Nonprofit Religious Organizations

Florida Senate
-
2026

CS for CS for SB 834

By
the Committees on Rules; and Banking and Insurance; and
Senator Yarborough

595-02675-26 2026834c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to nonprofit religious organizations;
3 amending s. 624.1265, F.S.; revising the conditions
4 under which a nonprofit religious organization is not
5 subject to the requirements of the Florida Insurance
6 Code; requiring certain agents to provide a specified
7 written disclaimer on certain applications and
8 guideline materials; providing an effective date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 Section 1. Subsections (1) and (3) of section 624.1265,
13 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
14 624.1265 Nonprofit religious organization exemption;
15 authority; notice.—
16 (1) A nonprofit religious organization is not subject to
17 the requirements of the Florida Insurance Code if the nonprofit
18 religious organization:
19 (a) Qualifies under Title 26, s. 501 of the Internal
20 Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;
21 (b) Limits its participants to those members who share a
22 common set of ethical or religious beliefs;
23 (c) Acts as a facilitator among participants who have
24 financial, physical, or medical needs to assist those with
25 financial, physical, or medical needs in accordance with
26 criteria established by the nonprofit religious organization;
27 (d) Provides for the financial or medical needs of a
28 participant through contributions from other participants, or
29 through payments directly from one participant to another
30 participant;
31 (e) Provides amounts that participants may contribute, with
32 no assumption of risk and no promise to pay:
33 1. Among the participants; or
34 2. By the nonprofit religious organization to the
35 participants;
36 (f) Provides a monthly accounting to the participants of
37 the total dollar amount of qualified needs actually shared in
38 the previous month in accordance with criteria established by
39 the nonprofit religious organization;
and

40 (g) Conducts an annual audit that is performed by an
41 independent certified public accounting firm in accordance with
42 generally accepted accounting principles and that is made
43 available to the public by providing a copy upon request or by
44 posting on the nonprofit religious organization’s website
; and

45
(h) Does not market or sell health plans through agents

46
licensed by the department under chapter 626
.
47 (3) The nonprofit religious organization
, or any agent

48
licensed
by the department under chapter 626
which
markets or

49
facilitates

a health care sharing arrangement on behalf of the

50
nonprofit religious organization,
shall provide a written
51 disclaimer on or accompanying all applications and guideline
52 materials distributed by or on behalf of the nonprofit religious
53 organization. The disclaimer must read in substance: “Notice:
54 The organization facilitating the sharing of medical expenses is
55 not an insurance company, and neither its guidelines nor its
56 plan of operation is an insurance policy. Membership is not
57 offered through an insurance company, and the organization is
58 not subject to the regulatory requirements or consumer
59 protections of the Florida Insurance Code. Whether anyone
60 chooses to assist you with your medical bills will be totally
61 voluntary because no other participant is compelled by law to
62 contribute toward your medical bills. As such, participation in
63 the organization or a subscription to any of its documents
64 should never be considered to be insurance. Regardless of
65 whether you receive any payments for medical expenses or whether
66 this organization continues to operate, you are always
67 personally responsible for the payment of your own medical
68 bills.”
69 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.