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By Michael Bielawski
Two Democrat lawmakers want to push legislation in the House and Senate intending to put new regulations on faith-based healthcare sharing ministries, which provide generally more affordable alternative to health insurance by limiting bureaucracy to control costs.
A press release stated on Tuesday that Rep. Conor Casey, D-Montpelier, and Sen. Becca White, D-Windsor, “have introduced companion bills in the Vermont House and Senate to protect consumers from misleading and inadequate coverage by Health Care Sharing Ministries (HCSMs).”
One organization in the industry targeted by the two legislators is Christian Healthcare Ministries, which bills itself as ‘A faith-based alternative to health insurance.’ The site says that “CHM is a faith-based alternative to health insurance. It’s a membership-based, nonprofit ministry. As part of a biblical covenant, CHM members step in and help fellow brothers and sisters in Christ pay eligible medical bills according to the CHM Guidelines.”
Another ministry, Medi-Share, operates on this community-based model:
Monthly Share Amounts – Members contribute a set monthly share that goes directly to help other members with eligible medical needs. This sharing model allows participants to live out their faith by meeting real needs within the community.
Annual Household Portion (AHP) – Before medical expenses are eligible for sharing, members must meet their AHP—a predetermined amount chosen that the member is responsible for paying. Once the AHP is met, the community steps in to share in eligible medical costs.
Provider Network – Medi-Share offers access to an extensive network of over one million health care providers.
These bills would require HCSMs to register annually with the Department of Financial Regulation. They must “submit financial and membership reports, and disclose their limited coverage.”
At the Statehouse on Tuesday, Casey told VDC that there is H. 102 in the House, and White may work on the companion bill in the Senate. He said at that point it was undecided which route they will ultimately pursue.
The House bill states it would “require a person who is not authorized to offer health insurance in Vermont and who offers or intends to offer a health care sharing plan or arrangement to facilitate payment or reimbursement of health care costs or services for Vermont residents to report certain information annually to the Commissioner of Financial Regulation and to certify the accuracy of the information.”
The legislature’s journal indicates that the bill hasn’t been taken up yet in the House Committee on Health Care. The topic was not on the House or Senate Committee’s agenda last week, nor is it on this week’s agenda. Nonetheless, Casey is adamant that action be taken.
“These unregulated entities market themselves as alternatives to health insurance, often cloaked in religious language to avoid scrutiny,” he says. “Time and again, people are left holding the bag when they need care the most – paying into these plans only to find out there’s no guarantee of coverage.”
White says, “Vermonters deserve to know what they’re buying when it comes to their health care. Too many of these plans have left people vulnerable in their most difficult moments.”
U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-CA, co-chair of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, says the ministries “pray on citizens,” and Fish Stark, Executive Director of the American Humanist Association and the Center for Freethought Equality, says they are “defrauding [clients] when they need it most”.
The Congressional Freethought Caucus is a membership organization in the United States House of Representatives established to promote policy solutions based on reason and science, and to defend the secular character of government.
More affordible
Meanwhile, some of their Statehouse colleagues sound the alarm that mainstream insurance premiums are unacceptibly high. VDC wrote about it in December.
“Vermonters will pay for premiums an average of $1,157 per month, another new national high mark,” the report states. “The next highest is Alaska at $1,088 and then New York at $1,038. For 2024, Vermont was second in the nation for highest premiums, at $908 per month versus $948 for Alaska.”
Not all customers are unhappy with their experience using these ministries. Dan Treat of South Burlington wrote for True North Reports in 2019 about his experience.
“I joined one of these organizations, Christian Healthcare Ministries, nine years ago. I was between jobs at that time and did not have access to low-cost health insurance. Since then, they have saved me thousands of dollars in medical expenses.”
Proponents argue that they are a much more affordable alternative to the big companies and that they offer more freedom to choose different providers. CHMinistryPlans.com says they offer ‘basic coverage’ at $255 per month, about a quarter that of a similar plan from MVP Healthcare or Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Vermont’s two big health insurance offerings. The trade-off is high deductibles; the “minimum amount to qualify per incident” is $1,250.
