I was on a website looking up some bible verses yesterday when I noticed this little ad on the top of the screen:
With all the attention being paid to ObamaCare and its damn hippie, communist solution to a VERY big problem in the United States, I just had to click it (You can click the picture above to experience what I experienced, if you like).
What I came a cross was a poorly put together website about a health insurance option, called Medi-Share, for Christians. It doesn’t contain much info (they want you to sign up to receive more) other than a few things that really caught my attention.
What is Medi-Share?
Medi-Share is a community of more than 50,000 Christians who follow the biblical model of sharing and paying each other’s medical bills much like the early church did 2,000 years ago. And as a not-for-profit ministry that promotes healthy biblical lifestyles, participation is affordable.
Worried about the new Health Care Bill?
Afraid you’ll be forced to buy health insurance you can’t afford? Our economy is bad enough and according to a recent study by Price Waterhouse Coopers, the new healthcare reform bill will make health insurance premiums rise by 40%.
Healthcare sharing ministries like Medi-Share are the only organizations to be exempt from the regulations and costs of the recently passed health care bill (Page 128, H.R. 3590 ).
This means that as a part of Medi-Share, you would be exempt, too. The requirements, the taxes, the penalties, and the high costs will simply pass you by.
What they don’t tell you is… well… any of the facts! The fact is, if people are happy with their current choice in healthcare insurance providers they are more than welcome to remain happy customers. ObamaCare simply protects those that have gone so long without protecting and have taken us all down with them in the meantime. It’s simple really: Give people the ability to be able to have quality health insurance so that they can receive quality care, stay healthy and keep the cost of insurance down for everyone. Has it ever dawned on these people that maybe the reason healthcare costs keep rising is because SOMEONE has to pay for the healthcare being received by those who are unable to pay?! All this does is regulate the insurance companies so they can no longer continue to take advantage of us like they ALWAYS have.
Here are some facts about ObamaCare that I think those considering this Medi-Share option (or are just simply against the law) should consider:
• Uninsured Americans cost the American healthcare system an additional $49 billion. Only 12% of uninsured families pay their hospital bills in full, this includes families making over $88k a year. These costs affect the rising cost of insurance premiums; ObamaCare helps to reduce this spending drastically.
• The Affordable Health Care Act doesn’t just focus on insurance, it also reforms the parts of the healthcare system that aren’t working, or are costing the tax payer money. For example, by focusing on preventive measures instead of just treatment, ObamaCare will save tens of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives.
• ObamaCare makes it illegal for health insurance companies to terminate coverage for any reason other than customer fraud.
(Source)
And as for those pesky “taxes, penalties and high costs”?
• If an you or your family chooses not to purchase healthcare through the Online Health Insurance Exchange, they can still buy private insurance, get insurance through their employer, Medicare, or Medicaid. Those who chose to not purchase insurance will pay an income “penalty” tax to help cover the rest of us. In other words, it’s a tax, not a mandate; no one is actually forcing you to have health insurance.
In summary, if you choose not to protect yourself against the unknown health issues you may or may not have in the future, ObamaCare protects the rest of us who do choose to protect ourselves so that when we have to pay for your hospital visit, we’re covered and protected from price hikes. Seems completely unreasonable, right?!
I am guessing that the completely falsified remarks on the Affordable Healthcare Act are merely a lure to attract its most likely customer: those that identify themselves as the religious, conservative right. The actual premise of this healthcare plan is to separate all the righteous, god-fearing saints from the evil heathens like myself.
Medi-Share participants lead biblical lifestyles and have chosen not to share in the cost of medical care resulting from unbiblical decisions, such as abortion or drug abuse. That makes for a healthier group of people to care for, and a lower cost for our participants.
For over 17 years, Medi-Share participants have been helping one another through medical bill sharing—over $675 million has been shared and discounted! It’s God’s way of helping His people care for one another while providing healthcare that works.
Medi-Share: It’s a modern day version of what the church started back in the book of Acts.
Actually, those that choose to live “biblical lifestyles” are already exempt from having to care for those making “unbiblical decisions”:
• The Affordable Care Act allows religious institutions to choose to be exempt from providing controversial contraception and reproductive health services to women. Multiple businesses have also received an exemption after taking the ruling to court.
Not only that, but if they remain with their current insurance provider like they most likely will anyways, they won’t have to take part in any cost-sharing whatsoever. In fact, the only way you take part in cost-sharing is if you choose not to cover yourself, which is a dumb decision if you think about it. Why not cover yourself if you are going to have to pay anyways? THAT is the beauty and the genius of the Affordable Care Act — It’s dumb not to protect yourself which in turn makes you decide to actually protect yourself, thereby potentially protecting those around you.
I could go on and on and talk about this forever, but I won’t bore you. I just thought this was a perfect example of Christian ignorance and those exploiting it.
Common Sense 
No, no, you have it all wrong… this is Christian socialism, as opposed to socialism-socialism. We take a little from everyone to pay for the big things collectively whereas they take a little from everyone to pay for the big things collectively. See the difference?
On another note, did you see thins rather awkward article for the teabillies?
http://www.forwardprogressives.com/bad-news-for-republicans-obamacare-to-cost-americans-much-less-than-expected/
(BTW, sorry for using the C word… you can delete it if you like.)
Ohhhhhhhh, I get it now! Thanks for clearing that up for me!
