John LaPlante, editor of the valuable StateHouseCall.org pens the following article titled "Beyond Politics, Beyond Policy, Beyond Profits: A different model of meeting health care needs":
Getting public policy right is one way of improving human life. Another may be to avoid, as best as one can, policy altogether.
You
know about the tradition of community barn-raisings that are common
among some Amish orders. A barn burns down? Neighbors come from around
to rebuilt: No insurance claims, no insurance hassles, and
Very roughly speaking, that's the model behind the Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries, though it's not necessary to "go off the grid" to participate. Here's a description of how it works:
The member ministries of the Alliance publish and distribute a monthly publication to a group of committed Christian members who have offered to give a certain amount each month. This money is shared among the members to assist those with medical bills. The publication lists the current needs of its members and shows who the payment is to help that particular month. This brings Christians together to share medical bills with one another. The key is that medical needs are shared among members.
A shared religious faith and identity can serve as a powerful glue to make the whole enterprise work, though people who wish to start such an endeavor on some other basis would be doing a public service as well.
Currently, 10 states exempt organizations such as Samaritan's Ministries and Medi-Share from insurance regulations that might trip them up.
According to Medi-Share, the State of Missouri offers tax deduction for payments to a "health care sharing ministry as defined in section 376.1750, RSMo."
That's going to provide a modest financial benefit, at best. But it recognizes that there's more than one way to address the financing of medical care.