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In what is first for a health insurance policy, <keyword id="6369255" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Apollo-Munich">Apollo Munich</keyword>’s new policy would also be covering the costs of illnesses that are treated abroad. 
Apollo Munich is all set to launch Critical Advantage, a new health policy which covers eight critical illnesses that are treated abroad. Under the new policy, the insured people will be paid for travel and accommodation expenses for themselves and one person accompanying them, along with the cost of the treatment. 
 
The new policy comes as a rider with Optima Restore or Easy Health policy of above 10 lakh and is available for a sum assured either of Rs 1.5 or Rs 3 crore. 
 "While people have this fear of how to choose the best healthcare facility, they also wonder how to fund their travel cost," Antony Jacob, CEO, <keyword id="498413" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Apollo-Munich-Health-Insurance">Apollo Munich Health Insurance</keyword>, told ET. 
 
"There are instances when Indians choose to travel for treatment, but accommodation for the accompanying family members becomes a big concern," he said. 
 
The illnesses covered under the new policy are cancer, heart replacement or repair, bone marrow transplant, neurosurgery, coronary artery bypass surgery, pulmonary artery graft surgery and aorta graft surgery under the cashless scheme. 
 
The insurer will also be providing assistance in determining treatment, travel and accommodation of the insured person. There is a second opinion option also included in the plan. 
 
<a href="https://yt3.ggpht.com/-zTgJo3wkBDo/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAAA/dHQ0qwW5J0U/s900-c-k-no/photo.jpg">Image source</a>

Apollo Munich announces new insurance policy to cover overseas treatment

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An albino alligator was found in an American traveler's suitcase last month, German officials said.</li><li>The three-foot reptile was swaddled in cling wrap, with only a hole left for its nostrils.</li></ul>Customs authorities said they found a rare albino alligator in the suitcase of an American businessman in Munich Airport last month.The Munich customs office said the three-foot long alligator is now healthy and being cared for, according to an October 13 statement seen by Insider.Airport staff noticed the alligator when the suitcase was put through an X-ray scanner, per officials. The security staff called customs officers and a veterinarian, who freed the animal, the statement said.The alligator had been bundled in cling wrap, with a hole cut through the film near its snout so it could breathe, per <a href="https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/muenchen-flughafen-alligator-folie-schmuggel-1.5674026">Munich-based newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitun</a>g. According to the outlet, the animal's life had been in "acute danger" and the veterinarian administered treatment to the alligator.German authorities have launched criminal proceedings against the 42-year-old man traveling with the alligator, on suspicion of him violating local <a href="https://www.zoll.de/EN/Businesses/Movement-of-goods/Transit/Restrictions/Species-protection/species-protection_node.html">species protection</a> and <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/statute/germany-cruelty-german-animal-welfare-act">animal welfare</a> laws, the outlet wrote.He was allowed to fly to his destination — Singapore — but was first required to make a five-digit security deposit and surrender his mobile phone in Munich, Süddeutsche Zeitung reported. Munich authorities said there has been no information on whether the passenger intended to smuggle the alligator, Singapore-based newspaper <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/rare-alligator-found-in-man-s-luggage-before-munich-s-pore-flight">The Straits Times reported.</a>As for the alligator, it's currently being cared for at a reptile sanctuary, the Munich customs office said in its statement.Customs officials said an albino alligator can fetch prices of up to $75,000 in some regions, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung. One animal expert told The Straits Times that the animal can be sold for up to $1.4 million on the black market.Asia is the illegal reptile trade's main destination or transit destination, with China and Malaysia being the top two countries where live reptiles are seized after being transported from overseas, according to the <a href="https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/wildlife/2020/WWLC20_Chapter_5_Reptiles.pdf">latest World Wildlife Crime Report</a> by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, or UNODC.Notably, alligators aren't among the top 10 species traded on the black market, with crocodilians making up only 7.6% of reptiles seized, per the UNODC.

An American man tried to bring a live alligator onto a flight in his suitcase, but he was caught before boarding in Munich Airport

Many <keyword id="35450" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="insurance">insurance</keyword> companies are offering maternity covers as a part of their regular health policies these days. Earlier, maternity benefits were extended only as a part of employers’ corporate health insurance policies. 
 However, companies like ICICI Lombard, <keyword id="6395721" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Max-Bupa">Max Bupa</keyword> and <keyword id="6369255" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Apollo-Munich">Apollo Munich</keyword> have started offering this cover, with sub-limits ranging from Rs 15,000-50,000. However, these products are costly and have a long waiting period of up to six years. 
 
