We’re a little late to catch up with this article by Sarah Posner at The American Prospect on health-care-sharing ministries (HCSMs), Christian non-profit organizations that allow members to pay for each other’s health care expenses.  Every member must “agree to a statement of faith that they are a ‘professing Christian, according to biblical principles’ set out in Romans 10:9-10 and John 3:3. They must agree to adhere to guidelines that include no sex outside of ‘traditional Biblical marriage,’ no smoking or drugs, and mandatory church attendance. They must agree to pay their membership fee and monthly share, and they must also agree not to sue Samaritan in the event of any dispute because ‘Christians are not to sue each other in the civil courts or other government agency.'”

Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries president, James Lansberry, and his constituents worked hard last summer to garner an exemption for their organization from the mandate in the health care bill.  Writes Posner:

The exemption raises an array of concerns, including constitutional questions about the limits of such religious exemptions as well as about adequately protecting consumers without the type of regulatory oversight required of insurance companies. It is also emblematic of how elected officials cater to religious objections without fully examining their origins or consequences.

Read my take on conservative criticism of insurance exemptions for Anabaptists, read my post at KillingtheBuddha.com from January.