Yesterday I told you about why we love Samaritan (read that post here if you missed it!). Today I'll tell you (as explicitly as I can) how it works.
Monthly Share
Each month, around the 5th, we receive our packet from Samaritan Ministries. The packet consists primarily of the Christian HealthCare Newsletter (their publication; see more below); the monthly prayer guide (includes a daily intention for various members of Samaritan, so we can keep each other in prayer); and a sheet personalized just for us telling us to whom we have been assigned that month, as well as information about Special Prayer Needs (see below).
Let's say that this month, we've been assigned to send our monthly share to Mr. Joe Smith who underwent heart surgery. I write out my check to my assigned Mr. Smith, write a note to him and his family, and send it all along before the 15th of the month. I know that it is going to pay his doctor or hospital bill – simple enough.
I hang the prayer guide on our fridge and make note, as a reminder, that we should be praying for Mr. Smith this month – for his full recovery and the future health of his heart, etc.
The amount that we pay is the standard rate assigned to families with two parents. (See here about the straightforward rates.)
Special Prayer Need
On that same sheet where I read about Mr. Joe Smith, I also received an optional assignment for a “Special Prayer Need” (SPN): a member suffered something that they couldn't submit to Samaritan as a Need because it didn't meet the Samaritan Guidelines, or because it was a pre-existing condition, or for some other reason. But Samaritan still wants to enable us to help them out. Let's say that this month my SPN suggestion is for Miss Jane Brown, who had major dental work (dental is not covered by Samaritan). If the other members and I all send along a small amount (usually $20 or $25 is suggested), her need will be met.
So I send that along as well. I go ahead and budget that in for our monthly expenses, as I see it as a concrete way to do a little charity each month and partake in the broader good work of Samaritan, and I hope that others would ‘do unto us' if/when we're ever in this position.
[It's worth noting that, as I understand it, even members who enter Samaritan with pre-existing conditions (that are technically not covered) or other issues frequently enjoy coverage just through the generosity of members, thanks to the SPN program.]
The back of the sheet contains information about other members who also have SPNs, so that I can also send notes and/or financial help to anyone else if I am so moved.
~~
So that's all for the month-to-month business. What about when we need to be on the receiving end? I have actually been wanting to write about Samaritan for a long time, but I thought that I should wait until I had experienced the receiving end of it before I gave it the hard sell. Here's an example with our experience of having our “Need” submitted to the member network:
The medical incident occurs
Finnabee broke her leg. A fluke accident, a small wound (hairline fracture), and she's all healed now.
We brought her to the Urgent Care center. She was treated there – including seeing the radiologist for x-rays – and then later at the orthopedist. She went to the orthopedist for a follow-up to have her cast removed. That's a total of 3 separate visits related to this “Need.”
Thank God, we received excellent care. But, like all things in our lovely American medical system, that care involved lots of charges and bills and, ultimately cost close to $1400.
Gather the bills
I'm still in the process of submitting this Need, because, as you are probably aware, the medical machine moves very slowly. No one has come knocking or threatening debt-collection agencies; in fact, I had to hound the hospital to get them to send me the bills for this incident! And, with the payment plan that I have in place, it is a manageable flow of money; we haven't been slammed with any one big bill at any time.
Negotiate Discounts/Pay Bills/Set up Payment Plan
For each bill, I have requested a discount. The folks at Samaritan actually provide helpful information about negotiating, which makes the process easier. (It's usually as simple as, “I'm prepared to pay this bill/set up a payment plan, but I'm wondering if you offer a discount to uninsured/cash-pay patients?” or “If I can pay X amount of this bill now, could you reduce the total by 30%?”) The final cost of this incident is now reduced by $470.50. That's $470.50 less that the whole Samaritan family has to foot – any discount that I can acquire is a win for all of us.
Here's the big thing, though: remember how I said that the first $300 of any incident is on me? Well, it's also true that any amount that I can negotiate down from the total bill goes toward that initial $300.
