SMI Pitch Note | 12.26.18
Members of Health Care Sharing Ministries Like Samaritan Can Focus on Taking Care of Their Families Rather Than Worrying About Money
Sarah Barazza is “happily uninsured,” but money was the last thing on her mind as she and her 15-month-old son raced to the hospital in an ambulance last year. Moises’s airway had become swollen from croup, and the toddler struggled to breathe.
“I’m so grateful I don’t have to worry about finances,” Barazza said. “I’m just focused on taking care of my child.”
The Barazza family was featured in a Chicago Tribune story earlier this year about health care sharing, and the article was also published in several other large newspapers, thereby informing millions about this biblical, direct-sharing, affordable model of health care.
The Barazzas are members of Samaritan Ministries International (samaritanministries.org), one of the leading health care sharing ministries in America, and, for nearly 25 years, Samaritan has enabled more than a quarter of a million members (80,000-plus member households) to honor God through their health care.
The Tribune also reported that many are choosing health care sharing ministries amid frustrations over the costs of health insurance and the Affordable Care Act mandate, which is no longer enforced with a penalty. “The ministries are another way many people are thinking outside-the-box, trying to find creative solutions to pay for their health care needs without spending sometimes large amounts on health insurance,” according to the article.
Samaritan members like Sarah Barazza overwhelmingly say they are “happily uninsured” and plan to stay that way. They appreciate that Samaritan Ministries has provided a way for them to pray for and send monthly financial shares directly to their fellow members all year long, and to bless them with encouraging personal notes and cards.
Each month, Samaritan’s growing Biblical community shares approximately $28 million in medical needs person to person, yet the monthly share has never exceeded $495 for a family of any size and is even less for two-person and single-person households. This direct-sharing approach also allows members to not only help fellow believers with their medical financial needs, but also connect monthly with prayer, personal notes and cards of encouragement.
To interview a representative from Samaritan Ministries International, contact Deborah Hamilton, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, 610.584.1096, ext. 102, or Patrick Benner, ext. 104.
