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Christian Healthcare Companies Wonder about Their Future after Obamacare Repeal

  • Veronica Neffinger

    Veronica Neffinger wrote her first poem at age seven and went on to study English in college, focusing on 18th century literature. When she is not listening to baseball games, enjoying the…

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  • Updated Feb 02, 2017

After the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, became law, many Americans began searching for a different alternative to healthcare.

While they could no longer remain without it without paying a fine, many did not want to sign up for Obamacare. To fill this void, a number of Christian healthcare companies found in a place in the healthcare market.

According to Christianity Today, as of January 2017, 625,000 Americans were enrolled in a Christian healthcare sharing ministry such as Christian Healthcare Ministries, Medi-Share, or Samaritan Ministries. That number is more than triple what it was at the beginning of the Obamacare rollout in 2010.

These Christian healthcare organizations are valid forms of healthcare under the Affordable Care Act, as long as they were formed before the year 2000.

However, now that a Republican is in the White House and Republicans have a majority in Congress, Obamacare is likely to be repealed.

While many Republicans, including Christians, welcome the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, it raises the question of what will happen to Christian healthcare ministries and if there will still be a need for them.

Some, like Anthony Hopp of Samaritan Ministries, believe that regardless of the details of how Obamacare is repealed and if and with what system it is replaced, Christian healthcare ministries will continue to thrive because their customers are highly satisfied with the way their healthcare sharing system works.

“Health care sharing ministries existed before the ACA, God willing, they thrived during the ACA, and they will survive after,” Hopp said.

We can only wait and see how healthcare will change under the new Trump administration, and how this might affect Christian healthcare companies.

 

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: February 2, 2017