That means that, if I get a discount for $150 off of the total bill, I will only end up paying $150 in the end. In the case of Finnabee's broken leg, since the total discounts added up to $470.50, I actually won't end up paying anything for this incident. That is to say, I will pay the bills now but will be reimbursed in full by fellow Samaritan members.
That is why, as I mentioned, we didn't end up paying anything for my maternity care with Peabodee (including prenatal care, birth, and post-partum care): the total discounts were over $300 when all was added up and accounted for.
Request a Need Processing Packet and Fill the Need Processing Form
**Update (3/8/2017): This entire process is now available online and it is extremely smooth, quick, and painless! Samaritan is moving more and more of their processes online, making all of this even simpler and providing additional benefits.**
As soon as something happens that I know will constitute a Need (or even if I'm not sure), I can call the Samaritan offices to discuss and request a Need Processing Packet. I receive it in the mail after about a week (the most recent one I requested came in four days!). I fill out the forms with the information about the incident.
Then I consolidate my bills, label each one, make a copy of each one, and include them – they need the originals so that I am providing proper proof of everything that has happened. I also write a note, if necessary, explaining the incident and any anomalies about the bills.
Finally, we bring the form to be signed by our parish priest. Every Samaritan member has to be answerable to their church leader, who witnesses to them being active, church-going Christians who adhere to the behaviors required by Samaritan Ministry guidelines.
You can see how it would be difficult to cheat the system with this accountability in place.
Submit the Need to be Published
Once I organize the packet and send it in, they will receive and process it and let me know if there are any issues. Once it's squared away on their end, they will “publish” it – that is, they assign our need to other members for their monthly shares. We know when that happens because the kind notes and checks start rolling in from people we've never met, but who we now know are praying for us!
If it turns out that something related to the same incident arises or another bill comes in, we can just get in touch with Samaritan again to submit a “Need add-on” form, and take it from there.
Keep Track Using the Checklist
When the checks start arriving, we log on to our online Samaritan membership account and access our “Checklist.” We make note of every check we receive from the members who were assigned to us, and we can see how many more we are expecting. So, while no member is legally required to send money to us, there is accountability here. If some members drop off on their giving, they won't be eligible to have their Needs published – in effect, they will fail themselves out of the membership.
That is the whole process from start to finish! I've tried to spell it out in detail and I hope it makes sense, but feel free to ask me other questions in the comments and I'll do my best!
Some other thoughts about belonging to Samaritan Ministries:
It's a great deal for young people, especially families. It strikes me that we are getting the best end of this, being a young family who hope to grow. There is one fixed price for any family, so we will continue to pay the same monthly share whether we have the two kids or, ultimately, eight. Whereas insurance plans would charge us based on our number of dependents, Samaritan is looking like a great long-term deal for us.
I think the best time to jump on this would be if you're a family and you're basically in good health (that is, don't have to worry about pre-existing conditions).
Any member household with a head-of-household under age 25 receives a discount, including singletons.
I love the newsletter. I have learned a lot from reading the Christian HealthCare Newsletter that's included in our packet each month. There's always interesting medical information from an independent (as opposed to insurance-company-beholden-mainstream) perspective, as well as inspiring stories from other members and helpful social commentary. Despite the fact that I do not always agree with the theology presented in some of the articles, I think that it is, overall, a helpful source of formation and information. It's another factor in making me a smarter, more engaged health care customer.
I would actually encourage anyone who's interested in Samaritan, but not planning on/prepared for joining, to subscribe to the Newsletter or just keep up online.
There is some work involved. There is a certain amount of paperwork to be handled and, as of now, it is mostly on physical paper (I know there are some plans to shift more of the process online, but I don't know details). Sometimes this is a little cumbersome (especially when you don't have a copier at home!).
