A Christian healthcare sharing program that’s been around for more than 20 years has exploded since the launch of Obamacare,
Fox News reported.
Exempt from the Obamacare mandate to buy health insurance,
Medi-Share is a network of Christians who pool their financial resources to cover members’ medical expenses in what the organization deems a "proven biblical model of healthcare."
Editor's Note: Health Benefits of Prayer Revealed!
According to Fox, the nation’s three largest ministries have 242,000 members from all 50 states. Since the Oct. 1 Obamacare rollout, Medi-Share has enrolled 30,000 new members, more than the number of people who selected Obamacare plans in 24 states.
"Fellow believers who are living God-honoring lifestyles, based on biblical principles and service to others," according to MyChristianCare.org, who meet the following requirements are permitted to apply to join the network:
• Attend church regularly and submit a "verifiable Christian testimony indicating a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and profess the Statement of Faith;
• Abstain from sex outside "traditional Christian marriage" ;
• Cannot use tobacco or illegal drugs and cannot abuse alcohol or legal drugs;
• Must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident with a green card or visa and Social Security number living full time in the United States.
A "New Testament way of thinking," Medi-Share is not health insurance, and there is no guarantee that it will cover a member’s healthcare costs. But CEO Tony Meggs told Fox that during its 21 years in existence, there have been only a handful of complaints about coverage.
Medi-Share does not cover abortion or morning-after pills, since those things violate members’ religious beliefs.
Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a healthcare consumer advocacy group, told Fox News that Medi-Share does not offer the same protections as federally regulated coverage.
Editor's Note: Health Benefits of Prayer Revealed!