Some Americans opt for healthcare sharing ministry coverage instead of traditional health insurance, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Here are five takeaways:
1. Healthcare sharing ministry enrollment has reached more than half a million people, an increase from 200,000 people three years ago.
2. MediShare, a healthcare sharing ministry based in Florida, has more than 170,000 enrollees across the nation.
3. The Affordable Care Act supports this alternative healthcare coverage, allowing members to opt out of buying health insurance if the ministries have been around since 1999.
4. Most ministries expect their members to adhere to moral responsibilities and will not cover certain services, like abortion and contraception.
5. Since the ministries do not offer official health insurance plans, they are not well regulated.