**Update (3/8/17): the shift has happened and there is now less paperwork.
There is a certain amount of keeping track – I'm learning that I might want to have my own system of, for instance, keeping an excel spreadsheet and maybe a separate file folder for every “Need.” I do have to stay on top of things to keep it all organized. If I had a lot of kids who were all in and out of the ER, I know I would have to establish a very efficient filing system and stay well on top of it.
That being said, I know that it can be a lot of work, including paperwork, to keep on top of an insurance plan as well, so I don't think that that factor alone should deter anyone with normal circumstances.
Samaritan looks out for its members. There's always word in the Newsletter about the latest angle that Samaritan is working on it help its members get good health care. So, for instance, while the ministry doesn't cover dental or eye care, they do offer resources for seeking affordable options in those areas, and there is a program for getting better deals on medical prescriptions as well. Update (3/8/17): the Samaritan member website now provides a “telemedicine” option: access to an on-call nurse and doctor so that you can contact someone with an immediate healthcare question even if your own doctor is unavailable or you don't necessarily want to head to urgent care.
Why don't you do a Catholic one? Since this is the one that was recommended to us by a close (Catholic) friend, this is the one that we joined. The Artist and I have discussed whether we should switch, and we honestly do not see a reason to do so at this time. We are on board with this mission and we actually enjoy that it's an area of life in which we can share whole-heartedly with other Christians.
Are pre-existing conditions prohibitive? Samaritan accepts all members who are willing to agree to the requirements, but those with pre-existing conditions won't be able to submit Needs relating to those conditions. I believe that this is due to the fact that Samaritan has to mitigate risk involved potential exploitation of the membership, as well as simple financial limitations. (See the guidelines for the in-depth discussion of pre-existing conditions. There is a 1-5 year symptom-free period after which Needs can be shared.)
Some individuals or families who have pre-existing conditions that are serious and/or ongoing might find that Samaritan isn't practical or affordable. Again, many of those needs can be covered via the SPN program, but there is no guarantee about that and I haven't been on the receiving end of the SPN so I can't share a personal experience on that. I do wonder if this is an area where Samaritan would like to grow (in general, the group is very pro-growth); perhaps in the future, there will be more ability to take on people who have these needs.
Is it for everyone? I don't know everyone's situation, so I'm certain not going to say everyone ought to do this! As with so many things, it depends on your/your family's needs, circumstances, and desires.
Having read dozens of testimonies in the Newsletter and having had my own totally positive experience, I can only say that I think it would be worth learning about, especially if you do not already have a good insurance plan provided through your work (and perhaps even if you do!). I will repeat that it is huge to know that your bills are all going to a good place each month and you are not in any way cooperating with nor enabling morally objectionable “medicine.”
Again, I'm no expert in this area, but I can say that it has been good for us financially, emotionally, and spiritually.
Are you a member of a cost-sharing ministry? Is this something you are interested in?
~~
Full Disclosure: I am not receiving any kind of payment nor compensation from Samaritan Ministries or any associated party. I'm just a true believer in this model and would love to see it spread! There are other cost-sharing ministries out there, so I'd say check them all out and see which one works best for you!
That being said, if you do decide to look into Samaritan and end up choosing to become a member, we would be very appreciative if you mention our names (John and Deirdre Folley) as referring members when it comes time to fill out your start-up forms: we would receive a credit on our monthly share that would be a great help to us, especially while The Artist is in training!
Dixie says
Deirdre, how does this work with taxes at the end of the year? Do you have to report everything you’ve received? Does it count as a gift, or is it exempt, or what?
This is all so interesting. Thanks!
Maria says
Ooh, that’s a good question. I know there’s a section on taxes for medical bills, but I’ve never used it.
Deirdre says
That is an interesting question, Dixie. My best guess off the top of my head is that it is not necessary to report these gifts, even if the total were to be a great amount (in the case of being reimbursed for a large medical bill), because no one person is handing over a huge amount, it all trickles in from many different parties. But I am honestly not sure!