Does it make sense to buy them? “Individuals can buy maternity cover if their employer’s insurance doesn’t cover it. Even selfemployed people should consider buying it. However, they should evaluate whether the cost and waiting period, after which such a cover is available, are reasonable,” says Arvind Laddha, CEO, Vantage Insurance Brokers. 
 
What Does it Cover? 
 
Maternity cover takes care of expenses related to delivery (normal and caesarean section) or the lawful medical termination of pregnancy during the policy period. However, there could be conditions limiting the number of deliveries or terminations, either during the lifetime of the insured person or the policy period, says Antony Jacob, CEO of health insurer Apollo Munich. Pre and post-natal expenses per delivery or termination are also covered. 
 
Depending on the insurer and the product variant, WHO-approved vaccinations and medical treatment for the new born till 90 days or the next renewal will also be paid for. If your policy entitles you to daily cash hand-outs, you can use it to take care of your sundry expenses too. “If the insured person chooses the room type wisely, an additional sum as daily hospital cash can be used for other related expenses like medicines,” says Jacob. 
 
According to Max Bupa, a rise in maternity claims points to the relevance of the policy. “We have noted an almost 50% increase in claims related to maternity in the last year. 
 
Coverage for maternity-related expenses is gaining importance with increase in medical costs as well as maternal age and greater incidence of lifestyle diseases that may lead to complications at the time of pregnancy,” says Manasije Mishra, CEO, Max Bupa. 
 
Sanjay Datta, chief, underwriting and claims, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, also believes that the policy is worth its premium because “it not just takes care of the hospitalisation costs, but also the insured’s pre and post-natal expenses.” 
 
The company’s claim figures indicate a sharp increase in maternity claims in 2013. 
 
While delivery-related claims went up by 36.52% from 2012, claims paid out for treatment of complications in new born babies shot up by nearly 46%. 
 
Read the Fine Print 
 
“Generally, maternity covers are restricted to maximum 10% of the overall sum insured and the cover is available only in the third year of continuous coverage. Waiting periods extend to over two years. The insured should evaluate whether the premium is worth the benefit of taking this cover,” says Laddha. 
 
Prospective buyers should examine sub-limits, or ceiling, for maternity cover closely. Most insurers impose caps of Rs 15,000-25,000 for normal deliveries and Rs 30,000-Rs 50,000 for Caesarean section deliveries. 
 
Similarly, admissible preand post-natal expenses, too, could be limited to Rs 1,500-5,000. Waiting period — when maternity benefits are not paid — usually ranges from two to six years. “If the waiting period is low, there is a higher cost associated with the plan,” says Jacob. 
 
Policies that offer maternity covers are still costlier than regular ones. For example, under Max Bupa’s family floater product, the annual premium for a 30-year-old woman seeking a cover of Rs 5 lakh with maternity benefits will be Rs 14,816 (in a family of two adults). Without this component, it will be cheaper by around Rs 2,000-3,000. Similarly, in case of ICICI Lombard, the floater cover without maternity benefits will be cheaper by around Rs 7,000, while the difference is Rs 1,000 under Apollo Munich’s individual policy.

With Rising Costs, It May Pay To Buy A Separate Maternity Cover

<keyword id="35450" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="insurance">Insurance</keyword> companies are gradually warming up to the idea of offering specially-designed health insurance policies to individuals with health conditions such as <keyword id="6359018" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="diabetes">diabetes</keyword> and hypertension, among others. 
 Recently, standalone health insurer <keyword id="6369255" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Apollo-Munich">Apollo Munich</keyword> launched a health insurance plan specifically targeted at individuals suffering from diabetes and hypertension, among other conditions. 
 In August, New India Assurance had announced that it would not charge additional premium for those suffering from diabetes and hypertension at the time of buying its regular <keyword id="28351" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="policy">policy</keyword>. Star Health had introduced products aimed at HIVpositive individuals and those suffering from diabetes much earlier. 
 
