The New Hampshire attorney general’s office is ordering a health care entity to immediately stop doing business in the state after it failed to properly register as a charitable organization.
The attorney general’s action comes a day after the Insurance Department also ordered Georgia-based Trinity HealthShare, along with another entity, Aliera Healthcare, to cease offering was it called “illegal health insurance” to customers in New Hampshire.
[Read NHPR’s previous coverage of this story here.]
Aliera markets and provides administrative services for Trinity, which functions as a health care sharing ministry. Members of health care sharing ministries pay monthly premiums, with the expectation that the money will be shared when medical bills arise. The programs are not considered health insurance, and have come under scrutiny by industry watchers because of a lack of oversight.
In New Hampshire, Trinity, through its contract with Aliera, serves approximately 1,400 customers.
In a letterdated October 31, the director of the state’s charitable trust unit informed Trinity that it is in violation of New Hampshire law for failing to register despite operating in the state.
“We call on Trinity HealthShare, Inc. to stop its operations in New Hampshire immediately. If it fails to do so, we will seek injunctive and monetary relief from the superior court,” writes Thomas Donovan, director of the charitable trust unit.
Trinity didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The entity is registered as a tax-exempt public charity with both the IRS and the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office.
The Insurance Department is advising Trinity’s members to purchase regulated insurance policies during the open enrollment period, which runs from November 1 through December 15.
Aliera has come under scrutiny for its business practices in a number of states, including Texas, Colorado and Washington. The company says it plans to appeal the Insurance Department’s cease and desist order.
