September 22, 2025
SMI launches REDEEM™ SeniorSaver Medicare supplemental option to serve Christians
Will Cooper, Executive Vice President: ‘REDEEM is a faith-based, affordable option that is not health insurance. It saves money because SMI does not profit like insurance companies do. And it aligns with our members’ worldview.’
PEORIA, Ill. — Samaritan Ministries International’s (SMI) new REDEEM™ SeniorSaver is an affordable, faith-based health care sharing option for Christian seniors that complements Medicare. REDEEM™ HealthShare is a new offering from SMI, giving Christians greater freedom, affordability and prayerful community in their health care.
In 2024, a National Poll on Healthy Aging of people 50 and over conducted by the University of Michigan found that the top concern was the cost of medical care, followed by the cost of home care, assisted living, or nursing home care. The next highest concern was the cost of prescription drugs.
“This is why Samaritan Ministries is now offering this health care sharing option for seniors,” said SMI Executive Vice President Will Cooper. “It’s clear that many people who are retiring or near retirement are concerned about paying medical costs and don’t want to become hostages to the health insurance industry.
“REDEEM is a faith-based, affordable option that is not health insurance. It saves money because SMI does not profit like insurance companies do. And it aligns with our members’ worldview.”
Features of the REDEEM™ SeniorSaver program include:
- Potentially lower costs: Can be significantly cheaper than supplemental plans.
- Alignment with religious beliefs: Fits with the values of members who prefer this model over insurance.
- Personal responsibility: Emphasizes individual choice and responsibility within the community.
- Christian community: A community of believers sharing each other’s burdens.
“The REDEEM SeniorSaver program empowers Christian seniors age 65+ to embrace a health care solution that honors their faith, provides a straightforward approach to managing medical costs, and connects them with a compassionate, Christ-centered community,” Cooper says.
REDEEM SeniorSaver is designed to work alongside Medicare Parts A and B, serving as a secondary sharing solution for Christian seniors. After Medicare covers 80% of the cost for eligible medical services, the REDEEM community steps in to share the remaining 20%, once the $500 Annual Unshareable Amount (AUA) has been met.
Only services covered by Medicare Parts A and B are eligible for sharing through REDEEM HealthShare.
With a low monthly cost ranging from $116 to $169 a month and a $500 AUA, the REDEEM SeniorSaver program gives seniors comprehensive access to health care sharing within a supportive, faith-based community.
“REDEEM SeniorSaver offers Christian seniors greater freedom, affordability and prayerful community in their health care,” Cooper says. “For more than 30 years, Samaritan Ministries has been putting member needs first. REDEEM SeniorSaver and the REDEEM programs for other SMI members are our response to today’s challenges — giving members more choice, control and connection in their health care.”
Since its founding in 1994, Samaritan Ministries International (SMI) has helped more than a million Christians 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 more than 70,000 households.
REDEEMTM 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 REDEEM at any time. REDEEM 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.).
REDEEM HealthShare Ministry offers many advantages, including:
- No network restrictions. REDEEM 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 REDEEM’s guidelines before joining.
To learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry, visit the website at redeemhealthshare.org, or follow the ministry on Facebook, or Instagram.
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To schedule interviews with Samaritan Ministries International, contactMedia@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, Dawn Foglein, ext. 100, or Richard Jefferson, rjefferson@hamiltonstrategies.com.