However, the big question is whether one should sign up for these special plans or settle for regular insurance plans with extra premium and/or restrictions on pre-existing diseases. “Illness-specific plans are not meant to cover those who can obtain regular covers. Only those insurance-seekers who are not eligible for regular health policies will evince interest in them,” Antony Jacob, CEO, Apollo Munich Insurance. 
 
Regular health insurance policies do extend coverage to pre-existing ailments, but only after a waiting period ranging of up to four years. The focussed covers, on the other hand, eliminate the waiting period. 
 
However, they impose other restrictions like co-pay — where the policyholder has to share the claim burden, and sub-limits on room rent. They may also specify the treatment expenses covered. Apollo Munich’s product requires policyholders to either accept the co-pay clause or pay a higher premium. 
 Such plans also specify the degree of ailment’s progression or type. For instance, these plans do not cover Type I diabetes. Similarly, the plan meant for HIV-positive individuals will not be extended if their CD 4 count at the time of entry is lower than 350. “Even regular policies sell covers to individuals with pre-existing ailments, provided they are perceived as low risk. Only those individuals whose illness has reached a degree where they fall in the highrisk category will be denied a regular cover. Such illness-specific plans may be more suited to the latter category,” says Sanjay Datta, chief, underwriting and claims, <keyword id="144335" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="ICICI-Lombard-General">ICICI Lombard General</keyword> Insurance. 
 
Article Courtesy: www.economictimes.com

Health insurance: Should one go for disease-specific cover or a regular policy

<keyword id="156025" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Medical-Tourism">Medical tourism</keyword> is the latest trend that has taken over the private sector <keyword id="6354525" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Healthcare">healthcare</keyword> in India. Plush rooms that give you feel of a five star hotels, <keyword id="46484" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rolls-Royce">Rolls-Royce</keyword> to travel in, food court, in house cinema lounge…they have all that one can imagine and ask for. 
 It is healthcare firms like <keyword id="161042" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fortis-Healthcare-Ltd">Fortis Healthcare Ltd</keyword>, <keyword id="737148" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Apollo-Hospitals-Enterprise-Ltd">Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd</keyword> and <keyword id="6382949" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Medanta">Medanta</keyword> that have either constructed or advanced the facilities to provide its consumers with the high-end services. And <keyword id="6355988" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Assocham">ASSOCHAM</keyword> believes, this business could grow as much as 20% a year and have the potential to become a $125 billion market in another two years. Strong demand of quality medical services has given a boom to the market and overseas competitors including Dubai-based <keyword id="2014913" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aster-DM-Healthcare">Aster DM Healthcare</keyword> and <keyword id="2872810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ABV-Group">ABV Group</keyword> too are investing aggressively in India. 
 
"The fact that you actually come for surgery or medical treatment would be an incidental part of the experience," ABV Group Chief Executive Advet Bhambhani told Reuters. 
 
ABV, one of the biggest performers is planning to invest $78 million to smarten up the hotels and to provide Rolls-Royce to the patients. Not just this, but there are special packages in which you can include site-seeing along with the surgical treatments. 
 Coming back to the Delhi based <keyword id="2872812" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fortis-Memorial-hospital">Fortis Memorial Hospital</keyword>, which is equipped with an in-house cinema lounge and food court and is promising to provide top-notch services to its consumers. On the other hand we have Kerala based Aster Medcity, a 575-bed hospital which have warm lighting and hardwood floors that gives the patients feel of a luxury hotel room. 
 
The medical tourism sector is expected to grow to $10.3 billion in 2020, from $2.8 billion now, consultancy PwC says. A 2014 study by consultants KPMG ranks India as the third top Asian destination for medical tourists after Thailand and Singapore, with 25% growth a year, outstripping the 16% growth in Thailand, said the report published in ET. 
 
Image: thinkstock

How about a Rolls Royce ambulance or a fine dining restaurant in a hospital! Welcome to 5-star healthcare in India

An <keyword id="2881999" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Express-Scripts-Holding-Co-">Express Scripts Holding Co.</keyword> executive wanted to secure inexpensive versions of <keyword id="226959" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Gilead-Sciences-Inc-">Gilead Sciences Inc.</keyword>’s <keyword id="61391" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Hepatitis-C">hepatitis C</keyword> drug Sovaldi for patients in the U.S. The Indian drug was unavailable for them under federal drug import and patent laws. 
 

