“Christian Healthcare”?
As I was thumbing through a recent issue of World magazine, an advertisement caught my eye. The ad was extolling the virtues of a “faith-based alternative to health insurance.” The “church plan” was in essence an insurance system whereby Christians were brought together to share their medical bills.
Members send in a monthly premium, or “share”, to the plan or even directly to those in need. Members also agree to support sick members through prayer. Last week the Washington Post covered this apparent trend. It adds these requirements:
Tobacco use, immoderate drinking, homosexuality and extramarital sex are strictly forbidden, and anyone caught violating these proscriptions can be expelled. The plans don’t pay for abortion,or treatment of sexually transmitted diseases or HIV that was not, as Samaritan puts it, “contracted innocently.” While each plan’s rules differ, most exclude coverage of preexisting conditions, as well as treatment related to cancer recurrence, serious heart disease, obesity, psychiatric disorders or vision problems.
In a sense this insurance system is socialism but of course it differs significantly from coerced socialism more common modern times. Like modern day insurance it is voluntary and therefore resembles the socialism of Acts 2:41-47. Whether it is able to overcome problems inherent in all socialistic structures - scarcity, self-interest, enforceability, and man’s fallen nature - remains to be seen.
Socialism? Wow, the effects of Joseph McCarthy are far-reaching. So any kind of community support is socialism? No wonder we’re all cocooned in suburban homes, not knowing our neighbors, refusing to carpool, bowling alone, not caring for our aging parents. Joining together with others is letting the commies, I mean terrorists, win.
This is an opt-in program. Where does this “socialism” BS come from?
P.S. Whether capitalism can overcome “scarcity, self-interest, enforceability, and” sin remains to be seen, and in fact almost all Christian churches teach that “man’s fallen nature” can’t be overcome by any human act, let alone an economic system.
So any kind of community support is socialism?
No, I’d define socialism as an “Economic system which is based on cooperation rather than competition and which utilizes centralized planning and distribution.” The early Christians in Acts used socialism but, again, it was a voluntary one. Socialism doesn’t have to be coerced.
Sounds great! Where does an Orthodox Jew sign up?!
Looking for good Christian men and women for wholesome health plan partnership. NS, ND, NO FATTIES.
That reminded me of a recent article in the Detroit papers about mortgages being made available to observant Muslims with a structure that allows them to pay “rent” instead of interest for a period of time. Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac and Standard Federal (now LaSalle Bank) were collaberating on developing the product. Link is here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1457723/posts
Independent parties still have the ability to contract for whatever they want as long as what they want is not illegal or against public policy. (I was going to add “immoral”, but I’m not sure you can’t enter into an enforceable contract for immoral purposes anymore these days).