General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWe owe Sarah Palin an Apology
Is there anything regular people do that Christians cant do better?
Not to be outdone one-upping Wikipedia with the fact-stripped and fantastic Conservapedia (must be seen to be believed), now theyve bested social media with a right-wing Twitter aggregation site called Twitchy, which just sold for an undisclosed amount to a Christian radio conglomerate with the apparently unintentionally ironic name Salem Communications. Add FOX News into the mix and it seems theres no need for any Christian to confront any pesky or inconvenient non-Christian utterance, fact or thought ever again! That is, unless they plan to shop for holiday presents at Radio Shack.
We thought that would be enough to keep them busy for a while. Then we found a story that said theres another thing conservatives think they can do better than everyone else: affordable health care.
That got us interested. After all, conservatives especially this time of year are always going on about some guy Jesus, a man who apparently went around healing the sick for free and didnt mind helping out untouchables and prostitutes. So we decided to take a closer look! Heres what we found out: It turns out that certain Christians who join something called a medical-sharing ministry can simply and legally opt-out of the insurance mandate in Obamacare.
Its true! A provision in the Affordable Care Act (did anyone read the whole thing?) allows anyone who joins something called a medical-sharing ministry to suffer no federal penalty for failing to buy insurance. And it can be yours, according to the breathless promotion its getting from right-wing pundits, for less than $300 a month!
Awesome!
To be clear, this is not to say that these people wont suffer any penalty.
Eschewing insurance in favor of joining a nationwide network of Christians who save money by sharing each others medical bills may not bring on the wrath of the the IRS but there could be punishing bills from medical providers.
Thats because, clearly defined as not insurance, ministries like the Florida-based non-profit Medi-Share arent just exempt from regulation regarding solvency (pray they dont go bankrupt), theyre also free to deny coverage for anything deemed related to an un-Biblical lifestyle. Like say, substance abuse rehab. A colonoscopy. Contraception. A mammogram. And Medi-Shares website clearly states that coverage of whatevers left is not guaranteed in any way.
Wait: How much does all this cost again?
We know youre probably rushing right now to sign up for what sounds like a totally terrific and Christian alternative to buying insurance. But did you know that its not all that easy to join? You may not have to battle the healthcare.gov website, but youll have to promise to foreswear alcohol, drugs or non-marital sex. You might need a reference from your minister. Oh, and disqualifying pre-existing conditions are back in play, too. And even if you do get Medi-Share, theyre free to reject one of your claims, which is supposed to be OK because you can appeal and get your case reviewed by a panel of seven Medi-Share peers who will decide if your treatment will be covered.
Yes, thats right: Turns out death panels are real. Damn. Do we owe Sarah Palin an apology???
Given how much effort has been put into vilifying Obamacare, its unsurprising that Christians across America are signing up for these ministries in droves: membership in Medi-Share, now roughly 60,000, has been growing at a clip since Obamacare passed in 2010. So, its a real thing, and real people are going to find out just what conditions these ministries will cover in the years to come. Wed like to know too. What do YOU think? What awesome things will this Christian not-health-insurance actually pay for?
(Source and poll at: http://lesterandcharlie.com/2013/12/12/christian-shingles/)
Ilsa
(61,700 posts)scrubthedata
(382 posts)You bet'cha. And in the name of Christ, no less.
I'm saddened to see religious people being exploited once again because of their faith. I'm not religious, but it's time for their leaders to start, well, practicing what they preach and stop being a-holes searching for the next buck.
fayhunter
(221 posts)of the faithful.
I'm not into the faithful so much, but I'm more against exploitation.
PS, I did two spit takes looking at that poll. Ha!
oldandhappy
(6,719 posts)I had not clicked on the link until I saw your comment. Yea. Glad I saw the survey!!
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)Maraya1969
(22,507 posts)bondwooley
(1,198 posts)Good luck with that
madaboutharry
(40,231 posts)It is sad, but a lot of naive people will be taken advantage of.
BobTheSubgenius
(11,572 posts)Bilking Christians Since 1993.
MyNameGoesHere
(7,638 posts)You know something to do with dookie and a mouth. Believe me you don't want to know about Alaskan cuddling.
jmowreader
(50,566 posts)Why did you have to bring up polar bear sex HERE?
Kurovski
(34,655 posts)Show some respect!
Enrique
(27,461 posts)i have not read the Bible, someone please explain this, it should be amusing.