Mike Conway (Credit: Colorado Division of Insurance)
Colorado has joined the list of states that are objecting to Aliera Healthcare Inc.'s approach to the health care sharing ministry market.
Michael Conway, Colorado's insurance commissioner, has filed a cease-and-desist order against Aliera and an Aliera partner company, Trinity Healthshare Inc.
Trinity runs a health care sharing ministry program.
Aliera has been marketing health care sharing plans from Trinity throughout the country.
Conway contends that the Trinity program looks like health insurance, is health insurance under Colorado law, and is being sold without Aliera or Trinity meeting Colorado's requirements for health insurance issuers or distributors.
The Colorado Division of Insurance has received consumer complaints against Aliera and Trinity's business transactions and products, according to the cease-and-desist order.
Washington state regulators issued a similar order earlier this month.
The Texas Department of Insurance announced in July that it had filed a lawsuit against Aliera in June, and that Aliera had agreed not to write new business in Texas until the case was resolved.
Insurance regulators in another state, New Hampshire, issued an alert in May advising consumers that Aliera might be operating illegally in New Hampshire.
