Dr. Theodore Levy explains how a decline in our health care system could happen a little at a time, so citizens might not even realize the cause of their problems.
Nathan Clark George
September 2nd, 2010This month’s member spotlight is about Christian musician Nathan Clark George, who wrote a song based on Galatians 6, the passage Samaritan has put in its materials to highlight the theme of bearing one another’s burdens. He’s made the song available free for members. Visit NathanClarkGeorge.com and click on the “Free!” tab to download it.
Award winning artist Nathan Clark George describes his music in simple terms, preferring not to talk of the typical labels and categories.
“There are sort of two sides to my writing. One is Scriptural, just setting passages of Scripture, like Psalm 111 and Psalm 24 to music. Another side of my music is just pulling from family life.”
Nathan and his wife Patricia spend much of their time touring in a cramped motor home with their six children: Read the rest of this entry »
Medical tourism expands as alternative to new law
September 2nd, 2010Professor Sarah McIntosh writes, “Across the globe, entrepreneurial individuals and organizations are looking at the possibility of providing medical tourism services at an increased rate, particularly in the wake of the new U.S. health care law. Costa Rica’s rising medical tourism industry could serve as a test case for this as providers prepare to benefit from the impact of the new regulations in the United States…”
Read the article at the Heartland Institute’s website.
Kentucky court decision won’t affect Samaritan Members
August 27th, 2010Yesterday the Kentucky Supreme Court rendered a 5-2 split decision finding that Medi-Share, a health care sharing ministry, was insurance and did not qualify for a “Religious Publication Exemption.” (An exemption crafted for charities operating a health care sharing ministry.) The decision won’t affect Samaritan members. See the press release for more information.
Please transfer the potatoes …
August 25th, 2010Laura in our operations department shares this after a long day answering phones at Samaritan:
After answering many calls yesterday and transferring them to the appropriate extensions, Nathan, at dinner, asked me to pass him a drink. I slipped and said, “Yes, let me transfer that to you.”
Geography lesson in sin
August 25th, 2010Jon Acuff offers a sobering, needed essay on our vulnerability to sin thanks to our failure to, simply, get away from it. Or at least the potential for it, especially where adultery or fornication is concerned. Many Christians today have forgotten the fact that your spouse is your spouse, and that people of the sex opposite of you aren’t. There are no “friends” of the opposite sex. God created men and women to be in specific types of relationships; “friends” isn’t one of them.
Read Acuff’s post and painstakingly review your relationships.
Member’s special prayer need answered
August 17th, 2010Samaritan member Timothy Wehse of Tennessee expresses his gratitude for other Samaritan members helping with expenses relating to a pre-existing need. Since it was pre-existing, it could only be published as a special prayer need, but Timothy has been blessed nonetheless.
Although God’s people scattered around the country are not required to help with this particular need (I was not an active member when the TIA occurred), they have been sending both encouraging notes and checks for weeks. We are thanking God for the hundreds of dollars that have been so graciously given, and for the kind words of encouragment.
This is just another example of how God takes care of His people.
Visit Timothy’s blog, Striving for Reality.
I had EECP treatment for heart problems
August 6th, 2010This is What Happened to Me
I recently had treatment for heart problems. I had been experiencing chest pains and tests showed my arteries were very constricted. Doctors said I would need a stent.
Then I learned about Enhanced External Counterpulsation, or EECP, from a friend. EECP is an FDA approved treatment that has been shown to enlarge arteries and blood vessels giving your body a “natural bypass.” It costs a fraction of the more often prescribed surgeries, and has almost no risk of side effects. It can even give existing stents a longer life span. It is totally non-invasive.
EECP has also been used to help people with kidney disease, diabetes, and many other problems. We heard a testimonial of a lady whose diabetes was so bad that her feet turned black, and doctors were considering amputation. But after EECP blood flow returned and her feet got back to normal, pink and healthy.
I was very impressed with the quality of care that I received, and what we learned. So much can be done these days as an alternative to stents and the bypass surgeries that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. We even learned of medical studies showing that patients with artery blockages who don’t have surgery have the same survival rates as those who do have the surgeries. With odds like those, I preferred to try EECP.
I highly recommend this procedure. I am feeling years younger and my chest pains are gone. I am now focusing on eating healthy and keeping to an exercise program to continue to care for my body.
James and Ronnelle Buck
Northport, WA
P.S. Here’s a link to some information on the EECP treatment from the website of the Whitaker Wellness Institute in Irvine, California, where I had the treatment. The largest manufacturer of the machines is Vasomedical, and on their site you can find doctors and hospitals by ZIP code that do the treatment. I hope some members will consider it, and find that it is appropriate for their situation.
Podcast interview of Shalom Sanchez, missionary in South LA
August 4th, 2010The interview of Shalom Sanchez, who mentors young people in South L.A., is up.
Abortion spending in health care plan still an issue
August 2nd, 2010This from Lifenews.com:
Although the Obama administration promised it will limit federal taxpayer funding of abortions in the new high risk health insurance programs created under the ObamaCare law President Barack Obama signed into law, officials have said the limits are temporary and apply only to the new program.
Douglas Johnson, legislative director for National Right to Life Committee, said this about the likelihood of ongoing struggles over abortion funding through the new health care law:
… unless Congress repeals the health care law or performs major corrective surgery on it, there will be years of battles, as each new program is implemented, over how elective abortion will be covered—and the White House is suggesting that today’s policy will not necessarily be applied when implementing the other programs, some of which will cover far larger populations.”
U.S. pro-lifers will need to be on the lookout for continuing mischief.
