A. Impartiality
Christian Care Ministry serves Members who share in the burdens of fellow Christians. CCM does not gain financially by determining medical bills are ineligible for sharing among Members. CCM is a not-for-profit corporation, recognized as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. CCM has no owners, stockholders or investors. CCM impartially carries out the wishes of the Members as expressed in these Medi-Share Guidelines.
B. Sharing Appeal
A Member can appeal bill-sharing decisions with which they disagree. Before appealing, a Member should engage in careful thought and prayer about whether he or she honestly believes an error was made. Members have 90 days from the day the decision in question was made to request a review by CCM. A Member can issue an appeal if:
- the medical records were misread,
- the Guidelines were misapplied, or
- one or more of the Member’s providers incorrectly recorded the medical history.
The appeals process is not to be used to request changes or exceptions to these guidelines. Recommendations for guideline changes can be submitted through e-mail to guidelines@medishare.com.
After a review by CCM, if the Member disagrees with CCM’s decision, the Member has 90 days to request a review by a Seven Member Appeal Panel. CCM and the Member will both submit a written position statement to the panel. A teleconference will be held where the panel can ask questions of both the Member and CCM. A simple majority vote (four out of seven) will carry the decision.
C. Biblically-Based Mediation and Arbitration
As Christians, the Members and the staff of Christian Care Ministry believe that the Bible commands them to make every effort to live at peace and to resolve disputes with each other in private or within the Christian community in conformity with the biblical injunctions of 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, Matthew 5:23-24, and Matthew 18:15-20. Therefore, the parties agree that any claim or dispute arising out of, or related to, this agreement or any aspect thereof, including claims under federal, state, local statutory or common law, the law of contract or law of tort, that may remain after a Member has exhausted his appeals provided for in Section XIII. B., including a determination whether this arbitration provision is valid, shall be settled by biblically-based mediation. The mediation shall be conducted in accordance with the Rules of Procedure for Christian Conciliation of the Institute for Christian Conciliation, a division of Peacemaker Ministries (complete text of the rules is available at HisPeace.org), with each party to bear their own costs, attorney’s fees and 50% of the mediator’s fee, and with the mediation filing fee to be borne by CCM.
If resolution of the dispute and reconciliation do not result from mediation, the matter shall then be submitted to an independent and objective arbitrator for binding arbitration. The parties agree that the arbitration process will also be conducted in accordance with the Rules of Procedure for Christian Conciliation, with each party to bear their own costs, attorney’s fees, and 50% of the arbitrator’s fee, and with the arbitration filing fee to be borne by CCM. Each party shall agree to the selection of the arbitrator. If there is an impasse in the selection of the arbitrator, the parties agree that the Institute for Christian Conciliation shall choose the arbitrator.
The parties agree that these methods of dispute resolution shall be the sole remedy for any controversy or claim arising out of this agreement, and they expressly waive their right to file a lawsuit against one another in any civil court for such disputes, except to enforce a legally binding arbitration decision.
At Your Request
The contact information for the following groups and organizations associated with the Medi-Share program is available to Members upon request:
- BOARD OF DIRECTORS
- BANK REFERENCES
- CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
- MINISTRY ATTORNEYS
- REFERENCES
Upon request and with notice, the following information can be provided to an inquirer or Member:
- ANNUAL BALLOT RESULTS
- ANNUAL AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
- 501(C)(3) DETERMINATION LETTER