Kentucky Looking Into Fundie Medical Groups

[GenerationCedarchip]

You know those cost-share plans that places like Vision Forum tout? Apparently, KY is suspicious. They're looking into the groups and their Supreme Court has already ruled that these groups have to abide by the same regs as secular insurance companies. I'm surprised i haven't seen more on this in blogland:

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-06- ... are-groups

[redcurls]

Whew. With that headline, I thought KY had screwed up again.

[gustava]

Given Kentucky's wacky fundies, someone will squelch this. Long live Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, the later of the "The issue isn't about the millions of uninsured people" when asked about SCOTUS ruling on Obamacare.

[YPestis]

The organization says it helps Christians pay medical bills based on a Bible verse that urges people to "carry each other's burdens."

....unless you are a smoker, drinker, druggie, mentally ill, engaged in premartial sex.....I guess they only carry people who live some weird, alternate universe.

I see these "insurance" companies at best a self-righteous attempt at showing your superiority, and at worst, a scam on naive and stupid people.

The reason I say this is that all the listed above can afflicted anyone, even those that are supposedly Christian and living a biblical life. People don't secretly puff away? Or drink on the sly? Or fall into depression and need psychiatric care? Or maybe their children makes a mistake and get themselves sexed up? Yeah, I'm sure that's not going to happen to these fundies because their lives are sooo righteous. And guess what's going to happen when these people find out their herpes or cirrhosis won't be covered? Guess who gets the bill? Yeah, it ain't God!

Furthermore, where in the bible does it say that you only help the sick under certain preconditions? Do fundies believe in denying access to care for per-existing conditions now?

What's interesting on that list is what is left out: obesity. Isn't gluttony a sin too? People who eat junk food, don't exercise, overeat etc....how come they get a free ride but someone who has sex outside the marriage be denied coverage? How is eating too many disease inducing hamburgers anymore "sinful" than smoking a pack a day or drinking too much? These, like most disease pathologies that get treated by doctors, are caused by human behavior. So few diseases are purely genetic, so much of it has a human component.

I think these insurance policies are scams and I think they are filled with members who want to "punish" perceived sinners. They want to stick their noses in the air and say, "Look, how great I am! I don't do this or this and so won't ever have to worry about all these horrible diseases!". They want to feel vindication as they see others struggle with lung cancer and liver disease and think, 'Well, I may not have had "fun" or been the "cool" person, but I won't ever get those diseases because I'll never engage in these sinful activities!". All this in the name of Christ?

Yeah, I don't know what's worse, the hypocrisy or the arrogance.

[desertvixen]

The reason I say this is that all the listed above can afflicted anyone, even those that are supposedly Christian and living a biblical life. People don't secretly puff away? Or drink on the sly? Or fall into depression and need psychiatric care? Or maybe their children makes a mistake and get themselves sexed up? Yeah, I'm sure that's not going to happen to these fundies because their lives are sooo righteous. And guess what's going to happen when these people find out their herpes or cirrhosis won't be covered? Guess who gets the bill? Yeah, it ain't God!

Of course not. Those things only happen to ungodly people. And they don't get depression because they are so fulfilled! Of course, these plans also don't seem to cover anything other than a normal pregnancy, which any number of these families do need....

I think these insurance policies are scams and I think they are filled with members who want to "punish" perceived sinners.

Bingo!

Yeah, I don't know what's worse, the hypocrisy or the arrogance.

I always vote for the hypocrisy. Arrogance can sometimes be cured when that whole pride-goes-before-a-fall thing, but hypocrisy always seems to win out in the end. See "The Only Moral Abortion is My Abortion" for ample proof of that.

ETA to reflect on the fact that it's time to go hunt some anacondas...

[Jezebel Duggar]

It's like that Samaritan Ministries on the Jeub Family blog.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Whew. With that headline, I thought KY had screwed up again.

It's a slippery slope, after all...

[VVV]

Restricting participation to people who don't smoke, drink, etc., as if those behaviors guarantee good health, really pisses me off. I played by the rules all my life--never smoked, barely ever even had a glass of wine, no drugs ever, never overweight, regular exerciser, in a marriage where we were each other's only--and I got dangerously ill at 32, hospitalized, and diagnosed with a serious chronic illness.

