Health Care Sharing Ministries: What Are the Risks to Consumers and Insurance Markets?
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Qualitative policy analysis and interview study; non-clinical CEBM analogy Level 5
OpenAlex W3013510351 · doi:10.26099/89ej-zp20
What was done
Analysis of state laws governing health care sharing ministries (HCSMs) across all states, qualitative interviews with regulatory officials in 13 states, and a review of membership requirements and benefits across five HCSMs.
What was found
State regulators voiced concerns regarding risks to consumers—such as confusion from insurance-like products lacking guaranteed claim payments or ACA consumer protections—and potential risk-pool segmentation. The abstract reports no quantitative figures, noting that regulators lack reliable data describing HCSM enrollment to assess harm.
Why it matters
This review highlights how unregulated coverage alternatives can bypass traditional consumer protections and identifies an information gap preventing state regulators from assessing market impact.
Limits
The abstract reports no quantitative enrollment figures, claim denial rates, or financial data. The qualitative interview sample was limited to officials in 13 states, and the benefit analysis covered only five HCSMs.
Cited by
- supports Health sharing arrangements have existed for over 40 years and the majority are religious-based organizations requiring a statement of faith.