HHS Mandate and Catholics buying Health Insurance

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Windmill

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I am a Catholic employer who pays part of the premiums for my employees’ health insurance. My insurance plan covers all the objectionable procedures and medications that the Catholic faith rightly stands against as violations of God’s law. After realizing my precarious position, I went into consultation with the National Catholic Bioethicist Center, and I have now informed my employees that I will be dropping our group plan and I will compensate them for the lost benefit. What they do with the extra pay is their business and no longer mine (of course I said it nicer than that, but there it is).

So, having taken that stand, I am now faced with the question:

What is a Catholic to do about private health insurance? If I buy a private, individual policy for my family, I will be paying into the same moral rot that the bishops are fighting against. If I don’t buy a plan, I place my family at substantial financial risk should one of us develop a serious condition or have a serious physical accident and need medical attention.

But here’s the thing: no one that I can find is offering any official guidance on what we faithful, Catholic employers CAN do for our own families.

Can anyone, please god, point me in a direction for help and guidance on this?
 
I truly sympathize with your position 😦

Although I can’t answer your question directly (re: guidance from the Bishops, etc), below are some alternatives to traditional insurance. I can’t vouch for them based on personal experience as I’ve never used any of them, but it could be worth looking into:

Samaritan: samaritanministries.org/how-it-works/faq/

Medi-Share: mychristiancare.org/Medi-Share/

US News article: health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2008/06/25/a-christian-approach-to-covering-healthcare

Christian Post article: global.christianpost.com/news/christian-health-care-sharing-requires-more-than-religion-45526/

I’ll be watching this thread with interest to see if others can point us to any guidance from the Bishops.
 
I am assuming that you have fewer than 50 FTE employees, since you did not mention the ACA penalties.

If that is the case, then you are not required to provide insurance that meets the HHS requirements, are you? Why not continue to provide the coverage you are providing now, minus the contraception and abortificient coverage?

If you do have more than 50 FTEs, you need to contact the Becket Fund, They are 16-5 in getting injunctions from enforcement of the act on for-profit companies.
 
When you spoke to the National Catholic Bioethicist Center did they not give you any suggestions about policies you could get that would be acceptable?

Can you negotiate with your current carrier or another company to get a policy for your family or your business that only covers hospitalization or catastrophic care?

I know very little about insurance, but I am aware that some groups exist that only cover major issues for their members. So self-insurance to a degree in that you would pay out of poket for routine care and minor stuff. For example, you’d pay for setting your child’s broken leg, but insurance would kick in for bone cancer.
 
I am thinking if you are a Catholic organization, you can opt out with regard to abortion & contraceptives. I have (can’t site the specific one) heard the President and VP state that religious organizations will be exempt from “forcing” the abortion and contraceptive inclusion into the healthcare reform. Yeah, most of you will disagree…a bit of research will show that to be true.

If you are a employer, like a packing and shipping warehouse or a hardware store, retail, restaurant et al and you “employ” non catholics, non religious employees…you are up a creek. Especially if any federal monies, like you got a small business loans from the fed and/or state are involved. Read the terms and conditions of these loans very carefully…
 
Just posting to mark this thread. It does contain some interesting information on which will follow up.
 
Clearly Catholics also need mutual insurance organisations, business loans and other solidarity/cooperative organisations.
 
Windmill said:
I am a Catholic employer who pays part of the premiums for my employees’ health insurance. My insurance plan covers all the objectionable procedures and medications that the Catholic faith rightly stands against as violations of God’s law. After realizing my precarious position, I went into consultation with the National Catholic Bioethicist Center, and I have now informed my employees that I will be dropping our group plan and I will compensate them for the lost benefit. What they do with the extra pay is their business and no longer mine (of course I said it nicer than that, but there it is).

So, having taken that stand, I am now faced with the question:

What is a Catholic to do about private health insurance? If I buy a private, individual policy for my family, I will be paying into the same moral rot that the bishops are fighting against. If I don’t buy a plan, I place my family at substantial financial risk should one of us develop a serious condition or have a serious physical accident and need medical attention.

