Health care sharing ministry; definitions

As used in this Subpart, "health care sharing ministry" means a faith-based, nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that does each of the following: (1) Limits its participants to those who are of a similar faith and acts as a facilitator between participants who have financial or medical needs and those participants with the ability to provide financial or medical assistance in accordance with criteria established by the ministry. (2) Provides amounts that participants may contribute without assumption of risk or promise to pay by the participants or by the ministry. (3) Provides a written monthly statement to all participants listing the total dollar amount of qualified financial or medical needs submitted to the ministry and the dollar amount actually published or assigned to the participants for their contribution. (4) Provides a written disclaimer on or with all applications and guideline materials distributed by or on behalf of the ministry that reads, in substance: "Notice: The ministry facilitating the sharing of medical expenses is not an insurance company. Neither the guidelines nor the plan of operation of the ministry constitutes an insurance policy. Financial assistance for the payment of medical expenses is strictly voluntary. Participation in the ministry or a subscription to any publication issued by the ministry shall not be considered as enrollment in any health insurance plan or as a waiver of your responsibility to pay your medical expenses."