Amy says
I asked this question before we joined, and they said that it does not have to be reported on taxes, because you can receive up to $13,000 (this was in 2009, I think the amount is higher now) from a person before having to pay taxes on it. Since you are receiving amounts only ranging from $150-$450 from individual members, it does not meet the threshold for being taxed.
Kim says
Deirdre, thank you for sharing this information. It’s very interesting and appealing, though not the best fit for our family.
I could imagine that it’s a huge cost-savibg blessing for your family!
Rachel says
This is so timely for us as we use marketplace and would much prefer not to. I really appreciate all the information and it has me looking at this as a wonderful solution. Can you tell me how it generally works for wellness visits for kids? I think I’m understanding if it was a visit where they received immunizations and say it was $500 then we could submit the $200 as a need…? Our ped does give a cash/non ins discount so then that amount would eventually be “deducted” from our initial $300. Thank you so much for your time on this!
Tori says
Well care and immunizations are not sharable with Samaritan. They consider that it is something to be budgeted for since it is predictable. So, for my family, we work out how many of those visits we’ll have and add them into our family budget. Our pediatrician has a cash pay discount, and in our state each immunization is only $15 for uninsured children. The money that we’ve saved on insurance premiums has more than made up for the expense of paying for these visits out of pocket.
Deirdre says
As Tori said, well-visits are not “covered.” Basically, any preventative care that one can plan out and budget for is not something that one would submit as a Need.
Currently, we are blessed to be seeing a doctor who is a Catholic and works with us very flexibly, and just recently saw both my kids for a total of $150. The benefits of being able to shop around…! (I know that it’s not usual to find someone like that, though – like I said, we’re blessed.)
SophieMiriam says
Do they cover prenatal care? Or do they count pregnancy as a disease/medical condition?
DeirdreLMLD says
Yes, prenatal/delivery is a little different from other needs. It is covered, as I said in my posts (although it is, of course, not considered a disease!!). If you enter while already pregnant, not all of that prenatal will be covered (see details in the guidelines I linked to, above). But if you become pregnant while a member, it’s all covered like I described with our case.
Clara says
Hi Deirdre, This is really interesting! Thank you so much for sharing your perspective on your experience with christian health sharing ministry (the last two posts). My husband and I have been looking into this for about 2 years now…circumstances haven’t been right to join, yet. We are hoping to join soon.
I just found out about CMF Curo (http://cmfcuro.com/) – apparently, it is linked with Samaritan Ministries but is specifically Catholic. As a Catholic I’m interested in it, but need more information. Do you know anything about this? I’m curious to hear an “insiders” perspective. Does anyone else know anything about CMF Curo? Is anyone using it? I would like to hear your take on it. Just form the website it looks a little more complicated than Samaritan.
Thanks!
Clara
Deirdre says
Hi Clara,
Curo is the one that The Artist and I looked at briefly when we considered switching (and ultimately decided not to). I don’t know much about it, but I did see that it would be more expensive for us right now. I gather that it is new and getting off the ground, grandfathered under Samaritan. Glad to see that more folks are doing this!
Alix says
This has all been fascinating! After taking a look through the cost-sharing guide, I noticed that infertility treatments are all lumped together with other items that “violate Biblical principles” and thus, are not eligible for sharing. I was a little surprised to see that there’s no distinction made between licit and illicit methods (at least from a Catholic perspective), although that’s par for the course given most other insurance coverage. Has anyone undergone NaPro treatment with Samaritan? If so, have you been able to separate out and have shared payment/treatment for items that might cause infertility, but are also health problems that should be treated? (e.g., low progesterone) How does Samaritan determine how to classify your treatment? By the code given to it, what you state your condition as…?
Maria says
Just happened to come across this on the Curo (Catholic subset of Samaritan, as linked by a few here):
“The CMF CURO Fund may be called on, as approved by the Board of the Fund (for example, the medical needs for complications resulting from an excluded condition, an unexpected pregnancy, or NaPro technology services)…”
Of course this isn’t my experience, just a relevant snippet. Thought I’d pass it along even if it didn’t really answer your question.
