WASHINGTON — The Utah legislature is standing tall for freedom of choice in health care after Governor Cox signed an amended version of SB 31 sponsored by Sen. Curtis S. Bramble (R-Dist. 24) and backed by the Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries (The Alliance, ahcsm.org). The legislation directly affects more than 10,000 Utahns who are members of a Health Care Sharing Ministry.
The original bill would have required religious charities to report data regularly to state insurance bureaucrats in order to meet the requirements of the bill’s “safe harbor” exemption from the state insurance code for HCSMs. It would have placed these non-insurance ministries under the jurisdiction of the Insurance Commissioner.
Instead, the amended version of SB 31 now protects health care freedom and religious liberty, thanks to strong support by House leaders, especially Speaker Mike Schultz and Majority Whip Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, and culminating in an amendment offered by Rep. Jefferson Burton that received near-unanimous support.
“The House leadership and the Committee on Business and Labor have prioritized religious liberty in this amended version, and we are grateful,” says Katy Talento, AHCSM executive director.
“We saw some powerful testimony on behalf of the amendment, including from a pastor who had been a member of Samaritan Ministries for 20 years,” says Talento, who also testified.
“The bill was amended successfully to restore constitutional protections and meaningful transparency measures, and then the amended bill passed unanimously.
“Utah has rightly acquired a reputation as one of the freest states in the union. It’s widely known that Utah’s citizens cherish liberty — and religious liberty in particular,” Talento says.
“Nearly 10,000 Utah religious believers, along with more than a million other Americans, have chosen to join a Health Care Sharing Ministry to provide for their families’ health care needs.”
Thirty-one states have “safe harbors” in state law clarifying that HCSMs are not insurance and thus not subject to the state insurance code.
“Health Care Sharing Ministries are not health insurance. And that’s a very good thing,” Talento says. “Members of these ministries save money on health care, avoid insurance hassles and price-gouging, and enjoy far more flexibility in choices of providers and treatments, including complementary and alternative medicine providers. Families and individuals share expenses while connecting spiritually with other believers.”
Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries is a 501(c)(6) trade organization representing the common interests of Health Care Sharing Ministry organizations which are facilitating the sharing of health care needs (financial, emotional, and spiritual) by individuals and families, and their participants. The Alliance engages with federal and state regulators, members of the media, and the Christian community to provide accurate and timely information on health care sharing.
To learn more about the Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries, visit www.ahcsm.org or follow the ministry on Facebook or Twitter.
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To interview a representative from The Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105.
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To interview a representative from The Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105.
