Most of what I've written about the trauma of #disaffiliation in the #UnitedMethodistChurch has been rooted in intellectual or theological arguments ... or even driven by my own frustrations as our local congregation chose to close its doors to gay and lesbian people.
This most recent piece is written purely from the heart ... and has to do with cookies, of all things.
As a human, as a citizen of Earth, as a US citizen, as a critic of and sometime financial victim of the USA's expensive and chaotic #healthcare system, and as a #ProgressiveChristian (#BeUMC #StayUMC), this series of blatant financial crimes in the name of #Christian sharing, horrifies and angers me.
As does the fact that Ohio AG office, other regulators, the IRS and the Federal Reserve, each with jurisdiction over some parts of this con scheme, have done nothing meaningful to stop them.
#ProPublica does their usual superb in-depth #longread reporting.
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A Christian Health Nonprofit Saddled Thousands With Debt as It Built a Family Empire Including a Pot Farm, a Bank and an Airline https://www.propublica.org/article/liberty-healthshare-healthcare-sharing-ministries-obamacare
>Despite a history of fraud, one family has thrived in the regulatory no man’s land of health care sharing ministries, where insurance commissioners can’t investigate, federal agencies turn a blind eye and prosecutors reach paltry settlements.
Despite a history of fraud, one family has thrived in the regulatory no man’s land of health care sharing ministries, where insurance commissioners can’t investigate, federal agencies turn a blind eye and prosecutors reach paltry settlements.
Mark McElroy
Mark Mercer