State fines OneShare Health, bans it from selling insurance in Washington state
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.
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 5:45 AM with the headline "State fines OneShare Health, bans it from selling insurance in Washington state."
