MediShare: Christian Medical Care - What is it ?

[CincyDem]

Recently, I've started hearing a ton of radio ads here in SW Ohio for "Christian Medical Care". Talks about not having to pay for services that conflict with your beliefs...buying insurance type coverage consistent with your values...blah blah blah.

One of the statements in the ad is something that implies that buying into this exempts you from having insurance ???

Is this insurance ?

Does anyone have a quick 2 minute explanation of what it is ? The web pages are pretty much the standard evangelical propaganda. Is this something coming out of Hobby Lobby decision ?

[AZ Mike]

1. It's a single prayer program

....

[dembotoz]

2. lol

[3catwoman3]

4. That is puntastically...

,,,BRILLIANT! Well done.

[CincyDem]

16. OK - this one wins for best answer. Thanks. n/t

[malaise]

30. DUzy

[meaculpa2011]

3. It's medical cost-sharing cooperative...

that is technically not insurance. However, it does satisfy the Individual Mandate under ACA.

I looked into it for my son, who is turning 26 in a few months. It looked like a good deal that would protect him from major medical expenses. He recently started a new job and is covered under union benefits.

From what I researched, Medi-Share looked like a good choice for him.

[LAGC]

5. Is your son aware that his Medi-Share "insurance" can be canceled for any of the following reasons:

• the use of tobacco in any form
• the abuse of drugs including legal drugs, such as, alcohol, prescription and over-the-counter medications
• sexual relations outside of traditional Christian marriage
• participation in activities that represent a willful disregard for personal safety

Sounds kind of expensive to me too, compared to the Obamacare plans on the exchanges. High co-pays and deductibles (aka "Annual Household Portions&quot .

[meaculpa2011]

6. Yes, he is...

The Medi-Share plan was, at the time I researched it, better for him than anything on the NYS exchange.

[LAGC]

7. What were the respective rates, co-pays, and deductibles if you don't mind me asking? (n/t)

[meaculpa2011]

9. From memory...

his Medi-Share monthly premium was about $180 with a $500 yearly out-of-pocket limit. The Bronze Plan on the NYS exchange was over $300 per month with an out-of-pocket limit of $6,850. He was eligible for a subsidy that would have brought it down by about $50.

Medical insurance here in New York was a mess before ACA and it's still a mess now, only slightly less so. Our insurance premiums for the family went from $13,000 per year in 2011 (I'm self employed) to more than $22,000 in 2015. My wife and I both turned 65 last month, so that has been a relief.

As I said, from memory going back to last November.

Thankfully, it's all moot since he is now covered under his employee plan.

[LAGC]

12. Did you look into any of the Silver plans with their Cost Sharing Reduction (CSR) subsidies?

Those Bronze plans have always been a rip-off, regardless of which state you live in, nothing more than catastrophic coverage, really.

But if you're low-income, not only do you qualify for the reduced monthly premiums, but you can also qualify for special Silver plans that bring those deductibles and max yearly out-of-pockets down as well, often times making them even more lucrative than those expensive Platinum plans, comparatively.

I'm only paying $73/mo. for my Silver plan, and it has a $0 deductible and only $1000 max yearly out-of-pocket. While a lower $500 max out-of-pocket would be nice, I just can't see putting up with all those exclusions and risk of sudden cancellation for no good reason under those Medi-Share plans.

But yeah, once you land yourself a decent-paying job and they provide coverage, I suppose it's all moot.

[meaculpa2011]

13. What state are you in and...

how low does your income have to be to qualify for the subsidy.

My son qualified for a small subsidy, but the premium was still prohibitive.

As I said, I stopped looking when he started his new job.

[LAGC]

19. I live in Idaho, age 38, PPO policy from Blue Cross.

The subsidies are tiered based off income, with the biggest breaks happening at the lower end (near poverty-level) but they extend clear up to 4X the poverty-line, I do believe, tapering off gradually as your income rises.

As I'm a full-time student, only working part-time currently, Obamacare has been a pretty good bargain for me. Much better than those shitty policies the universities tried to saddle students with anyway, before the exchange policies became a reality.

[KamaAina]

8. "sexual relations outside of traditional Christian marriage"?!

So Jews, Muslims, Pastafarians, etc. need not apply? How is that legal?!

[hobbit709]

15. Traditional marriage-does that include concubines?

[KamaAina]

11. You'd think someone would start a medical cost-sharing cooperative without the fundie baggage

[meaculpa2011]

21. According to the Kaiser Foundation...

traditional health insurance has an average family cost of nearly $17,000 per year.

