Upstate Lawyers Sue National Health Insurer On Behalf Of Local Woman And SC Residents

March 27, 2023

SPARTANBURG, SC –

Local attorneys Pat Knie and Matt Shealy of Knie & Shealy Law Offices filed suit on February 1, 2023 in Federal Court against Liberty Health Share, a purportedly “Christian” alternative to traditional health insurance, and others, on behalf of a Gaffney resident and all SC residents for failing to pay bills, selling unlicensed insurance products, conversion, and a host of other illegal activities within South Carolina. The “Health Care Sharing Ministry,” by claiming not to be a health insurer despite clearly fitting the South Carolina definition, pitched itself to Christians and people skeptical of the federal government’s health insurance mandate. The health insurer also failed to disclose that its founders were involved in an earlier, similar scheme that devolved into what the Ohio Attorney General’s office called a “criminal scheme to defraud.” The others who have been sued were either the companies and individuals who siphoned money from Liberty or individuals involved in aiding and abetting the making of these illegal insurance contracts.
“We believe that our State has a number of statutes that will help us make the victims of this ridiculous Ponzi scheme whole again,” Knie said in announcing the lawsuit. Knie added that “the individuals behind this scheme, all of whom are friends, family members, and longtime business partners of Daniel Beers, have used the good, hard working, Christian people of the several states, to include South Carolina, as a piggy bank to finance a host of endeavors, to include a Marijuana farm in Oregon, a bank in Missouri, and a ranch in Ohio, despite insisting that Liberty’s members abstain from illegal drugs to avoid having their insurance canceled.” Knie closed by referring to an article published in February in which Beers claimed people had been chasing him “his entire life,” saying “they might have chased him, but we’ll catch him.”
Conservative estimates of the income of Liberty Health Share are $1.9 billion, with only about 56% of that being spent on member claims, according to information published by the Massachusetts Health Connector. In comparison, the Affordable Care Act requires 80% of each health insurance dollar be spent on member claims.
For more information, or if you are a current or former member or victim of Liberty in South Carolina, please contact Knie & Shealy at (864) 582-5118. You can find our complaint on PACER in the District of South Carolina at: 7:23-cv-0042-TMC