Congress quietly subsidizes faith-based health sharing, exempts from insurance rules
H.R. 2062 — To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to treat membership in a health care sharing ministry as a medical expense, and for other purposes. · Filed by Mike Kelly (R-PA) · 9 cosponsors · Introduced Mar 11, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill allows people to deduct membership fees and medical expense-sharing payments to health care sharing ministries (religious or faith-based cost-sharing groups) as medical expenses on their taxes, the same way they can deduct insurance premiums and out-of-pocket medical costs. It also explicitly states that these ministries are not insurance or health plans for tax purposes, which shields them from insurance regulations and requirements.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a tax deduction for a specific category of health-cost sharing (faith-based ministries), coupled with an explicit regulatory exemption. It is not a broad health-care reform or consumer protection; it is a targeted tax preference for a narrow constituency.
What the text implies
- Health care sharing ministries are not required to maintain solvency reserves, deny claims transparently, or provide appeals processes — members have no legal recourse if the ministry fails to pay. The tax deduction may incentivize enrollment in unregulated cost-sharing arrangements.
- The deduction is available only to members of qualifying sharing ministries, not to uninsured individuals or those in other cost-sharing arrangements, creating a tax preference that favors faith-based alternatives to insurance.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
health care sharing ministries; members of faith-based cost-sharing groups