Thank God for Medicare!  I paid into the system all of my working years and at 65 years of age it was there for me.  Yes indeed, it may go bankrupt (and yes indeed, it is not the responsibility of the state), but I leave that in the hands of God.   It’s inexpensive compared to what I was paying, and with a small supplemental insurance policy, I am able to pay for most of my medical bills and prescriptions.

This title must sound strange from one who believes in the Christian principle that the civil government is biblically limited to securing our national borders, providing an internal police force, and supporting a court system for resolving disputes.  The state has no place in areas like education, welfare, or medicine.  However as we grow older we find that, for various reasons, sometimes our practices do not match our principles.  Not all of us are perfectly consistent with our beliefs.  Not all of us have the money to be consistent.  My wife stayed at home and raised our children, but the only educational alternative for us personally was to put them in public schools.  That was very inconsistent in my circles; however we have to live in the world that God gives us.

A recent article on the Aquila Report, The Religious Alternative To Obamacare’s Individual Mandate, reminded me of my experience with the PCA Health Insurance Plan when my wife and I were participants in the Plan as we both were approaching nearly 60 years of age.   I had participated in the PCA Health Insurance Plan since its inception.  I also served on the IAR Board (now the PCA Retirement and Benefits, Inc.) for four years in the late 90s.  It was obvious to the Board when I was a member that the Plan was dying because younger ministers were not participating.  Participation was voluntary.  When my wife and I were young and healthy, we decided to continue with the Self-funded PCA Plan as an indirect ministry to the older ministers and their spouses of our denomination who had illnesses, thinking that other younger ministers would come along and do the same for us when we grew older.  We looked upon it as a share and care ministry.  The younger men came along but they did not participate in the Plan, and the Plan died.

Our health insurance coverage was gone.  My wife had Diabetes (which she controlled with diet and exercise).  I had Crohn’s Disease that was chronic. These are killers for obtaining individual health insurance coverage in the marketplace.  I was sick and felt deserted by my denomination.  We were the doughnut-hole generation in the PCA.  It seemed to me that the PCA could spend millions of dollars on missions but would not provide a group health insurance avenue to take care of the older and sick ministers in her own household.  It was a matter of priorities.  Being ordained in the old PCUS denomination, I remember the ample medical benefits for ministers.  My wife worked as a secretary at a Methodist Church to help put our children through college.  Both the PCUS (now the PCUSA) and the Methodist Church take care of their ministers.

After the notice of the demise of the PCA Plan, I remember applying for membership in one of the Christian Share ministries, only to find that my wife and I were ineligible.  It was only for the healthy.  It appeared at that particular time in our lives that my wife and I were uninsurable.  By God’s grace a former member of the IAR Board who was an insurance broker was able to get our small PCA group into a Blue Cross/ Blue Shield Plan of Alabama.  I don’t know how he did it, but we were very grateful.  Since we went in as a group, pre-existing conditions were not considered.  However, it was a one-size fits all plan and therefore the insurance was very expensive.

When I retired last year, I was paying health insurance premiums of more than $1500 per month for me and my wife.  With deductibles and co-pays, I was paying over $20,000 per year for basic medical coverage. That was a big chunk of change for a small church preacher.

In my early sixties I had a detached retina in my right eye and after six surgeries; I lost my eyesight in that eye.  Then a few years later I was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  Without health insurance, I would surely have gone bankrupt

Because of poor health and some other factors I decided to retire just short of 65.  I was tired physically.  The stress of being a pastor while being sick was too much.  I could not handle it anymore.   I was eligible for Social Security, but I still needed health insurance.

Thank God for Medicare!  I paid into the system all of my working years and at 65 years of age it was there for me.  Yes indeed, it may go bankrupt (and yes indeed, it is not the responsibility of the state), but I leave that in the hands of God.   It’s inexpensive compared to what I was paying, and with a small supplemental insurance policy, I am able to pay for most of my medical bills and prescriptions.   I still have to live with my physical maladies every day, but at least I don’t have to worry about affording health insurance.

The biggest draw for Obamacare is that a person cannot be rejected for coverage because of any pre-existing conditions.  The additional cost will be shared by everyone else – by force!  Yes, it is indeed socialism.  It is a type of tyranny.  However, health insurance companies do not accept you with pre-existing conditions.   Neither do the Christian Share Ministries.    If you work for most large corporations or big government, they will help you with medical insurance premiums, but for the small guy, the self-employed, and the elderly small church preacher in the PCA, they have it tough.  Maybe the answer is to encourage the church to get back in the ministry of medical charity.    We have too many gymnasiums (family life centers) and too little diaconal ministries.  The Church used to take care of the sick and she may be called upon to do it again in the future.   In the meantime, thank God for Medicare!

Larry E. Ball is an Honorably Retired Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America and a CPA. He lives in Kingsport, Tennessee.