According to LibertyHealthShare.org, “Members make monthly contributions, which are called ‘monthly shares,’ that vary based on the health sharing program they choose. These contributions are used to share in the eligible medical expenses of others in the faith-based group. A non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, such as Liberty HealthShare, facilitates this voluntary sharing among members.”
Contact your lawmakers
See all bills assigned to this committee here. Constituents may contact committee members (click link on name for bio, party affiliation, etc.) with comments, questions, and information at the following email addresses:
House Healthcare
Rep. Alyssa Black, Chair, ablack@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Francis McFaun, Vice Chair, fmcfaun@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Daisy Berbeco, Ranking Member, dberbeco@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Brian Cina, bcina@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Mari Cordes, Clerk, mcordes@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Wendy Critchlow, wcritchlow@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Allen “Penny” Demar, ademar@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Leslie Goldman, lgoldman@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Lori Houghton, LHoughton@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Woodman Page, wpage@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Debra Powers, dpowers@leg.state.vt.us
All committee transcripts are available at http://www.goldendomevt.com. The Committee meeting video is available at the committee’s YouTube channel. The committee meets in the morning in Room 42.
The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle
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Categories: Health Care, Legislation
Well there they are again — screwing around with the lives of constituents; is there a consensus for these intrusions? Of course not, their determination is to RULE us with their own agendas “for our own good” not to represent any consensus from us.
Again they assume as usual we are too stupid to understand what we sign up for. We must be saved from ourselves.
Never ceases to amaze me that so many Democrat politicians will do everything and anything to thwart religious based institutions, doesn’t matter if they are for education or health care. Reminds me of how Stalin and Lenin threw the entire government behind eliminating anything to do with religion.
“Members contribute a set monthly share that goes directly to help other members with eligible medical needs. This sharing model allows participants to live out their faith by meeting real needs within the community.”
Sounds pretty Communist to me.
With a $1250 dollar deductible, you might actually be better off with thoughts and prayers to heal you lol
Except that communism generally isn’t optional and a matter of free choice and association…
A $1,200 deductible is actually reasonably low compared to the official plans available on the health exchange. Especially of you combine premium with deductible.
Obamacare gives you coverage you can’t afford to use.
Link to the rate card for qualified plans in Vermont.
https://info.healthconnect.vermont.gov/sites/vhc/files/documents/2025_PlanDesigns_Rates.pdf
Very similar to Medicare, the government takes a certain amount of money out of the monthly SS check every month, high deductible and no chance to opt out except for even higher deductible plans.
Ahh, more restrictions on free speech from the party that criticizes Trump as being a threat to free speech…
Of course, typical “democrat” intrusion on freedom choice. They always think they are better than the masses. Apparently, we can’t think for ourselves. It’s insulting.
The legislators are just mad they can’t control everyone! Remember their version of healthcare will only work if they capture everyone. Except they do not understand it will never work. I have a healthshare plan and I love it!
Who in their right mind would go to a Christian medical center thinking they could get an abortion? I think Casey and White want to pass this law so they can nitpick the wording used and shut these clinics down if they violate whatever narrow definition they decide. It’s another way to discriminate against Christians and limit women’s choices.
Lawmakers take notice. Disregarding, restricting, or delaying a citizen’s right to access alternative and/or professional advice of any kind may make any lawmaker doing so liable for the adverse consequences that result from that lawmaker’s actions.
That’s a very interesting thought. I like it.
I belong to a health share ministry. I’m not confined to seeing only doctors that are in network, but I am able to choose whom to see without getting a referral! It is not insurance and shouldn’t be treated as such. We pay for the procedure and get what discounts are available from the office, then are reimbursed by other members which is how our sharing ministry works. Government is already over involved in healthcare, and they need to step away before anyone is hurt.
The Amish have used this format of Healthcare for a longtime. Community supported
Hey Democrats, two Medicare Advantage plans left the state late last year leaving with few and tough options for coverage. Where was your concern then? Stop tinkering with something you know precious little about. For gads sake, you all can’t even balance a budget. Leave us alone, go on vacation. Enough damage is done.
That was intended to say leaving an older generation with few and tough options for covergae.