	Know what he planned to secure the drug for US citizens and hurdles involved in it. Dock a cruise ship flying an Indian flag off the coast of <keyword id="15641" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Miami">Miami</keyword>. Stock the ship with Sovaldi sold in India for $83,000 less than the US retail price for 12 weeks of treatment. Ferry US patients to the boat and send them home with the potentially life-saving medicines at a huge discount. 
	 

	But there was a problem in his plan as it would probably violate US drug reimportation laws that limit the value of drugs brought into the country to $1,500 — the price of one-and-a-half Sovaldi tablets in the US, Steve Miller, chief medical officer at Express Scripts, told Bloomberg in an interview.
 

	"I was trying to be as creative as possible," Miller said. "This is what the market is demanding, this level of creativity that almost borders on the ridiculous." Miller quickly dropped the drug boat scheme, but he says he is still searching for creative ways to save money on the $84,000 Sovaldi, which Express Scripts stopped covering for many patients this year because of the cost. 
	 

	He isn't alone. A cottage industry of drug distributors, medical tourism agencies and consultants is emerging to offer patients in the US and other developed countries cheap copies of Sovaldi from countries where it is sold for 1% of the US price.

	Now read why the patients need the drug desperately. 
	 

	High interest 
	 

	"I know people who have hepatitis C and the only thing they can think about is getting this drug," said Jonathan Edelheidt, chief executive officer of the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida-based Medical Tourism Association, who said his group's members are gearing up to help patients start travelling to lower-cost countries to buy the drug. "There is definitely a high interest in going abroad." <keyword id="2881996" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Health-Flight-Solutions">Health Flight Solutions</keyword>, an Orlando, Florida, company that provides technology services to medical tourism agencies, is putting together a network of foreign doctors and hospitals willing to prescribe the drug to US patients, said CEO Anuja Agrawal. She said her company is working with the generic manufacturers to verify that the hospitals in her network aren't getting counterfeit drugs. 
	 

	Modern facility When Greg Jefferys, a 61-year-old historian from Australia landed in India earlier this month, a mutual acquaintance referred him to a doctor at <keyword id="51046" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Apollo-Hospital">Apollo Hospital</keyword> in Chennai, he said. The doctor he saw was trained in the UK and had practised for years in London. He charged $20 for the appointment. 
	 

	To buy the drugs, his doctor referred him to a drug distributor who works for Mylan, one of the licensed generic manufacturers. The distributor, located on the top floor of a house with boxes scattered about, sold him the full course of treatment for $1,000 — the price of one pill in Australia and the US. The flight, hotel and transportation were an additional $2,000. 
	 

	Counter measures 
	 

	Gilead has put some measures in place to try to prevent the drug from being sold outside the low-income countries, like requiring the products have a unique trade name and asking the generic companies to try to ensure patients have a valid prescription. But Gilead doesn't require patients to show proof of citizenship, which could make it more difficult for patients in the poorer countries to get access, and there is little it can do to stop patients from buying medicine online or travelling overseas, said Gregg Alton, Gilead's executive vice president of corporate and medical affairs. 
	 

	Dark web The drug is also showing up for sale alongside illegal goods and narcotics on the dark Web, which can only be accessed through identity-hiding software. Cyber security analysts at data security firm <keyword id="2881998" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Dell-Secure-Works">Dell Secure Works</keyword> found drugs that the seller claimed were <keyword id="6357157" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Cipla">Cipla</keyword> generics of Sovaldi for sale for $1,031. The seller says it ships worldwide, including to the US and Europe, and takes payment in Bitcoins. 
	(Image: Indiatimes)

