Rep. Huffman Re-Introduces Bill to Protect Health Care Consumers from Predatory Practices

April 30, 2025

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) re-introduced legislation to protect consumers from Health Care Sharing Ministries’ deceptive practices and expand access to accurate information about health coverage options. The Health Care Sharing Transparency Act would help ensure consumers receive clear and truthful information before enrolling in a health share plan. By holding Health Care Sharing Ministries – also known as Health Share plans – accountable for inaccurate or untimely disclosures and by ensuring providers offer clear information regarding care, this bill helps address some of the dangerous health care practices plaguing consumers across the country.

“Health Care Sharing Ministries prey on people in search of medical coverage, leading them to purchase inadequate medical coverage when they may need it most,” said Rep. Huffman. “Through deceptive marketing tactics and overt appeals to religion, certain providers lure consumers into purchasing plans that can leave patients without the care they need or lead them into deep medical debt. We need to combat these unethical tactics with serious federal action. My legislation would help protect consumers from Health Share plans’ predatory practices and ensure consumers have access to clear, accurate information about their health care options when making important decisions about coverage for themselves and their loved ones. As more and more Americans fall victim to misleading and unregulated Health Care Sharing Ministries, it’s more important than ever that we respond with proper reform.”

Health Share Caring Ministries are a limited form of health coverage that require members – who must share a common set of religious or ethical beliefs – to submit monthly payments to cover the qualified expenses of other members. Health Share plans do not have to comply with the consumer protections of the Affordable Care Act, provide limited benefits for their members, and do not guarantee payment for medical claims. Recent data shows Health Share plans deem only half of members’ health expenses eligible for reimbursement. They also exclude coverage altogether for services such as abortions, contraception, mental health, substance use disorders, chronic conditions, certain preexisting conditions, and even maternity care. 

With more for-profit administrators taking advantage of loopholes to market Health Share plans to broader audiences through deceptive practices, roughly 1.7 million Americans have now enrolled in one of these plans and are at serious risk of being denied necessary treatments and services.

The Health Share Transparency Act would:

  • Empower consumers with the knowledge to distinguish between comprehensive, regulated health insurance products and Health Shares by requiring Health Shares to disclose clear information during the enrollment process. 
  • Provide new data for regulators to assess the threat Health Shares pose to public health – including rates of service denials, enrollment, service area, average out of pocket expenses for Health Share Members, and the contents of complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). 
  • Ensure health insurance brokers selling Health Shares inform consumers if they are eligible for better, more comprehensive forms of health coverage – including the ACA, Medicaid, or Medicare – and accurately describe the scope of benefits provided by Health Shares.

“We know that quality health insurance is essential for cancer patients. But too often, people – including cancer patients – enroll in a health sharing ministry, thinking they are covered, only to find out later that they can’t access the care they need. We applaud Rep. Huffman for introducing this important legislation which will help us learn more about health coverage that frequently leaves patients exposed to both physical and financial harm,” said Dr. Gwen Nichols, Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

“FFRF Action Fund strongly supports the Health Share Transparency Act, and we thank Rep. Jared Huffman for reintroducing this vital legislation and making this bill a priority for the Congressional Freethought Caucus. Access to health care should never be conditioned on someone’s religious belief — yet healthcare sharing ministries routinely exploit religious exemptions to avoid accountability while misleading consumers. This bill is a crucial step toward protecting the public and upholding the separation of state and church,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, President of FFRF Action Fund.

“Everyone deserves health care coverage that is comprehensive and transparent about its policies, and unfortunately health care sharing ministries can't offer either,” said Fish Stark, Executive Director of the American Humanist Association. “Too often, health care sharing ministries' deceptive practices leave American families in unanticipated medical debt with nowhere to turn for relief--all in the name of religion. This issue demands federal attention. We are proud to throw our full support behind the Health Share Transparency Act, and we applaud Congressman Huffman for his leadership in shepherding forward this critical legislation.”

The bill is endorsed by AiArthritis, AIDS Institute, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association, American Humanist Association, Arthritis Foundation, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, CancerCare, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, Center for Freethought Equality, Epilepsy Foundation of America, FFRF Action Fund, Hemophilia Federation of America, Immune Deficiency Foundation, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), National Coalition of Cancer Survivorship, National Health Council, National Patient Advocate Foundation, National Psoriasis Foundation, Secular Coalition for America, and Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Cosponsors include Representatives Jamie Raskin, Sean Casten, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rashida Tlaib, Mark Pocan, Seth Moulton, Steve Cohen, Jan Schakowsky, and Maxwell Frost.

Full bill text can be found here.

A summary of the bill is available here.

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