Ten consumers told Kaiser Health News they thought they were signing up for health insurance plans through the ACA marketplace, but instead ended up with a membership in a Houston-based healthcare-sharing ministry, the outlet reported June 7.
Healthcare-sharing ministries are a form of health coverage where its members, who usually share a religious belief, make monthly payments to cover the expenses of other members. They are not health insurance plans.
The consumers had signed up for Jericho Share, which formed in 2021 when House of Prayer and Life Inc., a half-century-old Christian congregation, assumed the name, according to the report.
One customer went online to search for the federal health insurance marketplace, clicked on a link and entered her information, according to the report. She received multiple calls from insurance brokers and bought a plan for $384 a month, only to later learn it wasn't an insurance plan.
The Better Business Bureau of Houston & South Texas gives Jericho Share an "F" rating, its lowest, according to the report. More than 100 complaints have been filed in less than a year.
The Texas Department of Insurance received two complaints about the ministry in February and March, according to the report. The department responded to both by saying it regulates insurance, which healthcare-sharing ministries are not. The department forwarded the complaints to the state's attorney general's office.
John Oxendine, a lawyer and former Georgia insurance commissioner, responded to Kaiser Health News' requests for comment from Jericho Share.
"Jericho Share does not tolerate any type of misrepresentation or unethical conduct on the part of its programs," a statement sent through Mr. Oxendine said. "Whenever we become aware of inappropriate conduct, we take appropriate action to remedy the situation."
Mr. Oxendine was indicted in May on conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and conspiracy to commit money-laundering charges in a case unrelated to Jericho Share.
Read the full report here.