States Take Action on Health Care Sharing Ministries, But More Could Be Done to Protect Consumers

Commonwealth Fund February 19, 2020
JoAnn Volk, Justin Giovannelli, Christina L. Goe

Health care sharing ministries (HCSMs) are arrangements in which members who follow a common set of religious or ethical beliefs agree to contribute regular payments to help pay the qualifying medical expenses of other members. HCSMs, along with other products that lack the consumer protections of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), have been promoted by the Trump administration and are sometimes viewed as alternatives to ACA coverage. The arrangements may look much like insurance, but they’re not. HCSMs do not promise to reimburse enrollees for qualifying medical expenses and are not required to meet financial standards to ensure they have sufficient funds to pay claims. As such, states usually don’t regulate them as insurers, meaning HCSMs are exempt from all...

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