Christian Healthcare sharing

[HeavyHanded]

I wanted to share my experience with Samaritan Ministries as an alternative to Beast System insurance and discuss other Christian healthcare sharing networks.

For those that do not know, Samaritan Ministries is a ministry where members pay a month share to other members that have a medical need. We currently pay $530 a month for family of 5. This payment gets sent directly to other members, except for once a year it goes to the ministry. You essentially pay out of pocket and negotiate with the healthcare provider for discounts. You have to sign a statement of faith every year and live a Christian lifestyle.

When my wife was working she had good insurance , But on top of the premiums our out of pocket for our second child was around $3000. Shortly after we decided that my wife would stay home, so we lost the insurance and joined Samaritan. Out of pocket for baby #3 was $0.

It has been a real blessing for us, and a moral alternative to health insurance.

 

[Roosh]

There's also this:

Christian Healthcare Ministries | Healthcare cost sharing ministry

Christian Healthcare Ministries is a faith-based healthcare cost solution for Christians in all 50 states and around the world.

www.chministries.org

 

[redbeard]

I had health share for about two years and highly, highly recommend it.

To prove it, I had a surgery done while covered. If I didn't have health share, it would've cost about $20,000 out of pocket. My health share covered every single penny of my procedure.

Here's a Catholic one as well:

Solidarity HealthShare

Solidarity HealthShare is a community of like-minded Catholics and Christians to share medical costs together. We are not health insurance.

www.solidarityhealthshare.org

 

[HeavyHanded]

There's also this:

Christian Healthcare Ministries | Healthcare cost sharing ministry

Christian Healthcare Ministries is a faith-based healthcare cost solution for Christians in all 50 states and around the world.

www.chministries.org

When we were researching Samaritan had a lower overall cost, but they recently increased the “co-pay” and unable to be offset with discounts, so the are very similar in price. Samaritan members voted not to increase the monthly share amount, I would have switched to CHM if they had.

I had health share for about two years and highly, highly recommend it.

To prove it, I had a surgery done while covered. If I didn't have health share, it would've cost about $20,000 out of pocket. My health share covered every single penny of my procedure.

Here's a Catholic one as well:

Solidarity HealthShare

Solidarity HealthShare is a community of like-minded Catholics and Christians to share medical costs together. We are not health insurance.

www.solidarityhealthshare.org

I had not heard of this one. They do not specifically define marriage as between a man and a women so they may be pozzed.

 

[redbeard]

I had not heard of this one. They do not specifically define marriage as between a man and a women so they may be pozzed.

Wrong:

Sharing Guidelines - Solidarity HealthShare

Solidarity HealthShare sharing guidelines includes how healthcare sharing works, what services are eligible for sharing and more.

www.solidarityhealthshare.org

14. Marriage or Married means the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Sacred Scripture (Gen. 2:18-25); and Marriage is between one man and one woman, for life, which uniquely reflects Christ's relationship with His Church (Eph. 5:21-33).

 

[HeavyHanded]

Wrong:

Sharing Guidelines - Solidarity HealthShare

Solidarity HealthShare sharing guidelines includes how healthcare sharing works, what services are eligible for sharing and more.

www.solidarityhealthshare.org

Thanks for clarifying. I didn’t read through all the guidelines. Do you know what the share amounts and annual unshared amounts are?

 

[redbeard]

Thanks for clarifying. I didn’t read through all the guidelines. Do you know what the share amounts and annual unshared amounts are?

About $300 per month sharing, then $1,500 annual unshared. Might've changed since I last looked though.

Protip: you can make a temporary email with guerrillamail.com and get an anonymous quote without getting bothered by marketing.

 

[HeavyHanded]

A few months ago Needs at Samaritan were higher than available shares. This happened for a few months in a row so it triggered a vote to raise shares. Over $100 a month increase was proposed. It was voted down by members. THE NEXT month, not only were all needs covered, but there was a surplus. This month shares were reduced by $100 because of the reduction of needs. Praise God and his abundant provision.