Wanted! American asks for ‘Made in India’ hepatitis drug for just 1% of its cost

<div class="KonaFilter image-container lead-image-small lead-image-large"><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://davemosher.com">Dave Mosher/Insider</a>NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine.</div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>NASA administrator <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/jim-bridenstine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jim Bridenstine</a> gave a speech in February at a Christian ministry's fundraising dinner, which advertised $10,000-a-table sponsorships.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NASA</a> said Bridenstine was approved to attend the event in his official capacity.</li><li>Bridenstine expressed his support for the ministry and its mission, saying he likes the idea of "institutional" but not "influential" separation of church and state.</li><li>Some government-ethics experts said Bridenstine's speech ran afoul of the First Amendment of the US Constitution.</li><li>But a representative of a Christian nonprofit said Bridenstine "didn't cross the line" because he didn't overtly establish a government religion.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.</a></li></ul>NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine gave a stirring speech on February 12 before a Christian ministry at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California.The event was a fundraiser for Capitol Ministries, a nonprofit group that aims to influence "every strata of government" with evangelical teachings of the Bible.During his roughly 25-minute speech, large portions of which Business Insider listened to, Bridenstine contrasted the harrowing failures of NASA's Apollo program with the agency's ultimate success: the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moon-missions-why-astronauts-have-not-returned-2018-7">first crewed lunar missions</a>. He also explained how <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/earth-is-heaven-james-lovell-lunar-astronaut-2017-3">Apollo 8 astronauts</a> read Bible verses while orbiting the moon and described how Buzz Aldrin took Holy Communion after the Apollo 11 mission <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/space-history-achievements-since-apollo-8-moon-flight-2018-12">landed on the lunar surface</a>.This much might be expected from a NASA administrator using his position to connect with a religious audience. Former heads of the space agency occasionally took a similar approach.But some ethics and legal experts outside NASA have expressed concern over Bridenstine's speech. They believe it ran afoul of the establishment clause of the First Amendment, which outlines a separation of church and state, and might have also violated ethics rules for federal executives.At issue are portions of Bridenstine's speech that these experts claim endorse Capitol Ministries and its religious message. Toward the end of his talk, for example, the NASA administrator echoed words that the group's founder, Ralph Drollinger, had said in a previous speech."I love what Ralph said earlier: We're not trying to Christianize the US government. We believe in an institutional separation, but we also believe in influence," Bridenstine said. "And that's a big distinction and an important distinction, and that's why I love this ministry."According to Craig Holman, a government-ethics lobbyist at the nonprofit consumer-advocacy organization Public Citizen, that statement is "a fairly obvious endorsement of a specific religion and a specific church."If Bridenstine had made these and other statements as a private citizen, Holman said, he'd have no objection. But Business Insider confirmed with NASA that Bridenstine was speaking officially as the agency's administrator, a top-level representative of the US government. Because of this, Holman said, the statements constitute "federal resources being spent to promote a specific church" - and that, he and others argue, is unconstitutional.Virginia Canter, the chief ethics counsel at the group Citizens for Responsible Ethics, said Bridenstine might have also violated sections of the executive branch's <a href="https://www.justice.gov/jmd/principles-ethical-conduct" target="_blank" rel="noopener">standards of conduct</a>."One's personal beliefs must be respected, but when appearing in an official capacity, you have to adhere to certain ethical standards," Canter, who worked as a US government-ethics official for more than 20 years, told Business Insider. "One is not to give the impression that you are officially endorsing any products or service or enterprise."But some advocates for religious freedom disagree, arguing that the Constitution allows federal officials to freely express their religious beliefs as long as they do not overtly try to establish a government religion.<h2>'We're not trying to Christianize America'</h2>On its <a href="https://capmin.org/ministries/washington-dc/white-house-cabinet-sponsors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, Capitol Ministries says nine of 15 members in President Donald Trump's cabinet are sponsors of the ministry's Bible studies. In his speech, Bridenstine called Capitol Ministries' work "critically important" for "the members of this administration."The portion of Drollinger's speech to which Bridenstine referred, in context, was this:"Now we're not trying to Christianize America - I know that the secular media often says, 'Yeah, Ralph's a Christian nationalist - he's trying to change America into a theocracy.' We believe in an institutional separation, but we don't believe in influential separation. So we're all about trying to influence believers and unbelievers with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We could not change our political democratic structure as it now stands. And when you meet with the cabinet members every week at Bible study, they get suspicious of you. So be praying in that regard: That our ministries, not only overseas, but in America, in our state capitals, as well