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November 01, 2005

Faith Like a Mustard Seed (or maybe an HMO)

Hey, when miracles fail (which they have an unsurprising tendency to do), there's always informal group medical:

When his wife spent a week in Georgetown University Hospital's intensive care unit last year recovering from life-saving brain surgery, Joe Huff never worried about who would pay her $120,000 hospital bill, even though his family has no health insurance...

Huff and his family are among the 60,000 members of Medi-Share, the largest of a little-known group of nonprofit organizations that market themselves as faith-based alternatives to health insurance.

From a purely business perspective, I think this is a great idea - dispersion of risk across a targeted population - and it seems to work, all without the annoying regulations of much of the medical insurance industry.

From a following-in-the-footsteps-of-Jesus view, I find it amusing and more than a bit disingenuous:

Although church plans differ, their basic premise is simple: Members [limited to evangelical Christians who don't butt hump or smoke or drink] send a monthly check -- a "share" -- ranging from $200 to $400, either to the plan or directly to those the plan designates with "needs," as medical bills are known. They also agree to send cards and letters or to pray for those in need....

But, more important that the prayers - of course - are the Benjamins:

"A nonbeliever doesn't have an obligation to follow through" by sending a check each month, said James K. Lansberry, executive vice president of the 35,000-member Samaritan Ministries International of Peoria, Ill.

Well, duh, because we all know that nonbelievers are nothing other than dishonest hacks hell-bent on ripping off good Christians at every turn. Why, just look at Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye... errr... wait, Jimmy Swaggart... um... ok... Robert Tilton... oh.... hmmm.

Continuing the amusement:

While each plan's rules differ, most exclude coverage of preexisting conditions, as well as treatment related to cancer recurrence, serious heart disease, obesity, psychiatric disorders or vision problems.

Because while prayer can move mountains, it never hurts to hedge your bets just in case God says "no."

Oh ye of little faith, I think Jesus might toss you out with the moneychangers.

(found via In the Agora)