Deirdre says
Hmm interesting question, Alix. I can definitely see submitting a need for treatment for something like “low progesterone” and having that go over just fine, but I honestly don’t have experience with this and I’m not sure.
If you have serious interest, I would recommend calling Samaritan and asking them about it. They are seriously just absurdly kind over the phone, and I think that they would be open to hearing feedback about this if they do not already have something in place to handle what you’re talking about!
Emily D. says
I’m finding this really interesting, Deirdre. Thanks for writing about it. There’s no way this would be an option for me (because everything about me is a Pre-existing condition….it’s genetic. 😉 , but I’m glad that this is an option for others.
Deirdre says
You’re very sweet, Emily!
jennybrown says
Hi Emily, We are members of Samaritan Ministry as well and my son was born with only one functioning kidney. He gets ultrasounds every few years and had some other testing in his past but is on no meds or treatment plans etc. We could never get him insured through other companies bc of this preexisting condition. Before we joined, I called SM and discussed his availability of coverage with them. They told me that since he was born with this issue he is still possibly eligible for coverage of certain procedures related to it! We have not yet had to ask for a need related to it but it does give me reassurance that if surgery is needed it will most likely be covered. Also, even if a preexisting condition isn’t covered with a particular individual that doesn’t mean that the individual still can’t be a member and have coverage for everything else. Something you might want to discuss with SM!
Carla says
We too are members of Samaritan and love it so much. I love the person-to-person contact that is totally unique, the opportunity to help and pray for others, and they have been there for us when we had an emergency C-section after a planned home birth, when my husband had a hernia, and for a couple other minor things. They are always helpful and kind and have been a great blessing to us–and a way to avoid taking part in the moral ick of Obamacare.
Dianna says
I think this is such a great idea, but my family has a ton of pre-existing conditions and on-going medications so we clearly aren’t a good choice for it 🙂 I’m tempted to look into subscribing to the newsletter on its own though after your talking about it here!
Deirdre says
I recommend it highly! More often than not, I find that I have picked up some gem from each issue!
Nanci says
We’ve been part of Samaritan’s Ministries for a couple of years now. This year my husband ended up with a life-threatening disease that landed him in the hospital for three weeks, having to have a pict line for a month and numerous doctors appointments, x-rays, MRI’s, medicine, etc. I am grateful for Samaritan’s Ministries as the bills have all been paid for. I was concerned when our 24 year old seminarian son ended up at the ER this summer that maybe his bills wouldn’t be covered because of my husband’s. I needn’t have worried, once again Samaritan’s Ministries came through, and Josh’s bills have been taken care of.
During all this time, we were still able to give our shares to other families helping them too. I highly recommend this instead of insurance. We’ve been blessed more than ever possible while being able to help bless others!
Anamaria says
For those with prescriptions (even if you stick with insurance), look into AmeriSave. We did that with some expensive anti-nausea meds I had to take to stay out of the ER and they cost half as much as at cvs. (Samaritan covered these as they were part of my maternity “need” but even if they hasn’t, we would have spent less on them than when we had insurance!)
Ellen says
What is amerisave?
Emily Lainson says
I just keep praying that we will continue to be able to get good insurance through my husband’s employer since two of the kids and I all have a genetic condition (one, at least, will need infusions till he stops growing), so none of the share plans will ever work for us. Also, I would need a full-time secretary if I had to negotiate all our medical bills! Glad it’s out there for others, though.
Mary says
When you say that you are responsible for the first $300 associated with any “incident,” how is “incident” defined? It looks like if you break your leg, all of the care associated with it falls under one incident, is that correct?
What if I have recurring costs – for example, a prescription that needs to be filled monthly?
Deirdre says
Hi Mary! Yes, all the care related to one “need” goes into one category altogether, so you’re not paying the first $300 on each bill, but the first $300 related to that particular Need. So the three separate visits (including the different charges within each visit) for Finnabee’s broken leg were all part of one Need.