as in local government will all continue to grow."In addition to highlighting the idea of "institutional separation" without "influential separation," Bridenstine said he disagreed with the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals' 2002 decision that requiring a student to say "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional. In that case (Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow), the court decided the words violated the establishment clause in the First Amendment.Bridenstine said the case for keeping "under God" in the pledge was lost because lawyers defending its use "did not make the argument" that removing it would, in his view, establish that "our national religion is atheism." (The US Supreme Court <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2003/02-1624" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reversed the decision</a> in 2004 on a procedural matter.)<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Mike Segar/ReutersSupporters of then-presidential nominee Donald Trump recite the US Pledge of Allegiance at a campaign rally.</div></div></div>"I can tell you as a former member of the House of Representatives that there are all kinds of incentives to have the right people do the wrong thing," Bridenstine said. "They are all over Washington, DC."He added: "The question is this: How do we get the right people to do the right thing? The way to do that is you look inside your heart and you spend time with like-minded believers in the scripture and praying and looking really for who you are."I am a beneficiary of this ministry, and so are so many others in Washington, DC - both when I was in the House, and, of course, now being a part of the administration," Bridenstine said in his speech. "Thank you all for what you do, because this ministry is important for our country. God bless you."<h2>'This is not permissible'</h2>The establishment clause says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." And it "prohibits government actions that unduly favor one religion over another," according to <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/establishment_clause" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cornell Law School</a>.Bob Jacobs, NASA's deputy administrator for communications, confirmed that Bridenstine attended Capitol Ministries' dinner in his official capacity and received clearance to do so from the agency's Office of General Counsel. He said the office usually does not review the content of speeches.Holman said this official distinction is precisely the reason he believes the speech "runs afoul of the establishment clause.""This is not permissible," Holman said. "If he had done it in a private capacity, it would have been OK. He could have said whatever he wanted. But it began as an official speech. Had he mentioned other religions every once in a while, it would have been OK. But toward the end of his speech he really promoted a specific church."Holman said he sees the incident as part of "the ongoing abuses of public office by Trump appointees."The White House declined to comment on this and other information in this story.Federal officials routinely attend nonsecular events. Jacobs said "it is not unusual for the NASA administrator to be invited to and speak to religious organizations," but he added that administrators "still have to meet the standards of ethical conduct and employees have to act impartially and not give preferential treatment to any private organization or individual."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Mike Brown/ReutersNASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.</div></div></div>Ryan Jayne, a staff attorney with the Freedom from Religion Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates church-state separation, told Business Insider that Bridenstine's speech struck him as "really alarming.""It appears Bridenstine has been convinced that the government promoting religion generally, or even promoting Christianity in particular, is acceptable. This is inaccurate and subjects NASA to legal liability," Jayne said. "He's specifically saying, 'This ministry is having a major influence in my decision-making as a government administrator.'"<h2>Speeches at fundraisers come with 'trip wires'</h2>Flyers and emails that Capitol Ministries distributed ahead of the event at which Bridenstine spoke advertised packages ranging from $125-per-plate tickets to $10,000-per-table sponsorships with a VIP "meet-and-greet." The marketing materials advertised the attendance of "NASA Director" Jim Bridenstine.Government officials' speeches at such fundraisers often "raise red flags" for government lawyers because of the increased potential for violating ethics rules, Canter said."Speeches at fundraising events are one of the most sensitive types of speeches you can give. ... There are all these trip wires," Canter said. "You also can't be using it as a vehicle to officially promote or endorse the particular entity. This speech certainly gets close to the line if it doesn't cross the line."In the portions of Bridenstine's speech heard by Business Insider, the administrator did not instruct the audience to donate money or other resources to Capitol Ministries. Doing so would have violated <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/standards_of_ethical_conduct_for_employees_of_the_executive_branch_2017.pdf">ethics rules</a> that deal with federal employees' <a href="https://www.doi.gov/ethics/use-of-your-public-office" target="_blank" rel="noopener">use of office for private gain</a> (including endorsement) and <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=1c942421292dccc90d35ec4d103ab76f&amp;mc=true&amp;node=pt5.3.2635&amp;rgn=div5#se5.3.2635_1808" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fundraising activities</a>.Canter said "everyone is entitled to their personal beliefs," but because NASA authorized Bridenstine to give an official speech, some of the comments he made "could be read by some as an endorsement - as a government official's endorsement - of this particular ministry."Given Bridenstine's former job as a congressman, for whom some ethics rules are different and often more lax (<a href="https://ethics.house.gov/gifts/gift-exceptions-0/charity-fundraising-events" target="_blank" rel="noopener">overt fundraising</a> for nonprofits is permitted), it's possible that any transgression - perceived or real - was accidental."He may have just gotten carried away with his remarks, but he's the head of an agency. He's the head of NASA, speaking as an official. With that privilege comes a responsibility to comply with the ethics rules," Canter said.