Because You Asked…

Over the past year we’ve had an increase in user inquiries about Samaritan Ministries, a healthcare-sharing ministry that’s been around more than 20 years and that also is one of our featured sponsors.  About 8 years ago the Catholic Business Journal founder and executive editor became frustrated with her outrageous individual health insurance fee of, at the time, over $450 a month and sought a different solution. Little did she know that just a few months later that same fee would sky-rocket to over $685 a month, in anticipation of the passage of Obamacare!  Keep in mind, she had no health issues.  ZERO.  So, why did she end up switching to Samaritan Ministries healthcare sharing after searching for a cost-effective solution to potential health care expenses?

As a seasoned journalist, our editor has interviewed hundreds of people, including many business owners, a few prominent lawyers, politicians, priests, nuns, missionaries, bishops, and even a few cardinals—for stories and articles published or picked up in the Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, National Catholic Register, Our Sunday Visitor, various diocesan newspapers, CNS, international publications and various trade journals, just to name a few.  

Among those she interviewed,  one particular interview with a struggling Catholic book and gift store owner in or near North Carolina always stuck in her mind.  She asked how he could possibly provide for his family of seven’s healthcare needs, after all, he was working for himself and the margin of profit was tight. 

How could this man afford the likes of Blue Cross or even an HMO when providing food and shelter had to come first and there couldn’t have been much left over?! 

That good Catholic man promptly replied, “Oh, that’s no problem. I’m with Samaritan Ministries.”

Huh?

Then he explained that his wife had just had a complicated pregnancy requiring hospital coverage and, after that, one of his children had experienced a nasty bicycle accident requiring emergency room, surgery and a cast. 

“Samaritan members covered it all. No problem,” the Catholic book store owner explained. “You just have to make the claim and wait for the checks to come in.”

So, ten years after that interview, our editor took a closer look at Samaritan Ministries for herself.  She had looked into it before, but was never at the point where the regular insurance premiums had become so challenging, for so little in return.  The closer look — complete with pointed and persistent questions and potential scenarios — resulted in jumping into membership with both feet.

“I loved it from the beginning,” our editor tells us, repeatedly. “It feels so good to be sending my monthly fee of, now, $220 to another person and to know what health challenges they are facing and to pray for them. 

She continues:  “It is so respectful of the human dignity of each individual that instead of paying a nameless institution with its myriad of employees, none of whom truly care about me or any of my needs, nor even about the outcome of any health challenge I may face in the future, I now can send my check to another human being with a problem.  And with Samaritan I can choose any doctor I want—ANY—and get whatever help I need. But the best part is sending my check directly to another person with a health need.”

Our editor adds that trust was a huge factor for her.  She knew she could trust whatever individual need and person to whom she was asked to send her check for the month was vetted — both the need and the member were already vetted by Samaritan Ministries.  That gives her confidence she would never be paying for someone’s sex change or abortion or face lift, for example.

Among the various healthcare sharing options, our editor likes that Samaritan was one of the oldest, which meant its system was proven.

That’s her story, but we also did some digging and found a different story that delivers a first-hand account of how the Samaritan Ministries healthcare sharing system worked for a member who had a serious, super-expensive health need unexpectedly arise.  This video link is below.