I have to say that I don’t know about a monthly prescription (I’m aware of the general fact that they give members resources/info about how to get lower-cost prescriptions, but beyond that I’m ignorant), but I would imagine there’s info about it on Samaritan’s site. And I encourage you to call and ask if you need further info and you’re interested, because they’re very pleasant and helpful!
eclare says
Big Samaritan fans here, too!
I am still sick about how we had to spend our whole “house downpayment” savings on the birth of our first, despite being responsibly fully insured. (Hidden fees!) We canceled our insurance after that and paid cash for our next birth, which was still thousands but was less than half of our “insured” birth. We found Samaritan after that, and it has been a dream come true to choose our own doctors and midwives, yet be fully covered!
And I agree, it is amazing to be a cash patient. A few times they have first told me what they would bill insurance, and it is disgusting. $700+ for a 30-minute ultrasound that I pay $200 for, for example.
The best part is our monthly cost–to be so fully covered!– is just over $300/month for all 7 of us.
Amie says
Hi! Thank you for sharing about your experience! I have been a Samaritan ministries member since January and have never had to report any needs myself but I greatly enjoy sending prayers and letters of encouragement to fellow brothers and sisters in Christ! I’m Young and newly married, my husband is currently employed through his work, and we have been discussing plans for a family. How difficult is it when paying for prenatal and pregnancy? How much did you have to cover yourself before Samaritan helped cover expenses? Do you pay for the bills first upfront and then wait for the shares to come in? I know you said you get a discount for self pay, did you set up a payment plan with the hospital? Thanks!
Deirdre says
Hi Amie! Samaritan is very pro-family, and, as far as I can tell, they make prenatal and pregnancy care as easy as possible upon the members. As with other needs, you’re just responsible for the first $300 of your care, but after that it’s shared. (I had forgotten but I think someone else mentioned somewhere in these comments that they incentivize home birth by having the first $300 automatically shared as well — basically because home birth is just SO much more cost-effective than having a hospital birth. One epidural or one night’s stay in a hospital bed is so extremely costly.) All prenatal care and post-partum care (where relevant) is grouped along with the delivery cost, so that it all comprises one “maternity need.” Which means, basically, that it’s just very inexpensive, especially when/if you get discounts!
The billing will depend on how your particular care-giver/hospital works and how quickly you get billed and how fast you can organize your paperwork and submit it to Samaritan. As a rule, it takes I think about two months for your Need to be Published, so you’re not going to receive other members’ shares right away. I would imagine that most people, when dealing with higher-costing needs, are paying their bills and receiving shares all on a rolling basis (paying slowly with a payment plan and receiving bills as the need gets published). I bet it frequently happens that you pay some up front, set up a payment plan to complete the payment over a number of months, and receive checks from members to the full amount, before your final bill is due (does that make sense?).
From experience, I can tell you that we paid one big chunk for our maternity care and were promptly reimbursed (my midwife knew about Samaritan so she was very thoughtful about working with us on the timing).
I currently have a slow trickle of money going out to our hospital for the other Needs that we’ve had, and have yet to submit all my paperwork to Samaritan (I’m slow and I’ve been busy responding to comments here and doing other random things and haven’t yet gotten around to completing my forms and putting them in the mail!)!
Hope that helps… 🙂
sarah king says
Thanks for the information! I find it fascinating and something I want to know more about…. I’ve never heard of these cost sharing plans. I wonder how it would work in a situation like ours… our little family was happy and healthy with no major medical issues when out of the blue our 4-year-old daughter was diagnosed with leukemia.
I think the total cost for cancer treatment, which lasted 3 years, came close to a million. Each hospital stay, and she had quite a few, cost in the tens of thousands. I can’t imagine the amount of work and stress it would have caused if we we didn’t have regular insurance and we had to submit each bill for payment separately. Our big insurance had a complex care program that helped coordinate the coverage so we weren’t constantly receiving individual bills for everything.