 

[Max Roscoe]

Do these "sharing" services pay the full bill, or do they get the discount that regular health insurance companies get? I know from dealing with my father's Medicare, that the insurers typically only pay around a third of what they are billed (meaning the real price they give you at the time of service is total BS). I would hope these sharing services get the same 70% off deal as the crooks get. No one pays full price, unless you are uninsured and it's a minor service like a $500 aspirin or a $1,000 ambulance ride that is not worth disputing.

My father was billed for $12,000 in health care costs last year and his insurer paid $4,000, with $0 due.

 

[redbeard]

Do these "sharing" services pay the full bill, or do they get the discount that regular health insurance companies get? I know from dealing with my father's Medicare, that the insurers typically only pay around a third of what they are billed (meaning the real price they give you at the time of service is total BS). I would hope these sharing services get the same 70% off deal as the crooks get. No one pays full price, unless you are uninsured and it's a minor service like a $500 aspirin or a $1,000 ambulance ride that is not worth disputing.

My father was billed for $12,000 in health care costs last year and his insurer paid $4,000, with $0 due.

In the example I shared above, the bills were discounted.

 

[HeavyHanded]

Do these "sharing" services pay the full bill, or do they get the discount that regular health insurance companies get? I know from dealing with my father's Medicare, that the insurers typically only pay around a third of what they are billed (meaning the real price they give you at the time of service is total BS). I would hope these sharing services get the same 70% off deal as the crooks get. No one pays full price, unless you are uninsured and it's a minor service like a $500 aspirin or a $1,000 ambulance ride that is not worth disputing.

My father was billed for $12,000 in health care costs last year and his insurer paid $4,000, with $0 due.

The ministry doesn’t pay anything. I send my share directly to other members that have a need. It is up to us to negotiate with the service provider for discounts. If you ask them to the ministry will negotiate on your behalf. They have a lot of tools to help reduce costs.

 

[Dr. Howard]

There's also this:

Christian Healthcare Ministries | Healthcare cost sharing ministry

Christian Healthcare Ministries is a faith-based healthcare cost solution for Christians in all 50 states and around the world.

www.chministries.org

I've used this one for about 8 years, would recommend.

 

[Dr. Howard]

I would also like to add, if you are low to moderate income read up on your local hospitals policy on charitable care. Mayo clinic for example will discount your bills 50% or 100% if you are within certain poverty line thresholds and apply in advance. The thresholds are pretty high, I would equate them to 'broke college student' or 'young family' levels of income.

 

[kel]

Depending on the care you need (long-term, e.g. cancer treatment, versus e.g. needing stitches for a cut) just go to a hospital and give them a fake name. If they ask for ID, either say you lost it or it's at home and you didn't have time to go get it because, y'know, I've got this big gash spurting blood, or just say you're illegal or whatever and put them on the back foot. But, in any event, they can't deny you treatment, so just give a fake name and, when done, just walk out. Fuck 'em.

 

[Easy_C]

I'm with CHM and have had a good experience with them. For anyone considering it, it also gives me or Howard some significant financial help if you use our referral instead of signing up directly.

 

[HeavyHanded]

We brought our 2 year old to the ER after she fell down a flight of stairs a few weeks ago. Just got the bill. $642, with an automatic discount of $385 for being uninsured. I will probably be able to negotiate it down even less.
insurance is a oligarch scam.
the little one is 100% ok, praise God.

 

[HeavyHanded]

Looks like Samaritan is becoming woke. From this months newsletter:
Ethnic Diversity in the Church
What’s it like to be a black executive in America?
At least they didn’t capitalize black.
To quote Roosh “Protestantism...not even once.”

 

[Barry Scrotada]

I understand coverage for the major procedures like surgery and birth.
How well do these types of arrangements work for day-to-day expenses like doctor/specialist checkups, dental (if any), prescription medicine?

 

[HeavyHanded]

I understand coverage for the major procedures like surgery and birth.
How well do these types of arrangements work for day-to-day expenses like doctor/specialist checkups, dental (if any), prescription medicine?

Those are not considered “Needs” and are your responsibility.

 

[midwest_struttin]

I'm thinking about signing up for this. I haven't been insured for about 7 years and also haven't had an annual physical for about 7 years. I don't understand the intricacies of insurance. To cover my dental health I search for groupon deals but unfortunately I don't see any annual physical deals.

Would this insurance help cover annual physicals?