Cost-sharing cooperatives, whether they're religion based or secular, average $3,600 per year.

The health insurance model in this country is fatally flawed. ACA only provided a temporary stay of execution.

I think this approach is the wave of the future. Medi-Share has been in operation since 1993 and since the ACA went into effect they have added 40,000 new subscribers.

I'm a Christian so their fundie baggage isn't a problem.

[KamaAina]

27. But you're a DUer, so the restrictions described upthread in post #5 should be.

[meaculpa2011]

29. It's a voluntary cooperative. n/t

[Wounded Bear]

10. Sounds like another...

"we're not paying for any fucking abortions" plan.

[CincyDem]

18. That's what the commercials sound like too. n/t

[Ilsa]

24. Or birth control.

Especially no birth control for unmarried women. And since they aren't having sex, then they don't need annual pap smears...

[Yo_Mama]

14. These arrangements have existed for a while and were exempted from ACA in the original law.

You apply, and really it's a coop type deal in which members pay each others' reasonable medical costs.

I know people who have them and use them. The coverage is supposed to be for people living a certain lifestyle, so drinking, drugging. smoking, sleeping around etc probably doesn't get covered.

Here are the guidelines for that particular one. You have to attest to religious belief and are supposed to go to a church of your choice regularly. If you have reversible health conditions, you may be put into a special program to control them and you will pay extra each month. There's an annual deductible and a monthly amount.

https://mychristiancare.org/guidelines.aspx#IIA

It is much cheaper than regular insurance because there aren't costs for drug treatment programs etc. No sexual diseases, etc. If you send in bills that make it clear you are not adhering to the guidelines, you will get booted.

[CincyDem]

17. Thanks for the overview. Interesting. n/t

[strategery blunder]

28. I wonder how a coop like that would handle ADD haha.

I have a prescription that the DEA deems "highly susceptible to abuse" and is scheduled accordingly. I have to see my doctor quarterly even when there is no medical need (which drives up my out of pocket costs because it guarantees I'll meet the deductible) simply so the doctor can assess whether my prescription is lasting as long as it should. If I try to renew my prescription without these appointments, the DEA would want to know why. I call them "pro forma appointments" because literally all I'm doing is having my vitals taken and telling the doctor how much of my prescription is left. (And they're about $150 a pop, for someone making ~150% FPL, and the ACA plans all have substantial deductibles, but that's another discussion.)

On average I actually end up taking slightly below my prescribed dose, but this is the type of prescription for which there is, ahem, a black market.

I bet a fundie health care coop would have fun with this haha. And this is another example of why we must keep religion and medicine separate.

EDIT: Never mind, found my answer:

Listed below are the treatments, medical conditions, procedures and services that are ineligible for sharing:
• Expenses related to non-Biblical lifestyles and choices – including but not limited to:

*snip*

• Behavioral/Mental Health care – including, but not limited to:
--Psychiatric or psychological care
--Special education charges
--Counseling or care for learning deficiencies or behavioral problems, whether or not associated with a manifest mental disorder or other disturbance (e.g. Attention Deficit Disorders or Autism)

So apparently taking a prescription because my reaction and thought processing times are 3.8 standard deviations below the mean for my age cohort, is a "behavioral problem"

[madinmaryland]

20. Hey neighbor! I'm just north of you in Dayton...

I've never heard of Christian Medical Insurance. I wouldn't trust it if my life depended on it, and yes if I had that insurance, my life would depend on it. It sounds like they can boot you for just about any reason they make up. Run away from it as fast as you can.

I'm glad your son got insurance through his job/union.

[CincyDem]

23. Was just up in your 'hood on Tuesday.

Gotta love downtown expressway construction. What's it been, 4 years or something ?

[yortsed snacilbuper]

22. Does it cover psychiatric problems,

because if you believe in an invisible sky daddy there's something wrong going on in your head?

[Ilsa]

25. Isaw on one website that they cover well-child dr visits only

Through age five. That's not good coverage. Children's development assessments and vaccinations continue for years, usually an annual visit is required until age 15.

Another item I read on that site is that pregnancy from rape is only covered if a police report has been made. Then they start talking to the girl about putting her baby up for adoption.

Pregnancy from sex outside of marriage isn't covered. The woman is hosed.

It appears Psychiatry is within their PPO list, although it is not discussed on the website.

[Sam_Fields]

26. It's a scam. My Fundamnetalists christian family memeber signed up and when he devolped cancer

they only paid $1000.