I just wonder how this would work for a complex, significant, and long-lasting medical problem like cancer.
Ellen says
I’m in Australia and our medical system is a bit different… so, without seeming too silly – where did you get those gorgeous note cards? I wants me some of those!
Deirdre says
Ellen, I get all my note cards (aside from the ones I receive as gifts) from Marshalls and TJ Maxx (if you’re familiar) — best stores to get pretty notecards for a good deal! I bought these ones specifically for my Samaritan purposes, because I wanted something simple, generic, and cheerful to send to folks experiencing “needs.”
K. Carver says
I love this info thanks for sharing! I’m going to look into this for my own family.
Ib says
Hi! Do you know anything about the costs of administering this programme? How is the time of administrators, who invest their time orchestrating the whole system, as well as the costs of the promotion materials etc, covered?
Deirdre says
Hi Ib! One month a year, instead of sending our usual share, we send a slightly lower sum directly to Samaritan to cover the costs you refer to. 🙂
Ib says
so interesting, thanks!
Rebecca says
I like this, but doesn’t it seem a teeny bit disingenuous to negotiate for discounts as a cash-pay/uninsured person? It seems like those discounts are intended for families who are paying for the care themselves (for whatever reason). Samaritan Members are not officially insured, but they are receiving help.
Also, I’m wondering how cost-effective this would be for a relatively healthy family? My husband’s monthly insurance deduction is not high, and $400+ seems like quite a lot per month if we don’t have costs to cover.
Anyway, thanks for the introduction!
Deirdre says
Hi Rebecca,
You can choose to be completely open with the billing companies about the whole truth of your situation; the last time I was negotiating a bill, I got into a whole conversation with the woman about Samaritan, because she was interested to learn more and I was interested to share! There was no dissembling about it. I explained that “we will be paying out of pocket and relying on other people who will be paying out of their pockets.” She loved the idea of the ministry, and that it was Christian.
Also, I understand (from the Documentary “Wait Til It’s Free”) that cash-pay patients are frequently charged *more* than insurance companies for the same procedures (don’t ask me why – the whole thing is so crazy to me), so it really does make sense to try to get that price down.
As for the costs, I can just say again that while I think it feels high for a healthy small family, I look at it as an investment towards the day when we (hopefully) are a healthy big family. Insurance companies, by contrast, will charge more based on the number of children and costs will rise as the family grows…
Theresa says
Hi there! I know this is a couple months late, but we’ve been leaning towards switching to Samaritan from our conventional insurance after a couple years of nightmarish situations. One thing I can’t find much information about is, how does your pastor/priest get on with Samaritan? I’m trying to figure out how to explain or pitch it to our very good but busy Priest and am not sure what to tell him about his obligations going forward. A signature on an application is one thing, but a signature on every claim? is this something he can do at a coffee hour or does that mean a meeting with a priest for each “need”? I may call Samaritan about this too but just checking to see if there is any anecdotal experience!
Thank you for writing in such detail about this. It was a God send!
Deirdre says
Hi Theresa,
I’m glad you found the post helpful. 🙂
My husband has been the one to handle talking to our priest about it in both parishes we’ve belonged to during the time that we’ve been members. He’s just caught him after a daily Mass or some other time to briefly explain to him and ask him for his signature, and that hasn’t been a big deal.
When we’ve had to go back for his signature again (when submitting a Need or renewing membership), my husband has actually found that it’s worked for him to get the priest’s signature right before or after receiving the sacrament of Confession! It really just takes a moment and, so far, neither priest has seemed to mind.
It probably helps that my husband’s face is familiar to them and we have strong relationships with our priests, so they can remember what the paperwork is about when it comes up.
It has occurred to me that it could get to be a bit much to go back and forth to your priest/pastor every time if you suffered a lot of illnesses or incidents in a short amount of time. So far we haven’t been in that boat. I wonder if Samaritan might make allowances in such circumstances. Then again, if you’re suffering a lot, it’s probably a good thing for your church leader to know about!