Great article, I had not seen it before. I think it has a great point about it coming around to bite republican-run states in the ass but it is such a shame that those poor people will have to suffer in spite of it in the meantime. Although, I suppose the majority of people choose to live in those states and elect those dumbasses for a reason — you wouldn’t find me dead in Texas… or anywhere in the South, really.
As for the C word, no worries on this end! Every blog needs a little color every once in a while! If you would prefer I remove it, however, I would be happy to. 🙂
Oh, I’m not worried for me, but if you wanted to keep a certain level of politeness on your blog (which i so rudely shat on) then you can delete it, or edit it, and i wouldn’t mind one bit. 🙂
Well, shit. Everyone is free to be as uncensored as they fucking want to be on this here blog! 🙂
Great! I suppose now’s as good a time as ever to say i ALWAYS comment in the nude! 🙂 (kidding)
“it’s a tax, not a mandate”
That part seems a little ridiculous to me….
But everything else is positively spot-on.
I agree. I mean, what taxes aren’t mandated? I think the way they are trying to explain it is that everyone will be taxed on healthcare according to the terms in the Affordable Care Act. In order to be exempt from the tax, you must buy in to the healthcare insurance that will be provided by the federal government or provide documentation that you are receiving health insurance through another entity or provider. Otherwise, you will be subject to the tax. I think what they should have said instead is that it’s a tax, not a punishment.
It’s a big semantic flustercluck.
The system is simply a tax-supported socialization of healthcare, with near-universal tax exemption for participating in a health insurance plan. But they can’t bill it like that, so we get word salad.
I find the healthcare debates in the US fascinating. When I say fascinating, I really mean frightening. This Christian example is perfect – they realise that everybody has to contribute so that coverage is available when it’s needed, but there’s just a huge block in the way of thinking about this being universal. I guess it’s just so culturally ingrained that you have private healthcare, and I just can’t get my head round people thinking it’s preferable. My recent experiences in Argentina with private healthcare freaked me out – it’s a huge marketing industry with a vested interest in people ‘requiring’ treatment. Returning to standardised public healthcare that tries it’s best to avoid spending, to promote cost-free ways of making people less likely to get ill, and to keep interventions to a minimum, is a HUGE relief.
Bet you feel dumb about this article now in 2016. Look what Obamacare has done. Premiums are up to $500-600+ a month with $5-6K deductibles. If you only had a crystal ball.
How do you think Insurance Companies do it? They SHARE the premiums of all members and DISTRIBUTE the money to those who have medical care costs. Hmm. Sounds the same to me. It’s just that these SHARE groups do not have to comply with all the ridiculous Obamacare rules and also do not give the executives Millions in bonuses/salaries and then build Taj skyscrapers as offices.
Instead of jumping in as an opportunity to dump on Christian Groups, perhaps you should look at the logic of their attempt to avoid a hostile regulatory environment.
I don’t hate Christians or take every opportunity to trash them. Many do good works for mankind. Let everyone believe as they will….or not believe.
yes. Whoever wrote this should feel stupid. Blinded by hate I guess. No reason to judge others by their beliefs. Now that rates have tripled and providers are bailing left and right, it’s clear ACA is a failure. I wish I could join one of these ‘ministry’ plans, but I am not a believer.
“The fact is, if people are happy with their current choice in healthcare insurance providers they are more than welcome to remain happy customers.”
With the benefit of hindsight, this should now read: “The lie was:…” my coventry one policy was cancelled the day this scheme went into effect, but i guess, how much room do i have to talk? i was also fooled by obama; hope makes us blind i guess.
MAGA!
I have seen my Maryland premium for three people go from $1,025 in 2016 to $1,750 in 2017 with the deductible going from $4,500 to $6,500. The previous year it was $865 a month. Like others, I initially liked obamacare and thought the removal of the exclusion of preexisting conditions and lifetime caps were big improvements. But, it won’t be long before I am seeing premiums of $2,000/ month at this rate for my “bronze” level. In fact “gold” coverage is already there. I give Obama credit for tackling a huge problem although time has shown that the defect in his solution is that the one constituency that wasn’t well represented by lobbyists when the law was being put together is the one that got shafted.
It is now July 2017 and what I’d really like to know is this: is it possible to create one of these health sharing organizations for heathens? And if so, how might one go about it? Esp if the ACA manages to get completely dismantled. Very curious …
Lori Ann. No. From what I can tell there is a carve out exemption for christian health ministries to be exempt from the ACA penalties if they were in existence before 1999. So no way for heathens to do a community based plan like this, which seems ripe for a lawsuit since separation of church and state, etc. I’d like to be able to enroll in a plan like this, nationwide coverage is just one reason, but no options for heathens like me.
well. I should say no way to avoid the ACA penalty. Anyone could do something like this if they wanted to. But you’d need to pay ACA bronze price in addition.
What’s to stop you from lying? I mean, it’s not like you think you’re going to hell for it… Will they deny coverage if they find out you aren’t regularly attending christian church services?
I often wonder why people of faith even need health care. I mean, they can’t wait to leave this life to stand before their god at the pearly gates and be admitted into the wonderful kingdom so why prolong it by going to the doctor, taking medication, having surgeries, etc? Also, isn’t it god’s plan in whatever health issues a Christian may encounter. How does it make them right to interfere with his plan….. And won’t they be judged for that on their judgement day….. So confused! 🤔😂