There is no horror that cannot be, and has not been, justified in the name of religion. As a personal rule of thumb, I NEVER do business with any company who claims to be Christian. They are some of the least trustworthy people you will ever meet. Look at how the mega-church preachers live if you want a good example of their true moral standards.
I hear you. The Mrs. and I bought a condo from a Texan named Chuck Toops in 2009, but I still don't have my title. He blessed us non-stop, every email ended with "have a blessed day". How I fell for it I'll never know.
I had interviewed two people to fill a position in LA for a network engineer. One, suit and tie crucifix necklace, God bless you this, God bless you that and the other guy shaved head pierced eyebrow… After drug testing Jesus freak came back positive for cocaine. I ended up hiring the kid, he worked for me for years and was just a decent honest man.
Religion is so often, just cologne on a smelly man.
Okay, who's surprised here? Anyone? Anyone at all? I've read elsewhere about these Christian-based "health plans" and the reporting was pretty much of outfits who will take your money, but the subscriber would need all but an Act of Congress to get his or her money back for necessary medical treatment. Further, I'd be willing to bet that those who actually run these programs have next to no experience (if not none at all!) in how to run an insurance operation ... or more than likely, are in it to scam those who pay into it.
Damned shame ... but no, not surprising in the slightest measure.
In Florida, South Florida especially, back in the days before the ACA (the 90's, or early aughts, I think), there was something called Health Savings Accounts, or HSAs. If you didn't have health insurance, you could create a special savings account and start stockpiling money there in case you ever got sick.
Not sure how that works, when most people I know couldn't possibly set aside enough money to offset catastrophic medical bills, especially at today's prices. I just googled it, and it seems HSAs are still around, so I was wondering if anyone knew about any grifting or scamming going on there.
HSAs take a set amount of money you determine, out of your paycheck throughout the year, pre-tax, up to a maximum amount ($3300 this year, I believe) You can then use these funds for medical expenses not covered by insurance (deductibles, co-pays, some over-the-counter meds, etc). Whatever you haven't used by Dec. 31st is forfeited to Uncle Sam. I use one for prescription drug copays and usually run out of funds by September.
Look at the bright side... maybe a few years of having Bobby Brainworms driving the health department into the ground, while his somehow even more incompetent and delusional boss kicks down all the (already pathetically flimsy) guardrails preventing private insurance from being just as predatory as these religious healthcare scams, will 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 piss off the American public enough to create an overwhelming demand for some sort of single-payer public option!
Second option. "American exceptionalism" means the U.S. healthcare system must be the best. The rich of other countries come *here* for healthcare. (Because wealth lets them jump the line and get the state-of-the-art care most people's insurance won't pay for)
Like most of the citizens where I reside. I have benefited greatly because of a national health system that the TRADE UNION MOVEMENT - men & women who made great sacrifices - initiated and supported decades ago.
The conservatives - flag wavers and always best friends with the money & business naturally opposed national health and have been doing their best to undermine ever since its inception. Yes, you guessed it, the public are now ignorant of the origins of national health with some questioning its validity and get this, 'fairness' because its paid for by every tax payer.
Rule of thumb, whether they be religious or not, treat anyone who is a open or closeted friend of 'money' with great suspicion.
U.S. public is far too worried about who deserves help instead of who needs it. That's part of the U.S. resistance. "My money would be going to help *those* people, and <insert reason> they don't deserve it." My father has convinced himself that it is just for diabetics (such as myself) and others to pay more for health care to encourage them to eat better and follow doctor's advice. Like that works.
Ignorance is a choice. They thought their religion gave them a leg up on everyone. Well it didn’t. They could have read reviews. They could have gotten a second opinion but nope. They knew god would save them. It was a choice. I have no sympathy.
As horrible as the health insurance industry is, leave it to Christians to make it worse. Health insurance: give us $1000 and we will pay most of your doctors bill. Christian health care scam: give us $1000 and we will pray for you and maybe buy you a band-aid.
“They felt deceived…” This is the joke and the punchline. I remember finding out that these companies existed purely as part of a joke I was making, but not the level of horseshit they engaged in. I bet Holy Mike Johnson hasn’t given up his nice congressional insurance in favor of this flavor of snake oil.
"They think they’re getting health insurance from a company that proudly proclaims conservative Christian values. " In fairness, that's exactly what they're getting. Medical insurance would completely work this way if Republicans built it. They're just shocked when their face gets eaten, as it were.
I've seen far more reputable health insurance companies refuse to cover costs associated with pregnancy before, so this isn't as surprising to me. I personally suspect this is one of the reasons Planned Parenthood is still around, since they're often affordable for those who have less than cooperative health insurance. The real issue I'm seeing in these stories is the (apparently complete) lack of accountability for these HCSMs. Nobody wants to go after them, since we can all but hear the screaming about persecution already.
