius]

8. Actually, I think this is not a bad idea at all. I favor a secular...

version, of course. One that does not discriminate regardless of religion, skin color, ideology, sexual orientation, etc.

If health insurance is burying so many families and hard working people of America, maybe it's time people came together outside the system and pledged to one another directly in their respective communities that they would stand together if one of them were hurt or ill and needed help. Who knows? Maybe several communities can come together and create a bigger "safety net." It sounds anarchistic in that there is no centralized structure like a national health care system, but since such a system does not exist and probably won't exist for many years, it would probably be best to do something now instead of wait for help that might not come.

[Liberal Veteran]

9. I know it's cliche, but what would Jesus do?

I don't recall the part of the Gospels where Jesus healed only the "righteous".

In fact, I seem to recall the opposite.

That's the part I find cringeworthy in this. It's so...un-Christlike.

[DancingBear]

13. Pardon the pun, but halleluah

Somebody gets the dis-connect.

:yourock:

[tuvor]

16. I don't want a business to be my Messiah.

Apples and oranges, IMO.

[mondo joe]

15. Why would a person with FAITH need manmade insurance?

That's what I'd like to know.

[JHB]

17. These have been around for a while. Over a century, I think.

Some sects believe that insurance fall under the category of "gambling", so they oppose it on religious grounds, and co-ops of this sort formed as a way to share the load in paying the bills.

While of course the groups mentioned here pat themselves and their members on the back for their lifestyle, it'd be worthwhile to calculate how much of their savings is due simply to the elimination of corporate overhead, advertising, profits, etc., since what they've really done (though they'd deny to death this description) is to "socialize" their medical bills within their given group.

[papau]

19. The Minister's Funds of the late 1700's come to mind as a starting

point for this type of insurance.

Indeed they sound exactly like this groups "insurance" effort.

[ClintonTyree]

21. So these god fearing folks.........

would pay for this guy's bills, probably in the neighborhood of $200,000 between his wife and son, yet would pay for some "hedonist's" appendectomy, costing around $15,000/ That's some mighty smart business sense there. :eyes:
How long do these people think this holy scam is going to last? As these "god fearing" folks get older the medical bills for them are going to be staggering, especially prostrate surgery for the old gentlemen who don't exercise "that gland" anymore because it's naughty and dirty?
I can't see this "insurance" company lasting that long. Look at the list of "exclusions", all things that happen to people in their later years. Someone's going to get taken to the cleaners by these people, they always do. If the "good christian" insurance company can't sheer their flock and make enough "profit for the lord" they'll fold up their tents and leave town in a hurry.
Just another way to separate blind faith believers from their money, that's my opinion.

[chat_noir]

22. Pray that you don't get sick - GWB health plan

I thought that was what the article was going to be about. :rofl:

[BiggJawn]

23. Not as bad as the Ministry I worked for....

They were into one of those "self-insurance" scams, and after a couple of slackers at another station had back surgery, there wasn't anything left in the Kitty to pay for other claims.

Most of us wound up fielding nasty phone calls from collection agencies and one guy was even summoned into Small Claims Court because the company wouldn't pay the bills on time....

Yeah, I know ALL about "File the claim and pray to GAWD that it gets paid before I'm sued" health insurance....

[OrlandoGator]

24. That's NOTHING. I hear ads for "Christian" debt consolidation loans.

It's fucking sickening. But then again, I'm one of those people who hates Christian gift shops.

[ClintonTyree]

25. god is quite the little industry, isn't he?

has been since he was first invented and will continue to be just as long as there are people in this world that can't handle the fact that there IS NO meaning to life. They exist to serve some invisible cloud being and don't forget that 10%. That's off the GROSS, not the net! Plus all the other little "extras" that will insure you're spot at the foot of the cross in heaven, of course. :eyes:
Yesiree god, the flock is more than willing to be sheered, over and over again so they can get their ticket on the god train.
P.T. Barnum understood these people well.