Why aren't more using a Christian Plan?

[zinger1457]

Read the Fine Print......."No Beer Allowed"
(alcohol and tobacco use is prohibited)

Which healthcare ministry has that qualification for alcohol? As I recall the ones I looked at only prohibited the 'excess' use of alcohol.

 

[Sunset]

That gets right to my main question. I'm looking and looking for scenario's where these plans have been a detriment, but I can't find one example yet.

Say for example one goes toes up, I don't think that would preclude you from buying a different policy immediately, would it? I also don't see how there's any personal liability if you are a member of one that collapses.

You have a heart attack, or are diagnosed with lung cancer tomorrow, no problem you say and start treatment, spending $80K, knowing you will get help with the bills.
But the Christian plan goes belly up before paying any of your bills.
You are liable for your bills.
New commercial plan won't pay for treatments in the past when you were not with them, so signing with a real insurance company won't help pay the bills.

 

[mamadogmamacat]

I did consider one of these plans. viability of the plan was a concern and ultimate deal breaker for me especially if it gets hit with a lot of members with high bills all in say one year or one quarter, and that was just something i knew i would fret over. As expensive as my retiree plan is at least I have peace of mind which I feel I would never have with a sharing plan. The other issue was the 24 pg pdf explaining all the exceptions and qualifications regarding what was covered, when and to what degree.

On balance, im glad these plans are available for those who are more shall we say optimistic than I am and also as a possible back stop even for me if nothing else is available

 

[MBSC]

Read the Fine Print......."No Beer Allowed"
(alcohol and tobacco use is prohibited)

Altrua Healthshare allows alochol in moderation.

"We believe the use of any form of tobacco, illicit drugs and excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to the body and soul."

Source: https://altruahealthshare.org/how-it-works/statement-of-standards/

 

[ivinsfan]

I live in a rural area with a lot of self-employed families. A few from my church have gone with the health share ministries. A few families with several children have chosen the health ministry when I know they could have gotten cheaper or even free health insurance from MnSure.

Personally if it was a financial issue ,where I made just enough not to get any subsides and had to pay the 2000 dollar a month cost for a couple in their early sixties , then I would consider the health share, figuring we would have around 15K a year to pay medical bills and some sort of support from health share. But I do wonder as the pool of insured gets larger how much they will need to raise the monthly premium.

 

[pb4uski]

.... Say for example one goes toes up, I don't think that would preclude you from buying a different policy immediately, would it? ....

You can only buy an ACA health insurance policy during the open enrollment period, Nov 1 to Dec 15 this year (it may be longer in some states). So if you have a serious illness that needs immediate attention that costs big $$$$ and the Christian plan fails to pay, then you are out of luck and on the hook for the cost.

If you have an illness that does not need immediate attention, then you could suffer with it until the next open enrollment period and buy a policy.

OTOH, the financial strength of insurers is monitored by state insurance regulators and insurers have reserves and surplus that can be used to pay claims.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I simply do not believe in them.....

 

[stlguy57]

My husband and I are on ACA with a subsidy. Trying to get onto a "Christian Plan" would be problematic I'm sure.

 

[sheehs1]

I looked into Medi-Share. In addition to the no drinking and no tobacco, they listed "no sex outside of marriage". How would they know?
I am single.

I have always had traditional health care and found it difficult to move to what is basically a private, sharing health insurance policy.

I have a friend that went with Medi-Share. She could not afford the ACA premiums that were $1,000 a month. Prior to her husbands retirement, his employer dropped spouses. Her husband retired and is now on Medicare. We jokingly said she and her husband would be better off if they divorced because she would qualify for a subsidy. Jokingly, yes...but sadly true.

 

[razztazz]

I looked into Medi-Share. In addition to the no drinking and no tobacco, they listed "no sex outside of marriage". How would they know?
I am single.

They'll do what any insurance company would do. Refuse to pay because of what they think they can get away with. They'll simply declare you are in violation and you can prove you're not.

 

[Kelor]

After all these comments, it appears the biggest concern could be quelled if the pool of "members" was big enough. I'll do some investigating on member count with the most common carriers.

I don't yet know the cost savings using such a vehicle, but at first glance, it looks to be substantial enough to at least consider the "risk".

 

[REWahoo]

I don't yet know the cost savings using such a vehicle, but at first glance, it looks to be substantial enough to at least consider the "risk".

Good "luck" if you decide to go with one of these plans. Pray that you don't need to learn how well it works in the event of a major medical problem.

 

[athena53]

I looked into Medi-Share. In addition to the no drinking and no tobacco, they listed "no sex outside of marriage". How would they know?
I am single.

Typically they don't cover pregnancies out of wedlock (what a quaint phrase!) or sexually-transmitted diseases, unless you're the spouse who got it because your husband/wife strayed outside the marriage. I'm assuming they also don't cover Viagra or BC for singles.

 

[sheehs1]

After all these comments, it appears the biggest concern could be quelled if the pool of "members" was big enough. I'll do some investigating on member count with the most common carriers.

I don't yet know the cost savings using such a vehicle, but at first glance, it looks to be substantial enough to at least consider the "risk".

