A member’s prayerful persistence pays off

Minnesota Legislature approves use of health care sharing to meet the state universities’ health insurance requirements

When SMI member Kim Reckinger’s son, James, transferred to the University of Minnesota, Kim filled out forms dutifully, wanting to be sure that the already expensive education didn’t cost any more than necessary. He checked a box indicating that the family had a health care plan, since they had been SMI members for eight years, with needs met for a couple of expensive surgeries—an appendectomy and gallbladder removal.

James was most of the way through his first semester when the University realized that Samaritan wasn’t insurance and sent the Reckingers a bill for $950 for one semester’s health insurance, provided through the University. Kim was frustrated and determined that he had to make an appeal, even though he did not relish attempting to deal with the University bureaucracy.

Kim called and tried to explain that his family used Samaritan to provide for their health care needs, but was met with resistance. He went and talked to various University personnel, including those running the health care clinic, for which all students pay an additional fee of $200 per semester, and to the student services department, all the way up to the Dean. Eventually the Reckingers were given a waiver, but told that they would not be given one the following year. They also learned that the insurance and clinic fees would be put into the tuition charge.

The temporary waiver was small consolation. James had three years of school left. He would not use the University’s clinic because he lived at home and saw his own doctors, and he belonged to Samaritan for major health care needs.

Kim persisted. He and his wife, Deborah, compiled 67 pages of information to show whomever they talked with the injustice of the situation. Kim contacted the Chair of the University’s Board of Regents, a reporter for a newspaper that covered the University, and a conservative talk show host, all to no avail. Along the way, Kim says he discovered that the University of Minnesota’s policies were “extremely restrictive.”

“Six out of the eleven Big Ten schools had no insurance requirement, but Minnesota’s policies covered abortion, mental health, addictions, all kinds of things. I believe you couldn’t even have a deductible of more than $1000.”

Kim also discovered that students who were covered when their parents bought an individual insurance policy had to have a policy that met all the same requirements, but virtually any employer-provided policy was considered fine and not subject to scrutiny, even if it was a “mini-med” policy with meager coverage.

Kim seemed to be out of options. Legislators in his district were known as staunch supporters of the University and not the types to take up a religious liberty issue. But while listening to a radio show one day, Kim heard about The Citizen’s Council for Health Freedom, a local not-for-profit organization. The Council arranged a meeting for Kim with a State Senator who at least listened to his plight. Some time later, on a day that Kim “happened” to be off work, he received an email from the Senator’s office saying that a Senate hearing on health care was being held that very day.

Kim immediately drove downtown to the Capital building, where he heard a student testify that he had health insurance through a veterinary association and didn’t want to be forced to buy the University’s expensive insurance.

That committee hearing was providential. Despite not being on the docket, Kim was allowed to testify briefly, and then he met a legislator from the Minnesota House of Representatives willing to tackle the issue. Later a Representative proposed adding some language to the Omnibus University Finance bill, so that health sharing organizations would be an approved health care option for students at public universities in Minnesota. Despite infighting among the parties and the Governor’s office, there was enough will to pass the omnibus bill through both houses of the Legislature, and the Governor signed it into law.

Kim acknowledges the whole thing is nothing short of a miracle, especially in the state of Minnesota which he says has unfortunately earned the moniker “Land of Ten Thousand Taxes.” But Kim hopes that his story encourages other members to make efforts with other schools and states, and see what the Lord might do.

“With God’s direction we met a few people who at least believed the state had over stepped its bounds.

“You can’t quit. You have to persevere. That’s the thing we found out. Even after the hearing, we decided we would have to be willing to go farther. We were going to go back to the newspapers and to the Board of Regents until we had absolutely no where else to go, because we just didn’t think what the University was doing was right.”

Kim says he’s learned over the years that faithful, prayerful persistence also pays off with health care providers. By talking with hospitals up front, the Reckinger’s saved thousands of dollars on the deliveries of their children.

“When you are paying your own bills like with Samaritan, it’s like going shopping. You go and find out which doctors are providing the best services and the best prices.

“Don’t just assume that what happens, happens. We learned Medicare and insurance aren’t paying the doctors well. Now, the doctors don’t have any idea what things cost, so you have to go to the billing people.

“You have to be aggressive, especially in situations like the Twin Cities, where there is a lot of competition.

“There was a court decision in Minnesota that required providers to work with self-pay patients on the cost, but you still have to shop around for the discounts.

“With the appendectomy for my son, we received 50 percent discounts by talking to them and offering to pay with a charge card in a timely manner.”