A New Option from a Ministry We’ve Trusted for Years
Several years ago, before we had any kids, Austin and I made a pretty significant change in the way our family handled health care: we joined Samaritan Ministries.
At the time, it felt like a big decision. Health care sharing was new to us, and I had all the questions you would probably expect. What happens when we actually need medical care? What does it mean to be a self-pay patient? How do medical bills get shared? And perhaps most importantly: will this actually work for our family?
Years later, I can say that joining Samaritan Ministries is one of those decisions I’m still so thankful we made. All three of our babies have been born while we’ve been Samaritan members, and we’ve used health care sharing through pregnancies, births, illnesses, injuries, and plenty of trips to the doctor along the way.
So when Samaritan told me about a new health care sharing option they’ve launched called REDEEM® HealthShare, I was really interested.
The same mission, but a different way of doing health care sharing
One of the things I have appreciated most about Samaritan over the years is that health care sharing is actually ministry.
Samaritan Ministries is not health insurance. Instead, it is a community of Christians voluntarily but committed to sharing one another’s eligible medical expenses, and has been for over 30 years. That distinction matters, and if you are considering health care sharing, I always recommend taking the time to understand exactly how it works and reading the sharing guidelines carefully.
But that Christian community is also what has made the experience so meaningful for us. We have sent our monthly shares to other Christian families walking through medical needs, and when our family has had a need, other believers have done the same for us. Health care becomes an opportunity to actually live out the biblical call to bear one another’s burdens.
REDEEM® is another health care sharing option from Samaritan Ministries that is built around those same biblical values, but the practical experience is a little different. It is designed to offer members more flexibility and a more streamlined, digital approach to managing their health care.
And honestly, I think some families who have been intrigued by health care sharing but hesitant about the logistics may find REDEEM® particularly interesting.
So how is REDEEM® different?
One of the biggest differences is the way medical bills are handled.
In our Samaritan membership, we are self-pay patients. We receive our medical bills, pay our providers directly, and submit eligible expenses to Samaritan for sharing. That process has become very normal for us over the years, and I’ve written before about what it actually looks like.
With REDEEM®, providers can submit medical bills directly to REDEEM® HealthShare’s platform instead. Members of REDEEM® still have the freedom to choose their own providers without network restrictions, but there is less of the usual self-pay process for the member to manage.
REDEEM® also structures sharing around an Annual Unshareable Amount, or AUA. This is the t threshold amount your household must meet during your membership year before additional eligible bills can be shared by the REDEEM® community. You can select from different AUA levels depending on the REDEEM® program you choose, which allows families to think about the balance between their monthly share amount and the amount they are solely responsible for when it comes to their own medical expenses.
There are currently two primary programs for families: REDEEM® Essential and REDEEM® Enhanced. Essential is designed for families looking for a lower monthly cost and includes a co-share after the AUA is met. Enhanced offers more extensive sharing, no co-share, and additional sharing for things like routine wellness care and eligible prescription costs.
There is also an optional add-on feature called FlexShare®, which expands the kinds of expenses that can be shared to include eligible expenses in categories like dental and vision care, mental health services, and some alternative treatments.
In other words, there are quite a few ways to customize the experience based on what your family actually needs.
Why I think it’s worth knowing about
I’ve talked about Samaritan Ministries for years because it is something our family loves being members of and has genuinely appreciated for health care. But I also know that every family is different. What works beautifully for us may not be exactly what another family is looking for.
That is why I like seeing Samaritan expand the ways Christians can participate in health care sharing.
For some families, the Samaritan Classic and Basic programs may still be exactly what they want. For others, the provider-billing process, annual structure, and additional options available through REDEEM® may feel like a better fit.
And autumn is actually a really good time to ask those questions.
This time of year always makes me want to reevaluate the systems our family has accumulated almost accidentally: our schedules, our budget, our routines. Sometimes we keep doing something simply because it is what we have always done. But occasionally, taking an hour to ask, “Is there a better way for our family to do this?” can lead to a change that serves us for years.
That was certainly true for us when we first joined Samaritan Ministries.
If health care is one of those things you’ve been meaning to reconsider, REDEEM® gives Christian families another option worth exploring. I would encourage you to read through the program details and sharing guidelines carefully, compare the different options, and think through what makes the most sense for your family.
This post is sponsored by REDEEM® HealthShare Ministry by Samaritan Ministries. REDEEM® HealthShare is a health care sharing ministry and is not health insurance. Members voluntarily share eligible medical expenses according to the ministry’s sharing guidelines.
