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Dubious Morality
How about the "moral obligation" to love one another as Jesus first loved us? How about the Biblical command to "bear one another's burdens [such as costly health care] and so fulfill the law of Christ" which is to love one another as He loved us?
In a climate where political candidates are offering up plans full of government dictates and definite tax increases, people are looking outside the box for unconventional answers to their health care situation and to that sucking sound in their pocketbooks. If people and policy makers are looking for innovation in the market place, look no further than health care sharing.
Health care sharing is a community of approximately 110,000 Christians who share their health care bills without insurance. It’s sort of like passing the hat at church. An elder stands up and announces that the Johnsons have a $5,000 medical bill. Each one of the 50 families in attendance pitches in $100. The elder takes the money to the Johnsons who in turn pay their medical bills. It’s people practicing community without government, just like the Amish have for hundreds of years.
Recently, some friends complained to me about their high-premium, high-deductible insurance plan. For them, paying $691/month for a family of four in Virginia was too much. On top of that, their deductible is $3800. So they felt like they were never using their insurance. I asked them if they would like to reduce their monthly outlay by $400 and have a net, out-of-pocket expense for medical events of $0. Of course, they were interested.
And it seems that not only are my friends interested, but a whole lot of Americans would be, too. According to the “2008 Survey of Health Care Consumers,” produced by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, of 3000 adults surveyed, 74 percent said monthly premiums influenced their choice of a health plan and 73 percent said the deductible influenced their choice.
According to the Census Bureau, in 2007, approximately 47 million Americans went without health insurance. Of that, 14 million are already eligible for government programs such as Medicaid (for low income adults) and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (for children) and simply have to sign up. What if they were to sign up with a health care sharing ministry instead? The three national ministries that engage in health care sharing do not decline applicants who are financially challenged. On a case by case basis, one ministry asks their members who are of means to come along side these others voluntarily and assist them with a portion of their monthly share. Since several national surveys say 90 percent of Americans believe in God, I would venture a guess that at least half of this 14 million could qualify for participation in a health care sharing ministry. That would be seven million.
Of the remaining 33 million uninsured who are not financially challenged, nearly ten million have household incomes of at least $75,000, and can probably afford coverage but have chosen not to buy it. Based on the same surveys about God, let’s guess that at least half could also qualify for participation in a health care sharing ministry. At approximately $1600 per year for the least expensive sharing opportunity for a single and $3050 for a couple, I don’t think that would hurt their budgets and would rapidly shrink the ranks of the uninsured. That’s another cool five million.
The remaining 23 million uninsured are primarily between jobs and have lost their health insurance typically for three to six months. Let’s say half qualified for a health care sharing opportunity because of their belief in God and they could afford the smallest sharing opportunities mentioned above or approximately $3600 per year for a family with children. Another advantage of health care sharing is its portability from job to job. A worker never has to worry about losing his membership in a health care sharing ministry even if he or she loses her job. That’s another whopping 12 million.
So, if policy makers and Christians looked at health care sharing as the viable option that it is, we in America could shrink the ranks of the uninsured from 47 million to at least 23 million. And probably more.
In a climate where political candidates are offering up plans full of government dictates and definite tax increases, people are looking outside the box for unconventional answers to their health care situation and to that sucking sound in their pocketbooks. If people and policy makers are looking for innovation in the market place, look no further than health care sharing.
Health care sharing is a community of approximately 110,000 Christians who share their health care bills without insurance. It’s sort of like passing the hat at church. An elder stands up and announces that the Johnsons have a $5,000 medical bill. Each one of the 50 families in attendance pitches in $100. The elder takes the money to the Johnsons who in turn pay their medical bills. It’s people practicing community without government, just like the Amish have for hundreds of years.
Recently, some friends complained to me about their high-premium, high-deductible insurance plan. For them, paying $691/month for a family of four in Virginia was too much. On top of that, their deductible is $3800. So they felt like they were never using their insurance. I asked them if they would like to reduce their monthly outlay by $400 and have a net, out-of-pocket expense for medical events of $0. Of course, they were interested.
And it seems that not only are my friends interested, but a whole lot of Americans would be, too. According to the “2008 Survey of Health Care Consumers,” produced by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, of 3000 adults surveyed, 74 percent said monthly premiums influenced their choice of a health plan and 73 percent said the deductible influenced their choice.
According to the Census Bureau, in 2007, approximately 47 million Americans went without health insurance. Of that, 14 million are already eligible for government programs such as Medicaid (for low income adults) and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (for children) and simply have to sign up. What if they were to sign up with a health care sharing ministry instead? The three national ministries that engage in health care sharing do not decline applicants who are financially challenged. On a case by case basis, one ministry asks their members who are of means to come along side these others voluntarily and assist them with a portion of their monthly share. Since several national surveys say 90 percent of Americans believe in God, I would venture a guess that at least half of this 14 million could qualify for participation in a health care sharing ministry. That would be seven million.
Of the remaining 33 million uninsured who are not financially challenged, nearly ten million have household incomes of at least $75,000, and can probably afford coverage but have chosen not to buy it. Based on the same surveys about God, let’s guess that at least half could also qualify for participation in a health care sharing ministry. At approximately $1600 per year for the least expensive sharing opportunity for a single and $3050 for a couple, I don’t think that would hurt their budgets and would rapidly shrink the ranks of the uninsured. That’s another cool five million.
The remaining 23 million uninsured are primarily between jobs and have lost their health insurance typically for three to six months. Let’s say half qualified for a health care sharing opportunity because of their belief in God and they could afford the smallest sharing opportunities mentioned above or approximately $3600 per year for a family with children. Another advantage of health care sharing is its portability from job to job. A worker never has to worry about losing his membership in a health care sharing ministry even if he or she loses her job. That’s another whopping 12 million.
So, if policy makers and Christians looked at health care sharing as the viable option that it is, we in America could shrink the ranks of the uninsured from 47 million to at least 23 million. And probably more.
- posted by Joe Guarino
- September 8, 2008 @ 2:39 pm
- Permalink
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Turns out I was wrong. The Christian does have a moral imperative to do good, though that doesn't necessarily translate into any specific public policy option. A health-sharing approach seems to be a more direct response to Christian concerns than, say, calling for guaranteed-issue requirements on health insurance policies.
There's a lot that can be done to improve the status of health in our society, AND improve the health of the civil society. You've given us one example of how people can find a non-political solution to their needs. Thanks.