Christian-based alternative to Obamacare making gains in Utah

[TexasTowelie]

SALT LAKE CITY — When Mike Burns' son jumped out of a tree, snagged his foot and broke both his arms, the Highland-area father braced for the bills.

The family had a UnitedHealthcare plan with a $20,000 deductible — so Burns ended up shelling out the $5,500 for the surgery out of pocket.

That's when he began casting around for alternatives.

"I was like, 'Man, if all our neighbors just got together and did our own thing, we'd be better off,'" Burns said.

With premiums ballooning and benefits shrinking, more families are turning to a previously little-known alternative to traditional insurance: Christian-based health care ministries.

Read more: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865648375/Christian-based-alternative-to-Obamacare-making-gains-in-Utah.html

[xfundy]

1. Of course.

Prayer works so much better than medicine.

[Warren Stupidity]

2. coercive scam, what a shock.

[Human101948]

3. I thought the ACA forbid scam insurance?

Any policy with a $20,000 deductible is a scam.

[Goblinmonger]

4. Here's the rub

Health care sharing ministries often do not cover many things that are now required of traditional insurance plans, including pre-existing conditions.

Many ministries also do not cover medical costs deemed to be the result of "unbiblical" behavior.

For example, Christian Healthcare Ministries does not pay for birth control, abortions, births from unwed mothers or bills incurred from motor vehicle crashes if the member was not wearing a helmet or seat belt.

Samaritan Ministries has a similar list of treatments that it does not cover, including medical issues due to drug or alcohol abuse.

Emphasis mine.