In the 2020 election, health coverage, whether it is Medicare for All, a government option, reinvigorating Obama Care, or expanding private insurance, is a BIG issue. It has become even more important as the Coronavirus pandemic threatens the lives of many at-risk Americans.
During his campaign for President and in repeated attacks on the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care), Donald Trump promised “Everybody’s going to be taken care of much better than they’re taken care of now.” Of course, during his three plus years in office, no plan ever emerged. We do know Trump is a big fan of privatization, including airports, border control, and water supply. At the same time, we also know from policies pursued by his Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the Trump Administration is committed to eliminating the wall between church and state and having religious groups play a greater role in education and social services.
Privatization and shifting to religious delivery of services has increased in health care under the Trump administration’s watch with a very negative impact. Christian “health care” plans can require that members abide by the company’s Christian values. For example, Trinity Healthshare requires people sign “belief statements” including that “personal rights and liberties originate from God and are bestowed on us by God.” Many Christian health plans specifically refuse to cover abortion and other reproductive services. Others offer hotline prayers for members in medical distress.
From recent scandals, we know the risk when so-called Christian groups offer health care plans. It’s buyer beware. A July 2019 article in the Houston Chronicle detailed what happens when “religion, politics, health care and money collide.” The article was an exposé of Aliera Healthcare and its affiliated health sharing ministry, Trinity Healthshare. Nationally, Aliera has more than 100,000 customers and an annual revenue in 2018 of $215 million. In Texas, it recruits customers by paying insurance brokers inflated commission to enroll members in its plans.
According to the Chronicle, “What Aliera Healthcare was peddling was not insurance, but rather connection to a Christian health-sharing ministry, an obscure but growing type of coverage based on the biblical principle that the like-minded should help each other in times of need. Members paid monthly into an Aliera-administered fund to help pay their future medical bills.” But because Aliera is not technically an insurance company, it is not subject to state and federal oversight or regulated by laws that would require coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
The story Chronicle focused on David Martinez from Dallas, Texas. Martinez lost his insurance coverage when he changed jobs. He signed with Aliera in April 2018 and paid thousands of dollars for what he thought was health “coverage.” Unfortunately for Martinez, the Aliera plan turned out to be “worthless.” Aliera refused to pay hospital costs when his wife underwent urgent surgery for dan intestinal infection claiming that she had a pre-existing condition, an allegation her doctors disputed. The Martinez family now owes over $100,00 in medical bills.
What happened to the Martinez family is not an isolated incident. Similar stories were reported in the Seattle, Washington area where Sheri Lewis was denied coverage by Aliera for a hip transplant, Bradley Fuller was denied coverage for chemotherapy and radiation, and Kim Bruzas was denied coverage for emergency care to stop severe rectal bleeding.
Regulators in at least fifteen states, including Texas, Georgia, Washington, Colorado, Connecticut, California, and New Hampshire, have issued alerts charging Aliera of fraudulently selling insurance without a license. According to Washington insurance officials, Aliera does not qualify as a “sharing ministry” and they accused the company of promoting a “sham” aimed at misleading consumers. New Jersey warns “Residents shopping for health insurance should also be mindful of health care sharing ministries. While these plans are not prohibited in New Jersey, residents should understand that these plans are typically limited in coverage and often do not provide comprehensive benefits.” In January, New York State insurance regulators announced that they were investigating Aliera and Trinity Healthshare and issued a subpoena for corporate records.
The Texas Department of Insurance is seeking a “cease and desist” against Aliera for “misleading customers into thinking they were buying insurance and blurring the line between the for-profit parent company and its affiliated nonprofit health-share ministry.” Apparently, Aliera is under no legal obligation to pay medical claims filed by its subscribers. Texas authorities charge that only 20% of the money collected in member fees actually is used to pay medical bills. They also assert that Trinity Healthshare is only a “shell that was created to disguise Aliera and its control by Aliera.” In response, Aliera states it “will vigorously defend against the false claims directed at our company and we are confident we will prevail when these questions are ultimately determined by impartial judicial review.”
A close look shows the “strange” corporate history of Aliera Healthcare. It was formed in 2015 as a for-profit corporation offering “insurance alternatives” with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, although it is incorporated in Delaware. The CEO is Shelley Steele, , and its President is her son, Chase Moses. The company’s original executive director was Timothy Moses, Steele’s husband and Chase’s father. Timothy Moses is an ex-convict who was convicted of federal securities fraud in 2005. He was sentenced to six and a half years in prison and required to pay more than $1.5 million in fines and financial restitution. In 2018, Aliera executives established Trinity Healthshare as a corporate partner.
MinistryWatch researches public charities, church and para-church ministries to identify for donors potential misleading behavior or wasteful spending practices. It also identifies organizations that are legitimate and operate efficiently. According to MinistryWatch, “Aliera Healthcare, which operates Trinity Healthshare — has generated more than one hundred complains in half a dozen states.” They accuse Aliera of being a “sham” organization that unsettles the health share marketplace.
Beware of “sham” healthcare packages, especially while we have a “sham” President in office.
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