Sounds like the same Good Conservative Christian™️ scam they run at their colleges: use deceptive advertising and outreach to lure students in, then fail to protect them once on campus. Any product or service with 'christian' in the name needs to come with a warning label just like we get on our phones on calls from sketchy numbers: "Warning Possible Spam"
If there’s a public or secular private service the religious will come along to provide an even worse option. As bad as the USA’s health insurance system is, these organizations are by far worse. That's really saying something. How cruel is it to not even meet up to the bar of abysmal. The insurance industry (it’s not healthcare) is abysmal and they can’t even reach that.
Don’t get me started, I’m still paying for my operation in February and other bills that I thought were supposed to be covered fully after my deductible was met, and even when I make payments, they don’t process them, and now I have collections calling me. It’s sickening, I can’t imagine having to fight with some organization that claims god is on their side to deny a claim.
I cringe when I hear his name, more so when some local dunce says he was such a great president. The man of course was not only a useful tool to rob US citizens of their democracy and public assets and services. Like Thatcher, he was benchmark for other right wing conservatives & neocons throughout the world to channel public assets and money to the top end of town.
Let's be honest here. Xtians go for these plans because they are exclusionary by nature. They are easy to bait with terms like "faith based". They presume that "others" who are not faithfull will be excluded...not them. Xtians are so easy to bait precisely because they have an exclusionary ethos and bias.
It's almost funny... like when a clown dies. But also tragic for the gullible marks who buy into it. Like when a clown dies of lead based face paint poisoning.
There is no horror that cannot be, and has not been, justified in the name of religion. As a personal rule of thumb, I NEVER do business with any company who claims to be Christian. They are some of the least trustworthy people you will ever meet. Look at how the mega-church preachers live if you want a good example of their true moral standards.
I hear you. The Mrs. and I bought a condo from a Texan named Chuck Toops in 2009, but I still don't have my title. He blessed us non-stop, every email ended with "have a blessed day". How I fell for it I'll never know.
I had interviewed two people to fill a position in LA for a network engineer. One, suit and tie crucifix necklace, God bless you this, God bless you that and the other guy shaved head pierced eyebrow… After drug testing Jesus freak came back positive for cocaine. I ended up hiring the kid, he worked for me for years and was just a decent honest man.
Religion is so often, just cologne on a smelly man.
Pouring cologne on turds still leaves you with a turd.
And one that smells worse.
"Religion is so often, just cologne on a smelly man." I love this.
Cologne on a smelly man 😂. That’s about right. Steer clear at all costs.
Agree, when I lived in the panhandle of Florida, the presence of evangelical markers was always a risk factor for being conned—no fail.
I too, never do business with a company claiming to be Christian, i.e., Chick a fil, Hobby Lobby to name a couple
Okay, who's surprised here? Anyone? Anyone at all? I've read elsewhere about these Christian-based "health plans" and the reporting was pretty much of outfits who will take your money, but the subscriber would need all but an Act of Congress to get his or her money back for necessary medical treatment. Further, I'd be willing to bet that those who actually run these programs have next to no experience (if not none at all!) in how to run an insurance operation ... or more than likely, are in it to scam those who pay into it.
Damned shame ... but no, not surprising in the slightest measure.
They're just televangelist wannabes without the public speaking talent.
“… but the subscriber would need all but an Act of Congress …”
More likely an act of god.
Aren’t these just basically Christian insurance companies?
Take the worst parts of both and mash them together to form a mega piece of shit.
In Florida, South Florida especially, back in the days before the ACA (the 90's, or early aughts, I think), there was something called Health Savings Accounts, or HSAs. If you didn't have health insurance, you could create a special savings account and start stockpiling money there in case you ever got sick.
Not sure how that works, when most people I know couldn't possibly set aside enough money to offset catastrophic medical bills, especially at today's prices. I just googled it, and it seems HSAs are still around, so I was wondering if anyone knew about any grifting or scamming going on there.
HSAs take a set amount of money you determine, out of your paycheck throughout the year, pre-tax, up to a maximum amount ($3300 this year, I believe) You can then use these funds for medical expenses not covered by insurance (deductibles, co-pays, some over-the-counter meds, etc). Whatever you haven't used by Dec. 31st is forfeited to Uncle Sam. I use one for prescription drug copays and usually run out of funds by September.
Look at the bright side... maybe a few years of having Bobby Brainworms driving the health department into the ground, while his somehow even more incompetent and delusional boss kicks down all the (already pathetically flimsy) guardrails preventing private insurance from being just as predatory as these religious healthcare scams, will 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 piss off the American public enough to create an overwhelming demand for some sort of single-payer public option!
...or, y'know, maybe we're all just fucked.
Second option. "American exceptionalism" means the U.S. healthcare system must be the best. The rich of other countries come *here* for healthcare. (Because wealth lets them jump the line and get the state-of-the-art care most people's insurance won't pay for)
Like most of the citizens where I reside. I have benefited greatly because of a national health system that the TRADE UNION MOVEMENT - men & women who made great sacrifices - initiated and supported decades ago.
