Name: ICHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-05T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-07T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Bourbonnais, IL

Tagged: health insurance, Samaritan Ministries

This topic has 28 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 6 months ago by Joshua Berg.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 29 total)

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July 8, 2014 at 1:07 pm
RobinP
Participant
Laws are changing and we will no longer be able to have our health insurance. We’ve been thinking about Samaritan Ministries for years. I found the thread from 10 months ago but checking here again to get any feedback on them. Many of the families in our former church were Samaritan users and were very pleased. Any other insights?
July 8, 2014 at 1:39 pm
momto2blessings
Participant
My hubby works for a non-profit and we had insurance through Samaritan for a year or two. This year they required us to purchase United and we were bummed. It’s costing us more $$! Hubby’s good friend is a lawyer very involved with Samaritan. He was actually active in helping get legislation passed to allow Samaritan to count as coverage under Obamacare(I believe initially it wouldn’t be considered coverage because not technically insurance).
We never needed to use it for anything. You pay your own Drs visits and anything under $300. They cover anything $300 or over. If there are multiple cheaper visits related to same incident that amount cumulatively to $300 plus they cover that too. Since we never had need to request $$ I can’t speak to that, but we have trust in the organization. When we had it they’d say coverage was at 80% or something and I’m not sure if that meant they only had funds to cover 80% of needs? A qu you might want to ask. But for $373 a month for a family we thought it was a great deal:)
Also, since this is technically not insurance, I wound call around and ask Drs what their cash discount is. I was going to leave my eye Dr. because another was way cheaper. They called right back and offered us $115 ea. per visit instead of $200! The dermatologist knocked off a similar amount. Our family Dr. gave 15% off. Hope that helps some:)
July 8, 2014 at 2:19 pm
ibkim2
Participant
We aren’t using Samaritan’s but it is an option for our future. I understand you are assigned a different family with a medical need to send a card and your monthly share amount to each month. If you have a medical need, you receive monthly shares from other families to meet the amount of need. I’ve heard of people pleased with their ministry.
The things to consider are preexisting conditions that aren’t covered for a few years of being symptom/medication free. Also if you foresee being able to pay out of pocket any medications, supplies, or therapies needed if a long term medical condition were to occur. For example, I understand if you were newly diagnosed with a condition such as diabetes, it would cover everything in the acute phase. However, it may not cover long term supplies and prescriptions for ongoing lifelong diabetes maintenance. (Double check on this, I didn’t read all the fine print when I researched using them). In most cases, it would still be better to pay out of pocket for these things instead of premium insurance rates and high deductibles,
If we didn’t have preexisting conditions that are highly likely to incur huge medical bills in the near future and we didn’t have known long term medication costs and medical supply costs, we would join Samaritan’s in a heartbeat. It still may be an option for us down the road.
July 8, 2014 at 3:14 pm
Misty
Participant
We are using SM and have been for 4 years now. The family rate went up for the 1st time in 2 years to $405.(FYI)
The information about the dr visits is correct. If the amount of $$ needed in a month out ways the $$ that is to come in per say they prorate it. That is why the cost went up $30 a month. With so many more people joining and the needs rising they had to have a vote from members (like me) The vote passed.
I have used the program to get some medical help for my son. It was easy, they walked us through it step by step and all our needs, medical and prayer were meet. I love sending my shares directly to a family. We get to pray for there need. That sounds confusing. Basicly each night at dinner when we sit down to pray we look at our sheet and read who and why they need our prayers and ask for complete healing or for a healthy baby or what ever the need may be. It’s wonderful to look at a map also and see where each person is that we are praying for.
It is ok under Obama care. It is NOT medical insurance. It can NOT be deducted from your taxes. It is a share program. There is a contract you have to sign and your priest/pastor etc needs to sign it. This is done each year on your renewal. On your renewal you send your share directly to SM for there work. Every other 11 months it is sent to a person/family. SM sends you all the information you need for the month. All shares are to paid by the 15th of the month.
Hope that helps if you have more questions feel free to ask here or PM me. We couldn’t afford healthcare of any sort with a family of 9 and a husband who is the only worker and self-employeed. This has been a true test of faith and I’m happy we joined.
Misty
July 8, 2014 at 4:08 pm
jlc123
Participant
We use Medi-Share and LOVE it. It works more like insurance as you havea card and send payment to them and then they distribute it to the shareholders. We looked at Samartin’s and the other one (name escaping me) and landed on Medi Share. You can qualify for healthy discount if you and your husband fall under certain peramiters, saving us $77 /month. http://mychristiancare.org/Medi-Share/Public_Content/Medi-Share_FAQs.aspx
July 11, 2014 at 12:06 am
dztamra
Participant
We also use Samaritan. We’ve been members for a year and had to use it once. Our youngest son fell and needed Xrays, as it appeared to possibly be broken. It ended up just needing a splint for some time and one follow up visit. We were able to get cash discounts with every company except one. The total cost was just over $1100. We were in a month that had to be prorated, so we did not get the full amount; however, since our doctors gave a discount, it balanced out (they take the balance off the $300 that would be from your pocket, so it worked out). We have one person from whom we haven’t received their share, so Samaritan is following up with them. To be honest, we don’t know what the policy is if that person does not fulfill their obligation, so we’re waiting to see what happens.
Even with that, we are glad to have it and not be paying a huge amount for health insurance.
July 11, 2014 at 12:24 am
Karen
Participant
We have SM and love it, too. We’ve never had to “use” it, but we love sending our share and a card to an actual person.
Having heard horror stories about “sharing plans” from years ago, I was so glad that our money goes to an actual person, not to an office.
We have cousins who used SM – their twin babies needed to be life-flighted – and their whole bill was paid through people sending their shares. They are actually who told us about SM.
July 11, 2014 at 1:03 am
RobinP
Participant
Thanks everyone. I’ve researched SM here and there over the past few years but it helps to get real person feedback. We will have to do something very soon so it looks like SM will be an answer to prayer.
July 11, 2014 at 4:19 am
lettucepatchkids
Participant
we just started with SM in January (when we lost our health insurance coverage because of Obamacare) So far I am liking it for the most part.. i really like the fact that I send my monthly share into an actual person and I love how uncomplicated it all is… I get it where as with our previous health insurance I felt like I was trying to figure out a foreign language most of the time!
my one issue is that I didn’t realize that when you submit a claim you have to have your pastor sign off on it… which I TOTALLY understand the logic behind it, but I just feel bad pestering my pastor each time we have a medical need, you know… I mean my medical bills are not really his problem. Lukily I got our urgent care visit reduced to under the $300 threshhold, so I won’t submit a need this time.
Misty- so every single year I need to have my pastor sign my renual forms?!
July 11, 2014 at 12:28 pm
Misty
Participant
Lettuce – yes. what I do is fill it all out and mail to him, call his secretary and say it’s on the way. With a family of 9 it’s hard to miss us so it’s not like we have to go and talk with him yearly. LOL So he gets the form all filled out with his section ready to just sign his name and I put the prepaid envelope in the manila one. When he’s done they just send it off for me and it’s a done deal! Not really that hard and then I’m not making an appointment to see him. I try and keep it easy.
July 11, 2014 at 12:52 pm
Karen
Participant
🙂 You’re so nice to your pastor, Misty! I just corner our pastor after church (usually on a Sunday!) and hand him the form and ask him to sign it!

