Posted on 10/22/2013 7:59:06 PM PDT by sheikdetailfeather
The Affordable Care Act runs more than 2,600 pages and now hundreds of thousands of regulations. No one knows every single provision that is in the law, which Congress did not even bother to read before passing it. Among its most controversial provisions is the mandate forcing Americans to purchase health insurance or face fines from the IRS. Those fines can even take the form of wage garnishment. Americans who fail to comply and pay the fine can end up in jail.
There is, though, a provision buried in Obamacare that provides a way out of having to comply with the individual mandate. Pages 107 and 128 of Obamacare stipulate that members of “healthcare sharing ministries” are exempt from the individual mandate.
Healthcare sharing ministries are non-profit entities created to allow Christians to pay into a fund and then tap that fund when they need to pay medical expenses. So there’s one catch — you have to be meet the healthcare sharing group’s membership requirements to join, and as ministries they maintain that you must be a Christian regularly attending church before you can become a member.
Healthcare sharing ministries can approve and decline claims, and rates can increase or decrease over the life of a policy. Some do not require physical exams before joining and do not turn down people with pre-existing conditions.
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
Are we talking about growing a beard, doing w/o electricity, milking cows and so forth?
I too was wondering if one could not just declare oneself Amish. Who determines who is or isn’t Amish?
No matter what happens with obamacare I won't go back to an insurance company. I love the idea that the Doctor works for me and doesn't answer to someone else and that my monthly payments are used to help other Christians in need.
‘(2) SPECIAL RULES- Notwithstanding any other provision of law—
‘(A) WAIVER OF CRIMINAL PENALTIES- In the case of any failure by a taxpayer to timely pay any penalty imposed by this section, such taxpayer shall not be subject to any criminal prosecution or penalty with respect to such failure.
‘(B) LIMITATIONS ON LIENS AND LEVIES- The Secretary shall not—
‘(i) file notice of lien with respect to any property of a taxpayer by reason of any failure to pay the penalty imposed by this section, or
‘(ii) levy on any such property with respect to such failure.’.
What the Obama-care law text REALLY says on IRS enforcement of the personal Mandate fine/tax
No, it’s kind of like a co-op. All the other stuff is optional. ;-)
FWIW, the application process involves having your Pastor verify that you are a church attending Christian.
That guy doesn’t have a beard but it looks like he’s wearing a brassiere on his head. I think I’d rather grow a beard.
I have been researching these for a while, and they are very interesting, but they are also very limited and frankly, almost absurdly “pharisaical” or fundamental in their requirements. For example, at least two of the three require total abstinence from even wine, meaning that they would not accept Jesus as a member. Moreover, this ignores the heart and cardiovascular system benefits of having wine.
They also require some legalistic red tape related to church membership and other activtiies, which opens them up to admin abuses I fear. Another thing they tend to do is eschew the value of participation, ie, they don’t have a cat only high deductible option, which encourages good stewardship.
On the whole, I love the idea for sure - I want to make that clear - and since these groups started these plans, it is their right to regulate membership as they see fit. I do maintain however that like a lot of organized “religion” - they over shoot on the legalism. Still a thousand percent better than Obama Care and I applaud the general idea.
I hope one comes around that addresses some of my concerns...I think there would be a huge market for that.
Yep, and requiring that Pastor letter is just BEGGING for corruption.....pressure on tithing, etc. It is also opening themselves up to some lawsuits down the road I fear.
God bless em, but that’s a huge mistake IMO.
That is my plan.
Very interesting.
Wages and bank accounts cannot be garnished for the Obamacare “tax”.
what happens if you end up in the hospital? or need chemo?
Could not the Knights of Columbus start one for Catholics? Other Christian churches could also start there own and then Obama could take a hike.
5. Many older individuals will be exempt from the mandate
If you need to buy insurance on your own, you’re exempt from the individual mandate if the cost of your coverage is more than 8 percent of your household income. (The percentage is adjusted, over time, using a somewhat complex formula.) This means many older people—who pay higher premiums than younger people—will be exempt from the mandate altogether.
6. If you don’t file a tax return, you’re exempt
You’re also exempt if your income is below the poverty line, or if you don’t file an IRS tax return. Indeed, if you add up all of these exemptions, MIT economist and Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber estimates that 40 percent of people who are uninsured are exempt from the individual mandate.
7. ‘Members of recognized religious sects’ and American Indians are also exempt
If you’re a member of a “federally-recognized Indian tribe,” congratulations! You’re also exempt from the individual mandate. This is in part because the Indian Health Service offers government-run health care to members of such tribes. Members of a “recognized religious sect or division,” as specified in Section 1402(g)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code, are also exempt. So, you might be asking yourself: which “religious sects” are exempt?
The Internal Revenue Code exempts an individual from certain taxes if he is “a member of a recognized religious sect or division thereof and is an adherent of established tenets or teachings of such sect or division by reason of which he is conscientiously opposed to acceptance of the benefits of any private or public insurance which makes payments in the event of death, disability, old-age, or retirement or makes payments toward the cost of, or provides services for, medical care,” including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Your “sect” has to have been in continuous existence since December 31, 1950, and the Commissioner of Social Security must agree that your sect “has the established tenets or teachings” consistent with opposition to medical benefits. While there are some on the Internet who believe that this religious exemption applies to Islam, it doesn’t appear that way to me, as Muslims are not exempt from Social Security. Instead, the exemption is meant for groups like the Amish.
So if you really hate the individual mandate, you don’t have to burn your Obamacare card—just join the Amish or an Indian tribe!
Those are the rules.. for now..
Don’t bet your checking account on it. With just the stroke of a pen on an executive order, Obama can do whatever he wants.
“regularly attending church” just like our phony “Christian” President, Soetoro
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