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Bill Ingalls/NASA/ReutersNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.</div></div></div>Business Insider asked Bridenstine for comment via a NASA representative, but the agency did not provide a statement from its administrator.<h2>'He didn't cross the line'</h2>Capitol Ministries said Bridenstine was simply sharing his Christian faith at the dinner, calling it "hardly unusual," given the long history of public officials expressing their beliefs."The First Amendment protects such speech, and nothing in Mr. Bridenstine's words 'established' a government religion or suggested that citizens would be compelled to participate in religion in any way," Capitol Ministries said in an email, adding that its goal "is working to reach the hearts of individuals for Christ within existing government systems and without treasonous desires or plans to change their structures."Capitol Ministries put Business Insider in touch with John Bursch, the vice president of appellate advocacy at Alliance Defending Freedom. (The nonprofit group <a href="https://www.adflegal.org/about-us/who-we-are" target="_blank" rel="noopener">describes</a> its work as defending "religious freedom, sanctity of life, and marriage and family," and it has <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/07/24/alliance-defending-freedom-through-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">litigated</a> court cases against what its founder has called "the homosexual agenda.")Bursch said Bridenstine made no foul with his speech, citing the <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlevi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"no religious test" clause</a> in the Constitution."Someone can speak in public office as a Christian, evangelize as a Christian, et cetera, so long as they don't cross the line and try to make the agency a religious entity that compels or coerces others to have the same beliefs," Bursch said. "Was it close to the line? Maybe. But he didn't cross the line."But Jayne contends that any comments about Bridenstine's rights as a private individual "are beside the point because anything he's saying in this speech is being said on behalf of NASA."He added, "small establishment-clause violations that go unchallenged can become the justification for bigger violations down the road."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Brian Snyder/ReutersA couple sits under the words of the First Amendment of the US Constitution at the US Federal Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts.</div></div></div><h2>What happens when a federal official 'steps in it'</h2>It's unclear whether the government will investigate Bridenstine's speech.Speaking generally about NASA's ethics procedures, though, Jacobs said avenues exist for complaints to be <a href="https://oig.nasa.gov/hotline.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed anonymously</a>. (Holman said he thinks the Inspector General would likely find violations of the establishment clause in Bridenstine's speech.)Jacobs added there is "nothing that prohibits the administrator from sharing his personal story, his past experiences, and other facts about himself during a speech" and that "Jim often refers to his military service, his time leading the <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">science</keyword> museum, his time in Congress, his family, and his faith."Although Jacobs said he has seen employees "step in it" during his years at NASA, it's often an accident."I don't think anyone goes into something thinking that they're doing bad," Jacobs said. "But we've had instances where people have mistakenly used their official email address to send out emails for fundraisers, for either causes or political activities. And of course that's a no-no, and we'll go back and make sure that they don't do that anymore."When government-agency heads are found to violate rules, Canter said, "it's normally the president who would impose that disciplinary action." But she added that Trump's reaction to similar situations in the past suggests that if he were faced with that choice about Bridenstine's speech, he might simply let it go.Regardless of whether Bridenstine faces any consequences, Canter said, "it would seem that the NASA administrator would be well served by ethics officials if he was counseled on the need to avoid using his public office to endorse a private enterprise when engaging in official activities."Are you a current or former space-industry employee with a story or information to share? Send Dave Mosher <a href="mailto:dmosher+tips@insider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an email</a> or consider more secure options <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/dave-mosher" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed here</a>. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/map-shows-how-religion-spread-around-the-world-2017-4">This animated map shows how religion spread across the world</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

NASA's administrator lavishly praised an influential Evangelical ministry during its $10,000-a-table fundraiser. Some experts say his speech violated the Constitution.

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NASA's administrator lavishly praised an influential Evangelical ministry during its $10,000-a-table fundraiser. Some experts say his speech violated the Constitution.

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