A Christian Worldview: How Can a Christian Think About Health Benefits?

Published: 7/28/2025

Introduction: A Theology of Everything

I believe in a theology of everything. What does that mean? It means that no matter how small or obscure we should seek to let the Bible guide our life and practice in everything. This is also called a Biblical Worldview, that you see the world around you through the lens of the Bible.

The question I asked when starting Imago Dei Insurance Advisors was: How would a Christian worldview impact or change the healthcare industry, specifically health benefits?

Now you may think “I don’t remember any verse in the Bible talking about health insurance?” And you would be correct. However, the Bible while not exhaustive, is sufficient. Meaning that the Bible doesn’t tell us in detail about health insurance, but it does give principles that we can use to form a Biblical framework to think about health insurance.

Taking Inventory: The Current System

Before we walk down that path, let us complete an overview of the state of healthcare and health insurance in America. Our healthcare system is broken but broken because it operates as it is designed. It incentivizes greed, fraud, waste, and corruption. Since ACA was introduced in 2014 the industry has seen a sudden spike in cost. Why? Part of Obamacare was the inclusion of a max cap (MLR or Medical Loss Ratio) of 15% that insurance carriers could claim as profit. Why is this a bad thing? Well, now it removes any chance of them lowering premiums because they would lose money. Premiums for the consumer are revenue for the insurance carrier. While the idea was noble to try to stop greed, it actually just produced more.

There is also a second tier of incentives that exists, which also causes a problem. The way a medical practice is run is based on the number of people the practice can see in a day. The medical office can only charge for seeing a customer. Well, how does the practice make more money? It needs to see more people, or it needs to charge for more items. In time, this leads to jamming 10 clients into an hour, with the doctor running in and out of appointments with no time to diagnose your issue. This leads to terrible customer service and a lack of true care for the client by adding treatments that are unnecessary. This also creates a system that incentivizes you to be sick, not healthy. If you are healthy, you will not be coming into the office, hence no more money. This can lead to all sorts of evil when unchecked.

A Christian Worldview: Health Benefits

So how does a Christian think through this issue? If a Christian were to step into this space and seek to make change and an impact, what would they do? Now, many Christians are already doing this and taking a swing at the problem. One individual to call out is the late Marshall Allen, a former pastor turned investigative journalist who saw the problem in healthcare firsthand and dedicated his life to helping people stand up for themselves against the broken system. He looked at how individuals can protect themselves and seek justice when over billed (Find his book: Never Pay the First Bill).

Imago Dei Insurance Advisors is taking on this problem from the standpoint of employee benefits. Why? Almost 55% of all Americans have insurance through an employer. This means that a huge area of influence on the healthcare system is coming from employers. There are over 5 million small businesses in the US and about 57% of them have 5 employees or less. This means small businesses have tremendous sway in changing the future outlook of health insurance. Without the buy-in of small businesses the current system would collapse. The other reason is out of need. 2/3 of all bankruptcies are from medical debt and over 75% of those who filed for bankruptcy had insurance at the time of the medical bill. These problems create a space for reformation.

So, what does an employee benefits plan look like through a Christian worldview?

First, some guiding principles. The Christian is to seek to honor Christ in every sphere of life. We are to love God with our entire heart, soul, and mind (Matt 22:37). And we are also to live out the second great command of loving our neighbor (Matt 22:39). Now, if we are to remedy the current healthcare situation we are to seek the truth. God is a God of truth and likewise we are to speak the truth and pursue the truth. When it comes to insurance a major issue is transparency. The system is built on a mirage and if we are to get to the bottom of this, we must demand price transparency. This comes in the form of plan designs where we receive data to understand our circumstances, to work with vendors who are being honest and transparent in their dealings, and with advisors who will provide that transparency insight for you. This is the pursuit of truth in healthcare.

Second, if we are to truly love our neighbor it means we are doing what we can to seek the best for our clients and their employees. The current system in the medical industry does not provide care that is acceptable. A way to circumvent this issue is in the form of a movement called Direct Primary Care. This form of care is a subscription-based model that incentivizes the medical practitioner to keep you healthy. The best client is the one they never have to see. Like a gym member who keeps paying the fee but never goes to the gym. DPC is 24/7 care, removes the need for urgent care, is available for next day appointments, and can handle most medical needs in house. These are all included in the monthly price. This creates an environment where the medical practitioner will only give you treatments that are medically necessary and will do what they can to get you as healthy as possible. A healthy client is the best client. While doctors are not to blame for the way the system is rigged, we must also reward those who are willing to step out in faith and right the wrongs of the system by becoming DPC practices.

Third, we want to see care for the entire body. God has given us bodies and we are to steward this resource to glorify God in any way we can (1 Cor 3:16–17; 6:19–20). This means we care about our health since we are stewards of our bodies. We care about overall wellness. This requires proactive care for the body in the form of diet and exercise. The inclusion of wellness programs that incentivize employees to take care of themselves leads to a less expensive plan in the long term and also helps us care for this gift God has given us: our body.

The last item we will discuss is justice. Biblical justice seeks to enact equal weights and measures. The very idea of justice comes from the very character of God (Isa 30:18) and we are commanded to “act justly” (Micah 6:8). How the largest insurance carriers, biggest pharmacies and hospital systems work, there is a lack of justice. These entities are making big money at the expense of ordinary people. Because we believe that all people are made in the image of God, we believe that all people have an inherent value and worth (Gen 1:27). People matter and we want to care for them, not exploit them. We should do all we can to put people into plan designs that are going to highlight honesty, integrity, justice, and true care for people.

Conclusion: Risk and Change

At Imago Dei Insurance Advisors, we are going to ask you to do things that may be different and may not go with the traditional understanding of health benefits. This is because we ultimately love our neighbors and want to do what is best for them and pleasing to our Lord. The benefit is when we walk in a way that pleases the Lord, we also find that it is a better way. Our solutions tend to be 20%- 40% less expensive to the employer and provide an even better medical health plan for the employee. This is a win-win for the entire company. As a business owner, you are to steward well what you have which means take the greatest care of your employees and your own body. Find plan designs that will be the best for your employees. If you need help evaluating your current plan or incorporating some of these items, reach out to an advisor who is aligned with you and your core values and beliefs.