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In this post, I am going to do a comparison of Samaritan Ministries and Share Healthcare.
I will go over member responsibility amounts (what member’s pay before the community shares in any medical bills), monthly costs (this is dependent on age, individual/family memberships, and the Member Responsibility amount you choose), preventative sharing, pre-existing conditions, maternity, turnaround time to pay medical bills, and any special considerations to be aware of.
Member Responsibility Amounts
Samaritan Ministries Initual Unshareable Amount (IUA): The initial unshareable amount, or IUA, is the amount that a member will pay before Samaritan Ministries shares in medical expenses. Your IUA amount will depend on which program you decide to join. For the Samaritan Basic, your IUA amount is $1,500. For the Samaritan Classic, your IUA amount is $400. If you want to change your program, there is a $100 fee to do so.
Share Healthcare: Members can choose between three sharing levels as well as the option to choose between a Per Event Personal Expense (PEPE) or an Annual Unshared Amount (AUA). These are the amounts you pay on your own – either on a per incident or per year basis – before remaining eligible medical expenses can be shared.
Per Event Personal Expense amounts can be: $300, $500, or $1,000.
The Annual Unshared Amount can be: $3,300 (single), $3,600 (couple), or $3,900 (family)
Monthly Contribution Price Range
Samaritan Ministries: $135 to $555
Share Healthcare: $149 to $659 (plus $50 for each child after the first two) + $120.00 upon enrollment and every year.
Statement of Faith
Samaritan Ministries: Must agree to their Statement of Faith. Must attend church regularly (3 out of every 4 weeks). Must have your pastor or Christian church leader sign a statement confirming that you meet their requirements.
Church denominations not allowed to join Samaritan Ministries: Church of Scientology, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Unitarianism.
Share Healthcare: Must agree to a Statement of Faith and must be Christian, meaning you believe in “the God of the Bible, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit”.
For more detailed information on faith-based requirements, please read this post about Christian Health Share Plans.
If you prefer a HealthShare that has no religious requirements, please read my post about Non-Religious Health Share Plans.
Preventative Sharing
Samaritan Ministries: Routine care (dental, vision, yearly wellness checks, colonoscopies, etc.) is generally not shared by Samaritan members. If a shareable condition is discovered because of a routine visit, those related medical expenses can be shared.
Share Healthcare: Yearly wellness visits or screenings are eligible for sharing once your PEPE or AUA has been paid.
Pre-Existing Conditions
Samaritan Ministries: Needs that result from a condition that existed prior to membership are only shareable if the condition has been symptom, treatment, and medication-free for 12 consecutive months. Some pre-existing conditions, such as cancer, heart conditions, and hereditary diseases, have a five-year period before they are eligible for sharing.
Share Healthcare: Not eligible for sharing.
For more detailed information, please read my post about How The Top HealthShare’s Handle Pre-Existing Conditions.
Maternity
Samaritan Ministries: Maternity needs are shareable in Samaritan Classic provided there are at least two family members in the same membership program prior to conception. A maternity need will be shared at 100% after the IUA has been met and has a maximum shareable amount of $250,000.
Share Healthcare: After members pay their Per Event Personal Expense or Annual Unshared Amount, expenses related to labor, delivery and routine hospital expenses for the infant as well as expenses relating to any complications are eligible with NO waiting period or limits. If a member is pregnant within two months of membership beginning, maternity expenses will be shared at up to 50% of the member’s share contributions to that point. For example, if the member has paid $2,490 in monthly share amount to that point, up to $1,245 will be eligible to be shared by fellow members.
Feel free to learn more at The Top HealthShare’s Maternity Benefits (Comparison Guide).
Turnaround Time for Paying Medical Bills
Samaritan Ministries: 60-90 days
Share Healthcare: Unknown. When I called to speak to someone at Share Healthcare about this, I was told that it “depends on the provider” and I wasn’t even provided an estimate.
Considerations
Samaritan Ministries: Samaritan Classic has a $250,000 maximum limit per medical need and the Samaritan Basic has a $236,500 maximum limit per medical need. If you want additional sharing available, you can pay extra to join the Save to Share™ program. In addition to the annual administrative share, each participating household must set aside funds that will be dedicated for use in the program. As of March 2021, the current annual household amount required to be set aside is $133 for one person, $266 for a two-person membership and single-parent family, and $399 for a three or more person family.
Share Healthcare: Share Healthcare does not have annual or lifetime caps on eligible need requests. Members must set up a bank account for sharing. Member’s monthly share amounts will remain in the individualized account until it is used to pay the medical expenses of fellow Share Healthcare members.
Which Health Share Plan Should You Join?
Choosing a Health Share plan is a very personal decision. Feel free to check out Samaritan Ministries Reviews and Share Healthcare Reviews. I provide a lot more information on each Health Share and you can read reviews from other members.
There are so many different Health Share plans to choose from, which is great, but it can also be overwhelming! To help narrow down your choices, I wrote an article on the Best Health Share Plans. You will find which health share plans I recommend to help you on your search for affordable healthcare.
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