The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the
legislative instrument, were prepared by Cheryl Horne.
DIGEST
Morrish (SB 178)
Proposed law defines a health care sharing ministry as a faith based, nonprofit, tax-exempt
organization that limits its participants to those who are of a similar faith and that acts as a
facilitator between participants who have financial or medical needs and participants who have
the ability to provide financial or medical assistance.
Proposed law requires financial contributions to be made without assumption of risk or the
promise to pay by the participants or the ministry.
Proposed law requires the ministry to provide written monthly statements to all participants
listing the total dollar amount of qualified financial or medical needs submitted to the ministry as
well as the dollar amount actually published or assigned to the participants for their contribution.
Proposed law requires the ministry to provide a disclaimer on all applications and guideline
materials published by or on behalf of the ministry that reads, in substance: "Notice: The
ministry facilitating the sharing of medical expenses is not an insurance company. Neither the
guidelines nor the plan of operation of the ministry constitutes an insurance policy. Financial
assistance for the payment of medical expenses is strictly voluntary. Participation in the ministry
or a subscription to any publication issued by the ministry shall not be considered as enrollment
in a group health insurance plan or as a waiver of your responsibility to pay your medical
expenses."
Proposed law exempts health care sharing ministries from all other provisions of the state
insurance laws unless the law expressly includes the ministries or the law is made applicable to
the ministries by proposed law.
Effective August 1, 2014.
(Adds R.S. 22:318)