By Catherine Snow for TOWNHALL
It’s not consumer advocacy when the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) warns Americans to “beware” of Health Care Sharing Ministries. It’s ideological advocacy that clearly targets the First Amendment.
But FFRF, an atheist-affirming group, is correct about one thing: Health Care Sharing Ministries are not insurance. That fact has never been hidden. It’s the legal foundation on which these ministries exist.
For decades, federal and state law have explicitly recognized Health Care Sharing Ministries as religious, nonprofit mutual-aid organizations — not insurance companies. Congress carved out a specific statutory recognition of these ministries in the Affordable Care Act. Thirty-four states define them in law, recognizing that they are not engaged in the business of insurance and thus are not subject to the Insurance Code.
They are voluntary religious associations. And the Constitution protects them as such.