But here’s the thing: no one that I can find is offering any official guidance on what we faithful, Catholic employers CAN do for our own families.

Can anyone, please god, point me in a direction for help and guidance on this?
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If you are buying your own health insurance you can buy coverage without birth control and coverage for abortion. The mandate only occurs when you buy for your employees.
 
tjones80 said:
If you are buying your own health insurance you can buy coverage without birth control and coverage for abortion. The mandate only occurs when you buy for your employees.
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Yes, but aren’t all insurance companies required to cover these procedures and drugs? IOW, isn’t a “contraceptive-free” policy a fantasy?
 
Windmill said:
…What is a Catholic to do about private health insurance? If I buy a private, individual policy for my family, I will be paying into the same moral rot that the bishops are fighting against. If I don’t buy a plan, I place my family at substantial financial risk should one of us develop a serious condition or have a serious physical accident and need medical attention…
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Remember to keep in mind that we, as Catholics, are called to be prudent. May God guide you in your decision. I also suggest you consult a faithful priest to help you discern.

The virtues

1806 Prudence is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it; "the prudent man looks where he is going."65 "Keep sane and sober for your prayers."66 Prudence is “right reason in action,” writes St. Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle.67 It is not to be confused with timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation. It is called auriga virtutum (the charioteer of the virtues); it guides the other virtues by setting rule and measure. It is prudence that immediately guides the judgment of conscience. The prudent man determines and directs his conduct in accordance with this judgment. With the help of this virtue we apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid.
 
Windmill said:
Yes, but aren’t all insurance companies required to cover these procedures and drugs? IOW, isn’t a “contraceptive-free” policy a fantasy?
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You probably could find a plan that doesn’t cover the objectionable coverages, but it likely won’t meet the minimum requirement and you would still have to pay the individual penalty.

I’m really surprised that there hasn’t been a class action lawsuit filed yet. I figured that would have been one of the first lawsuits filed, but maybe there just aren’t enough people that care. 🤷
 
Does anyone know what happened at the hearing re: the Priests For Life lawsuit against the HHS mandate? It was supposed to be today (Thurs. 4/11). I haven’t seen any news coverage about it yet.
 
Windmill said:
Yes, but aren’t all insurance companies required to cover these procedures and drugs? IOW, isn’t a “contraceptive-free” policy a fantasy?
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No, A private health insurance company does not have to cover contraceptives and/or abortion. It is a totally elective decision.
 
tjones80 said:
No, A private health insurance company does not have to cover contraceptives and/or abortion. It is a totally elective decision.
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HHS says otherwise. hrsa.gov/womensguidelines/
Non-grandfathered plans and issuers are required to provide coverage without cost sharing consistent with these guidelines in the first plan year (in the individual market, policy year) that begins on or after August 1, 2012.
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Did you read the note at the bottom of your link?

*** Group health plans sponsored by certain religious employers, and group health insurance coverage in connection with such plans,** are exempt from the requirement to cover contraceptive services**. A religious employer is one that: (1) has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose; (2) primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets; (3) primarily serves persons who share its religious tenets; and (4) is a non-profit organization under Internal Revenue Code section 6033(a)(1) and section 6033(a)(3)(A)(i) *
 
Julianna said:
Did you read the note at the bottom of your link?

*** Group health plans sponsored by certain religious employers, and group health insurance coverage in connection with such plans,** are exempt from the requirement to cover contraceptive services***. A religious employer is one that: (1) has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose; (2) primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets; (3) primarily serves persons who share its religious tenets; and (4) is a non-profit organization under Internal Revenue Code section 6033(a)(1) and section 6033(a)(3)(A)(i)
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:confused: what does that have to do with individual plans?
 
nothing is stopping or encouraging you from “purchasing” at a discount or whatever, birth control. You can choose not to exercise that option. My current BCBS comes with the option of birth control. I don’t use it (well I had a hysterectomy, so that ship has sailed), but it’s there for those who want to use it.
 
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