(a) Health care sharing ministry means a faith-based nonprofit organization that is tax exempt under the Internal Revenue Code and which does all of the following:

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Terms Used In Alabama Code 22-6A-2

  • following: means next after. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • subscription: include a mark when the person cannot write, if his name is written near the mark, and witnessed by a person who writes his own name as a witness, and include with respect to corporate securities facsimile signature placed upon any instrument or writing with intent to execute or authenticate such instrument or writing. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
(1) Limits its participants to those who are of a similar faith.
(2) Acts as a facilitator among participants who have financial or medical needs and matches those participants with other participants with the present ability to assist those with financial or medical needs in accordance with criteria established by the health care sharing ministry.
(3) Provides for the financial or medical needs of a participant through contributions from one participant to another.
(b) The health care sharing ministry shall specify to participants that participants may contribute with no assumption of risk or promise to pay among the participants and no assumption of risk or promise to pay by the health care sharing ministry to the participants.
(c) The health care sharing ministry shall provide a written monthly statement to all participants that lists the total dollar amount of qualified needs submitted to the health care sharing ministry, as well as the amount actually assigned to participants for their contribution.
(d) The health care sharing ministry shall provide to all applicants for assistance a written disclaimer on or accompanying all applications and guideline materials distributed by or on behalf of the organization that reads, in substance: “Notice: The organization facilitating the sharing of medical expenses is not an insurance company, and neither its guidelines nor plan of operation is an insurance policy. Whether anyone chooses to assist you with your medical bills will be totally voluntary because no other participant will be compelled by law to contribute toward your medical bills. As such, participation in the organization or a subscription to any of its documents should never be considered to be insurance. Regardless of whether you receive any payment for medical expenses or whether this organization continues to operate, you are always personally responsible for the payment of your own medical bills.”
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