February
2, 2021 News
Tribune (Tacoma, WA)
Feb. 2—The state
Insurance Commissioner's Office has fined OneShare Health $150,000 and is
prohibiting the company from selling insurance in the state of Washington.
Additionally, OneShare
dropped a federal lawsuit against Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler.
"People who are
looking for health insurance should closely examine any offerings and contact
our consumer advocates if they have questions about products that market
themselves as health care sharing ministries," Kreidler said in a
statement.
OneShare Health fails to
meet the legal definition of a health care sharing ministry. It enrolled more
than 7,000 members in Washington who paid a total of $12 million in monthly
premiums that OneShare called "contributions." Six members have
complained to Kreidler's office about unpaid claims.
A legitimate health care
sharing ministry is a nonprofit organization whose members have a common set of
ethical or religious beliefs and share medical expenses consistent with those
beliefs. Health care sharing ministries often provide limited coverage and
exclude pre-existing medical conditions.
Previously, OneShare
Health went under names such as Kingdom HealthShare Ministries LLC and Unity
Healthshare LLC. From 2016 to 2018, OneShare Health's insurance policies were
sold by Aliera Healthcare Inc., which illegally acted as an insurance provider
and an unregistered health care service contractor in Washington state.
Kreidler's office
previously told that company to stop doing business in Washington state.
For more information, log
onto the Insurance Commissioner's website.
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(Tacoma, Wash.)
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