Kentucky still abusing health consumers

Kentucky's quiet war on Christians has taken another odd twist.

Official Kentucky inaction on a consumer protection specifically guaranteed in the ObamaCare Affordable Care Act unconstitutionally harms citizens by limiting consumer healthcare choices. Repeated delays in a Department of Insurance investigation leaves unclear the legal status of religious based health sharing organizations and their members, who were granted an exemption from the ObamaCare insurance coverage mandates.

A Consumer Protection Division official in the Department of Insurance confirmed today that no determination has been reached on the legality of Christian health sharing organizations Samaritan Ministries and Christian HealthCare Ministries. A Department of Insurance spokesperson has claimed repeatedly the organizations have been examined thoroughly for several years, so the latest delay in the current six week investigation is perplexing.

Given that another Christian health sharing organization, Christian Care Medi-Share, has been attacked by state insurance officials repeatedly throughout a lawsuit initiated in 2002, consumer confusion caused by arbitrary application of the state's Insurance Code leaves consumers at great risk.

Because of the structure of health sharing organizations, Kentucky law could cause members -- customers -- of the organizations to be defined as insurers and prosecuted as felons.

Kentucky officials should act immediately to clear up this confusion as citizens scramble to find viable healthcare solutions before ObamaCare hits them in 2014.