Are They Building a New Health Care System?

In response to religious freedom concerns – as well as concerns about rising insurance costs – some Americans began turning to health care-share organizations, which have grown in popularity over the past few years.

Solidarity HealthShare, based in Phoenix, Arizona, was founded in 2012 in conjunction with a pre-existing healthshare group called Melita Christian Fellowship Hospital Aid Plan. Solidarity HealthShare facilitates health-sharing among individuals and families across the country, who are looking to opt out of traditional healthcare for a more ethical and faith-centered option. www.solidarityhealthshare.org

Solidarity HealthShare is not health insurance. Rather, it is a ministry intended to share the financial burden of those who pay for their own healthcare through voluntary, financial sharing of eligible medical costs between its members.

Rather than paying premiums to an insurance company, every member pays a monthly “share,” which is directly matched to another member’s medical bills.

Solidarity HealthShare is a non-profit organization and exempt from federal regulations, protecting it from the contraception mandate.

Its members are also exempt from a separate mandate requiring individuals to purchase health insurance.