When I looked into Medi-Share a couple of years ago, their pool was about 360,000 people Nationwide. I don't know how they "count" their pool. Meaning, I don't know if they included family members/children in this pool count.

Their pool may have grown since then.

 

[sheehs1]

Typically they don't cover pregnancies out of wedlock (what a quaint phrase!) or sexually-transmitted diseases, unless you're the spouse who got it because your husband/wife strayed outside the marriage. I'm assuming they also don't cover Viagra or BC for singles.

The devil is definitely in the details!

There was more that gave me pause but I can't remember all of them at this time...

There is a yearly cost share amount in addition to premiums per member family and I think that was based on income and the number of people covered.

 

[JoeWras]

My husband and I are on ACA with a subsidy. Trying to get onto a "Christian Plan" would be problematic I'm sure.

I'm Christian, and your situation is why I don't like these plans. I was looking at Medishare's exceptions, and they go quoting a bunch of 1 Corinthians. But as usual, it is pick and choose.

Stlguy, you and your husband would be welcome at our church.

 

[athena53]

I'm on traditional Medicare but I'd love to have supplement/prescription plans with the discounts for "healthy" members that I see in the Christian healthcare plans (based on BMI, BP and other measures). I work at staying healthy and in the four years between ER and Medicare I paid over $20K in premiums. The insurers paid for nothing except a few routine tests. Yes, I KNOW I was also paying for protection against the catastrophic stuff over which I have no control- that's why I never would gamble and go without insurance.

I still wish I could get a break on premiums because of my reduced risks.

 

[redduck]

I looked into Medi-Share. In addition to the no drinking and no tobacco, they listed "no sex outside of marriage".

Suppose a married couple got involved in the threesome, would that be considered as "sex outside of marriage?"

 

[sheehs1]

Suppose a married couple got involved in the threesome, would that be considered as "sex outside of marriage?"

Definitely redduck.

But again, how would they know? !

Except that as a Christian, one would not stoop to deception. In a perfect world that is.

 

[OldShooter]

I had never heard of these plans until I saw them mentioned in threads here, but IMO there is a reason that insurance companies are regulated. Individual buyers are unable to, by themselves, evaluate the risk and reliability of an insurance company. There is also a reason that there are state insurance guarantee programs to bail out customers of failed companies. The lack of these protections would keep me away for something as critical as health insurance.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

A lot of negativity and snide remarks in this thread. I find it interesting that those who think it is good that government 'socializes' medical coverage (e.g. ACA) find it bad when a certain group does so.

Look, I don't have one of these plans, but fundamentally the idea of cost sharing isn't necessarily a bad one.

How about this hypothetical: We establish a FIRE "Catastrophic only" health care umbrella policy. Each member is responsible for the first $x (e.g. $200K) and the pool cost shares on overages (subject to some overall limit of funding of the pool). Then the contributors could self insure for routine and non super catastrophic care, but have the ability to pull from the pool for events that might otherwise wipe out their entire net worth.

 

[ivinsfan]

Not really hearing snide, and in some cases posters trying to be witty (you know who you are) the negativity comes because it's different, doesn't have a really long track record and in some cases the price seems to good to be true.

Regulation leads to increased cost in everything.

 

[Amethyst]

So, you're saying, if "Lust" and its consequences are sanctioned, then "Gluttony" and "Sloth" should be too?

That said, I wonder how they would get after sinners who specialize in Wrath (no injuries from fistfights), Vanity (no cosmetic surgery), Envy, or Greed?

Oops. Dealbreaker. I know they accept only people who are serious about healthy lifestyles but I gotta have one vice! Isn't a BMI of 19.6 and 23% body fat good enough?

.

 

[Dtail]

A lot of negativity and snide remarks in this thread. I find it interesting that those who think it is good that government 'socializes' medical coverage (e.g. ACA) find it bad when a certain group does so.

Look, I don't have one of these plans, but fundamentally the idea of cost sharing isn't necessarily a bad one.

How about this hypothetical: We establish a FIRE "Catastrophic only" health care umbrella policy. Each member is responsible for the first $x (e.g. $200K) and the pool cost shares on overages (subject to some overall limit of funding of the pool). Then the contributors could self insure for routine and non super catastrophic care, but have the ability to pull from the pool for events that might otherwise wipe out their entire net worth.

+1
I manage my income for ACA purposes. I shielded some of my parents' assets for potential Medicare purposes.
My basic philosophy is unless rules and laws are changed, everything is in play.

 

[OldShooter]

... How about this hypothetical: We establish a FIRE "Catastrophic only" health care umbrella policy. Each member is responsible for the first $x (e.g. $200K) and the pool cost shares on overages (subject to some overall limit of funding of the pool). Then the contributors could self insure for routine and non super catastrophic care, but have the ability to pull from the pool for events that might otherwise wipe out their entire net worth.

So far, so good. Is the entity legally obligated to the contributor/members? Are the contributor/members legally obligated to each other without financial or time limits? What and where is this "pool" and how is it established and managed? Are members legally obligated to pay up when the pool drops below a certain level or can everyone just bail out without penalty? How is the pool protected against adverse selection where it disproportionately attracts people with near-zero net worth? The devil is in the details.