The conservatives - flag wavers and always best friends with the money & business naturally opposed national health and have been doing their best to undermine ever since its inception. Yes, you guessed it, the public are now ignorant of the origins of national health with some questioning its validity and get this, 'fairness' because its paid for by every tax payer.
Rule of thumb, whether they be religious or not, treat anyone who is a open or closeted friend of 'money' with great suspicion.
U.S. public is far too worried about who deserves help instead of who needs it. That's part of the U.S. resistance. "My money would be going to help *those* people, and <insert reason> they don't deserve it." My father has convinced himself that it is just for diabetics (such as myself) and others to pay more for health care to encourage them to eat better and follow doctor's advice. Like that works.
Get out the Vaseline.
It can go either way. I hope for the first, but even still there will be a lot of damage in the process. So either way we are pretty fucked.
Ignorance is a choice. They thought their religion gave them a leg up on everyone. Well it didn’t. They could have read reviews. They could have gotten a second opinion but nope. They knew god would save them. It was a choice. I have no sympathy.
As horrible as the health insurance industry is, leave it to Christians to make it worse. Health insurance: give us $1000 and we will pay most of your doctors bill. Christian health care scam: give us $1000 and we will pray for you and maybe buy you a band-aid.
“They felt deceived…” This is the joke and the punchline. I remember finding out that these companies existed purely as part of a joke I was making, but not the level of horseshit they engaged in. I bet Holy Mike Johnson hasn’t given up his nice congressional insurance in favor of this flavor of snake oil.
"They think they’re getting health insurance from a company that proudly proclaims conservative Christian values. " In fairness, that's exactly what they're getting. Medical insurance would completely work this way if Republicans built it. They're just shocked when their face gets eaten, as it were.
I've seen far more reputable health insurance companies refuse to cover costs associated with pregnancy before, so this isn't as surprising to me. I personally suspect this is one of the reasons Planned Parenthood is still around, since they're often affordable for those who have less than cooperative health insurance. The real issue I'm seeing in these stories is the (apparently complete) lack of accountability for these HCSMs. Nobody wants to go after them, since we can all but hear the screaming about persecution already.
The irony is that they ARE getting “biblical” health insurance, as prescribed in their Bible: lots of prayers and blessings and zero medicine.
Hey! It's not zero medicine when faith healers are involved.
"If Weldon is confirmed, you can expect the next administration to steer even more people into these scams. It’s the Trump Way."
Only if Cinnamon Hitler gets his cut. If President Musk allows it, of course.
Sounds like the same Good Conservative Christian™️ scam they run at their colleges: use deceptive advertising and outreach to lure students in, then fail to protect them once on campus. Any product or service with 'christian' in the name needs to come with a warning label just like we get on our phones on calls from sketchy numbers: "Warning Possible Spam"
It does have a warning label, it has Christian in its name. 😉
I love a good snark! Well played, sir!
Not snark. Just truth.
If there’s a public or secular private service the religious will come along to provide an even worse option. As bad as the USA’s health insurance system is, these organizations are by far worse. That's really saying something. How cruel is it to not even meet up to the bar of abysmal. The insurance industry (it’s not healthcare) is abysmal and they can’t even reach that.
Don’t get me started, I’m still paying for my operation in February and other bills that I thought were supposed to be covered fully after my deductible was met, and even when I make payments, they don’t process them, and now I have collections calling me. It’s sickening, I can’t imagine having to fight with some organization that claims god is on their side to deny a claim.
Ugh! Speak of the devil, another call from the leeches.
You can bury the bar as deep as you want, they’ll still find a way to limbo under it.
Mental health *is* health. It should never be treated any differently than a broken bone or diabetes by health insurance or the general public.
Thank Reagan for that happening.
I cringe when I hear his name, more so when some local dunce says he was such a great president. The man of course was not only a useful tool to rob US citizens of their democracy and public assets and services. Like Thatcher, he was benchmark for other right wing conservatives & neocons throughout the world to channel public assets and money to the top end of town.
So much for being "pro-life."
More like pro-profit.
Money is the god they truly worship.
Christians screwing people over. Must be a day ending in "y". At least in English.
In The Netherlands, that’s a day ending in g. Same old same old.
😁
I see a phrase like faith-based/Christian healthcare and I automatically picture Mother Teresa.
I see Snidely Whiplash
Let's be honest here. Xtians go for these plans because they are exclusionary by nature. They are easy to bait with terms like "faith based". They presume that "others" who are not faithfull will be excluded...not them. Xtians are so easy to bait precisely because they have an exclusionary ethos and bias.
It's almost funny... like when a clown dies. But also tragic for the gullible marks who buy into it. Like when a clown dies of lead based face paint poisoning.
Christian Health Care Sharing Ministries - Our thoughts and prayers are with you (switch to fine print) and that's it.
I keep thinking, "If prayer worked, they wouldn't need these health cost sharing companies."