People need to understand that their illusion of being able to control their good health is just that, an illusion.

[emesbe]

It's about friggin' time.

Like pregnancy after pregnancy until menopause is awesome for your health. See also: Jaynee Lockwood.

[Esther]

I lived in KY two years and I'm glad the state's finally doing something that I don't have to facepalm over. :D

[countressrascal]

I have had professional experience with one of these groups, first off they do not have a medical director so if something that is complex happens they are clueless on why we provided the medical care that we did. Then they want to pay only 50% of the Medicare rate which causes medical provider lose money, they play on their Christian values and charity, medical provider should honor that, which is BS. After the first experience we concern patients that have those plans, are uninsured and must pay cash for services or accept payment schedule.

[Visionoyahweh]

People need to understand that their illusion of being able to control their good health is just that, an illusion.

Major QFT.

[GenerationCedarchip]

I have had professional experience with one of these groups, first off they do not have a medical director so if something that is complex happens they are clueless on why we provided the medical care that we did. Then they want to pay only 50% of the Medicare rate which causes medical provider lose money, they play on their Christian values and charity, medical provider should honor that, which is BS. After the first experience we concern patients that have those plans, are uninsured and must pay cash for services or accept payment schedule.

I can imagine. I've actually gotten ads from some of the fundie med-share plans and they make things sound very rosy. I can see why folks would get taken in and sign up because it does sound like a good deal for someone who would otherwise have to buy a private plan. I have yet to hear anything postive about them from a provider's point of view, and they seem to be really invasive of members' privacy in terms of looking into medical procedures and passing moral judgements on them. Insurers also have big flaws, but I think it's great that KY is at least trying to raise the bar on what the med share groups are doing.

[hoipolloi]

I can imagine. I've actually gotten ads from some of the fundie med-share plans and they make things sound very rosy. I can see why folks would get taken in and sign up because it does sound like a good deal for someone who would otherwise have to buy a private plan. I have yet to hear anything postive about them from a provider's point of view, and they seem to be really invasive of members' privacy in terms of looking into medical procedures and passing moral judgements on them. Insurers also have big flaws, but I think it's great that KY is at least trying to raise the bar on what the med share groups are doing.

A number of the fundies (like the Zimmermans) who've used their services for major medical issues brag about SM reps subsequently beating down the doctors' & hospitals' charges for their services. Of course, if someone came to Tait Zimmerman's real estate office, engaged his services at specified price, and then attempted to have that price lowered after receiving the services, Mr. Tait wouldn't be too happy. I guess "do unto others" doesn't apply to everyone.

[NjoyingNsanity]

I can think of two real life examples of how this sort of insurance policy could seriously screw over someone who had done nothing wrong. A fundie-lite friend of mine caught an STD from a cheating husband who "stumbled in his walk". Also in the book Life's That Way actor Jim Beaver writes about his wife's struggle with lung cancer he even mentions how shocking the diagnosis was since he wife was a health nut who had never smoked. Sometimes a health problem occurs without rhyme or reason and people shouldn't be judged or financially punished for it.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Major QFT.

Seconded.

I think that's one of the charms of these groups though, particularly for the young and healthy people who are starting out with all the advantages due to growing up in lucky wealthy households. They still think that if they only play all their cards right, make ALL the right decisions, that everything will work out for them.

All it takes is one accident for everything to go to hell despite their best intentions.

Meanwhile, it only takes even one MINOR case of "wait, I got screwed by forces outside my control" (before any truly life-changing major accidents happen) for people to realize that the sweet honey words of "you can control your life, just do the right thing always and everything works out" to be shown up for the lie it is. And so people leave those movements and any similar political views that think individuals truly control their own destinies 100% of the time.

[emesbe]

I have had professional experience with one of these groups, first off they do not have a medical director so if something that is complex happens they are clueless on why we provided the medical care that we did. Then they want to pay only 50% of the Medicare rate which causes medical provider lose money, they play on their Christian values and charity, medical provider should honor that, which is BS. After the first experience we concern patients that have those plans, are uninsured and must pay cash for services or accept payment schedule.

OMG, 50% of Medicare rates is almost nothing. That won't even pay to keep the lights on in the building.

How disgusting.

[Patsy]

Major QFT.

Yes, yes, yes.