July 11, 2014 at 1:01 pm
Karen
Participant
There is another similar “company” to Samaritan Ministries clled Christian HealthCare Ministries, chministries.com. I researched them when we were looking for new “insurance”. Ultimately, SM seemed so much simpler – a family pays $405. a retired couple pays $x, a single parent household pays $x. For CHM, there were different levels of sharing. A Gold level, a Bronze level, etc. It seemed so much more confusing to figure out. That was our main reason for going with Samarita Ministries. Having seen the monthly mailings of both CHM and SM, there again SM’s are so much simpler. The monthly mailing tells you in big bold print the name and address of the person to whom you’re sending your share, why, gives you a special prayer need that’s optional to give to. Those are the only addresses on the front of the mailing. On the back, they list more special prayer needs (again, optional giving).
For CHM, you had to find your member number and look across the line and see to whom you’d send your share. A small thing, but really, do I need any more opportunities to make mistakes???
I just really like everything about SM. When they consider raising the “premium” (monthly share), they take a vote – and every household is included in that. So, a couple months ago, they considered it and we voted! We had a say, it’s not just the executive board who makes these decisions.
Another plus is that they’re doing moe things online. So, I actually give to our special prayer need online – that way, it’s tax deductible. You can also write a check to SM and send it in in order for the optional giving to be tax deductible, but doing it online saves a check and a stamp. The normal monthly share is not tax deductible and must be done by check and snailmail to the person.
I’m repeating myself, but I REALLY like SM and have a good feeling about being part of that ministry.
July 11, 2014 at 2:45 pm
RobinP
Participant
Thanks for the additional insights. I’m feeling better and better about making this change and feel it’s God’s way of taking us out of the system a bit more.
July 11, 2014 at 4:03 pm
lettucepatchkids
Participant
Misty- thanks for answering my question! I just need to get over it 😀 and have him sign when needed. we go to a pretty small church, and are pretty close friends with our pastor… I just hate bugging him… and he used to sell insurance! lol
July 11, 2014 at 5:45 pm
Misty
Participant
LOL that’s funny Lettuce – and it’s not nagging I can’t think of a pastor/priest who in the day and age of health care wouldn’t support these types of ministries. It truly is God’s way.