Committee hears bill to recognize healthcare sharing ministries and exempt them from insurance code

Senator Kent Weston introduced Senate Bill 2348 at a House Industry, Business and Labor Committee hearing, saying the bill would both ensure public colleges accept student membership in healthcare sharing ministries in lieu of campus insurance requirements and explicitly state that healthcare sharing ministries are not insurance subject to insurance regulation.

The bill would add a statutory definition for healthcare sharing ministries and provide a regulatory safe harbor: qualifying ministries must be nonprofits recognized under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3), limit membership to persons who share a common set of ethical or religious beliefs, maintain audited finances and give written disclaimers to members that participation is voluntary and payments are not guaranteed. Proponents told the committee the measure is intended to protect student choice and to avoid subjecting faith-based sharing arrangements to insurance regulation.

Why it matters: Supporters said the change preserves access to higher education without forcing students to buy duplicate insurance and clarifies regulatory responsibility between the state insurance commissioner and the attorney general. Opponents said similar arrangements function like insurance in practice and that exempting them from insurance oversight reduces consumer protections and regulatory transparency.

The sponsor: "For the record, I'm Senator Kent Weston from District 15," Weston…