FFRF Action Fund’s “Secularist of the Week” is an Oregon state representative who recently introduced a bill to rein in “health care cost sharing” plans — predominantly operated by Christian ministries and most often left unregulated.
Oregon state Rep. Rob Nosse introduced House Bill 2268 last month. The bill aims to establish basic regulatory structures for health care cost sharing plans, the majority of which are offered by health care sharing ministries.
Health care sharing ministries, primarily operated by Christian companies, offer a form of noncompliant insurance, or junk coverage, where members who typically share religious beliefs make monthly payments to cover health care expenses for themselves and other members. These entities are not considered insurance but often do not make this clear to prospective customers while circumventing regulatory standards set by the federal government.
There is no guarantee that members’ claims will be paid, even for “covered services.” Often, the customers believe that they are protected by a form of health insurance but will find themselves uncovered when medical expenses arise. Given the high cost of health care, predatory advertising, lax regulatory structures and selective payment of claims, health care sharing ministries have emerged as a rapidly growing industry with significant profits. Reportedly, around 1.5 million people are currently participating in these outfits across the country, but that number may be even higher because they are not obligated to report membership counts. As for profit, an example comes from one of the leading health care sharing ministries, Liberty Healthshare. From 2015 to 2017, Liberty recorded a 900 percent increase in revenue, rising from $6.5 million to $65 million.
Nosse’s bill would protect consumers. Specifically, it would require those who advertise and sell health care cost sharing plans to register with Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services and require health care sharing ministries to file annual reports disclosing their number of enrollees, total payments received and the amount of money they allocated for claims. The bill also prohibits health care sharing ministries from calling themselves “health insurance” and requires them to clarify which medical services they will and will not cover. The vast majority of these entities do not cover reproductive care, HIV/AIDS medication or gender-affirming care, among other medical services. Under Nosse’s bill, this would have to be made explicitly clear to prospective customers.
Nosse’s bill, currently in the House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care, does not target Christian organizations or infringe on religious liberty. It simply requires health care sharing ministries to be honest with their consumers and the state government. Under Nosse’s bill, religious health care cost sharing can still exist — the only added requirement is transparency. This is not an attack on Christianity and does not exhibit an anti-Christian bias.
We commend Nosse for tackling the issue of unregulated health care sharing ministries and working to protect his constituents in the current tumultuous health care sector. Federal health care sharing ministries reform is one of FFRF Action Fund’s focus areas, and we wholly support legislative fixes to address the abuse of junk coverage operating under the guise of religion. We urge Oregon’s Legislature to follow Nosse’s lead and pass this much-needed legislation.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.