Amish and Mennonite Exempt from New Healthcare Reform Law

by LAS

The old order Amish and the Mennonite communities are exempt from the provisions of the new healthcare reform bill recently signed into law by President Obama. Their religious beliefs reject assistance from outsiders such as the government.

These churches typically take up collections to pay for any medical bills incurred by their members. These groups are defined, by the language of the bill, as nonprofit organizations whose "members share a common set of ethical or religious beliefs and medical expenses among members in accordance with those beliefs."

Like the Amish, members of these ministries believe that the teachings of Christ dictate a philosophy of giving and sharing rather than taking, in this case from the third-party insurance providers. Individuals can opt into a cost-sharing program where regular contributions are distributed to other members in the network to pay for various healthcare services.

Medi-Share , Christian Healthcare Ministries , and Samaritan Ministries International   are three such networks. The only requirement for joining, aside from paying your share, is that you practice a lifestyle in strict adherence to Christian philosophy.
Congress dot org has posted a short article on this topic. http://www.congress.org/news/2010/03/24/which_religious_groups_are_exempt