July 21, 2025
Americans pay much more than others for health care. Why?
‘More than ever, Samaritan Ministries makes sense as an affordable approach to health care,’ says Anthony Hopp, SMI’s vice president and chief purpose officer
PEORIA, Ill. — Americans are not suffering from imagining health care prices keep climbing; those increasing costs are real enough.
The National Health Expenditure — the total amount paid for health care through public and private means — has risen faster in recent decades than inflation, household income, the gross domestic product (GDP), the population, and even the price of housing, according to a report in The Epoch Times.
“More than ever, Samaritan Ministries makes sense as an affordable approach to health care,” says Anthony Hopp, vice president and chief purpose officer of Samaritan Ministries International (SMI) (samaritanministries.org).
“Our members save money at the outset and have more choices. Further, our staff helps members negotiate bills, reducing overall costs. As health insurance premiums keep rising along with health care expenses, it pays to seek out better, non-insurance approaches like SMI’s health care sharing.”
“Americans collectively spent $4.9 trillion on health care in 2023, six times more than on national defense. No other country spends this much,” the report said. “As a percentage of GDP, the United States spends one-third more than Germany and France and more than double what China spends.”
However, spending isn’t everything. Americans aren’t healthier than people in comparable nations, according to leading health care indices, and they don’t live as long.
“Americans spent an average of $1,500 apiece on out-of-pocket medical expenses in 2023. That’s $6,000 for a family of four. But that’s the tip of the iceberg. Total spending was 10 times that amount: $14,570 per person, more than $58,000 for a family of four,” the report said.
Americans are older and sicker than they were even 30 years ago, which has driven spending increases. “A significant percentage of the American population has a chronic condition,” Orriel Richardson, executive director at Morgan Health, told The Epoch Times.
New medications are currently driving overall costs up, according to Richardson. The average health insurance premium for family coverage increased by 22% from 2018 to 2023 and by 47% since 2013. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which was enacted in 2010, was fully implemented by 2014.
“Private health insurance has become more concentrated among fewer, larger insurers and care providers,” The Epoch Times reported. “The six largest health insurers in the country accounted for nearly 30 percent of all U.S. health care spending in 2023—an increase from 10 percent in 2011, according to an analysis conducted by Axios.
“This may result in higher premiums, decreased access to affordable health insurance, and fewer options for consumers,” John Dicken of the Government Accountability Office wrote on Dec. 5, 2024.
“Samaritan Ministries offers a way out of the health care insurance quagmire,” Hopp says. “Samaritan Ministries is not insurance, so our members do not deal with the same issues. Doctors and hospitals are happy to be paid in cash, which reduces red tape and expenses for them so they can offer discounts — sometimes steep discounts — which consequently save our members money.
“The new, government-mandated transparency for hospital expenses makes the whole process easier.”
Since its founding in 1994, Samaritan Ministries International has helped tens of thousands of families and individuals enjoy health care freedom by allowing them to choose medical providers and treatments at reasonable cost and without network restrictions while following a biblical pattern of caring for one another’s medical needs.
Accredited by the Healthcare Sharing Accreditation Board, Samaritanhas an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau,and serves more than 250,000 members across almost 80,000 households.
Samaritan Ministries is not health insurance. Government exchange-based health insurance requires signups to occur only during open enrollment periods unless one qualifies for a special enrollment period due to a “life event” such as losing coverage, getting married, moving, or having a baby. In contrast, individuals can sign up with Samaritan Ministries at any time.
Samaritan Ministries members are exempt from insurance coverage mandates and penalties in those states that have them (i.e., California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C.).
Samaritan Ministries health care sharing offers many advantages, including:
- No network restrictions. Samaritan members have the freedom of choice for their health care provider, hospital, and pharmacy that works best for them.
- The unique direct-sharing approach does more than just help members financially; it also encourages a biblical community based on prayer. Due to member efforts, monthly shares are hundreds of dollars less per month than health insurance premiums.
To understand how health care sharing is not insurance, and to understand the differences from insurance, prospective members are required to review Samaritan Ministries’ guidelines before joining Samaritan.
To learn more about Samaritan Ministries International, visit the Samaritanwebsite at www.samaritanministries.org, or follow the ministry on Facebook, Instagram or X.
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To interview a representative from Samaritan Ministries International, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, Dawn Foglein, ext. 100, or Richard Jefferson, rjefferson@hamiltonstrategies.com.
