Our Health Insurance Alternative

With all the chaos surrounding health care right now, I thought this might be a good time to share our health insurance alternative with you.

Our History

When I worked was working outside the home, we had the ultimate health insurance plan. It included medical, prescription, vision, and dental. We hardly paid anything for it and were completely spoiled. Don’t ask us how much office visits were. We had no clue. We just went, flashed our card, and went on our merry way.

Enter self-employment.

The biggest obstacle to me quitting my job was insurance. Having one major medical issue would be a deal-breaker.

We had heard about Samaritan Ministries from a couple of friends and began to investigate. Samaritan is not insurance. Instead, it’s a way for Christians to share each other’s medical burdens.

How It Works

Each month we send our monthly share to another Samaritan family who has had a medical need. The need has been approved by Samaritan and assigned to us. We also pray for the family and send a note of encouragement. We love the fact that our money is going directly to help a family with a need.

Once each year, we send our monthly share to the Samaritan office. This helps cover administrative costs for the year.

When We Have a Need

We pay for basic services put-of-pocket. If we’re sick and need to go to the doctor, we pay for it. We also pay for well visits. If we need a prescription, we pay for it.

But when it’s something more in-depth, we have help. Any time treatment for something costs more than $750, we submit those bills to Samaritan.

We’re responsible for the first $750. However, if the issue calls for a procedure or test that is part of the Health Care Blue Book and we can match or beat that price where we go, the first $750 out-of-pocket is waived. We’re considered self-pay by doctors and hospitals, and they’re usually willing to reduce bills by 20% to 50% without blinking an eye. I think they appreciate not having to deal with insurance companies and all the paperwork and waiting that comes with that. Samaritan also partners with a company who will negotiate bills on our behalf if we need them.

Our Personal Experience

We’ve submitted claims to Samaritan several times. As we were dealing with the emotional and physical effects of a miscarriage, it was such peace of mind to not have to deal with the financial side of it. When the checks from other members came, they all came with encouraging notes. And when we called the Samaritan office to discuss the need, their first order of business was offering to pray for us. What a blessing.

When I had my knee surgery, we paid nothing out of pocket for anything from the initial ER visit to the MRI to the surgery to physical therapy afterwards. The bills totaled over $42,000, so it was a huge relief to us to be able to focus on healing rather than how we were going to pay for it all.

Lower Bills When Funds Aren’t Needed

One of our most shocking Samaritan Ministries experiences happened a few years ago. We received our bill in the mail, and it was LESS than it was supposed to be. The accompanying note explained that there weren’t as many needs submitted that month. The full amount of money just wasn’t needed. That wonderful because it means that there weren’t as many people with medical needs. And it’s wonderful because we got to pay less that month (and the following month when it happened again!).

The Current Insurance Climate

While Samaritan isn’t insurance, it does satisfy the Federal health care law’s requirement that you have insurance or pay a penalty-tax. We will not have to pay that penalty-tax. {sigh of relief} You can read more about this issue here.

Want to Learn More?

If you’re interested in learning more about Samaritan Ministries, click here to check out their FAQ page. I’d also be happy to answer any questions you have. Just leave a comment here or use our contact page to send a private message. And if you’d like to sign up with Samaritan Ministries, feel free to tell them that Jason & Jennifer Bruce sent you. They offer a discount on our monthly share when friends join.