Health care costs are rising steadily, and there are more eligible bills being submitted than Shares available. We are seeking to glorify God with our health care by bearing one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2) and Share amounts must regularly increase so that this community can bear those burdens as health care costs rise.

The founders of Samaritan Ministries believed it was particularly important to have direct member involvement in the ministry. Members send Shares directly to one another. Members also directly control the makeup of the Board of Directors, which proposes Share increases. The Board of Directors has six elected members who do not receive compensation from the ministry. Samaritan’s Founder Ted Pittenger and two people he designates also serve on the Board, making a total of nine board members.

No. Share increase votes do not impact the IUA. The IUA is set separately by the member-elected Board of Directors. Currently, there are no changes to the IUA in Classic or Basic.

For the first time since its inception in October 2017, the Board of Directors proposed a Share increase in Samaritan Basic to avoid proration and keep up with increased medical costs. The ministry Guidelines allow the Board to propose Share increases when it is deemed necessary, even when proration has not occurred (Guidelines, Section IV.A.2.). Samaritan leadership was intentionally proactive in recommending an increase, as we recently came close to needing to prorate Basic.

Proration is a process we use when a month has more eligible bills than Shares available to pay for them. In such a scenario we are unable to share all bills in full (at 100 percent of their total eligible dollar amount), as there are not enough Shares to assign to those bills. As a result, we reduce what is shared to the amount of funds that the community has available. This reduction is spread equally across all bills.

As an example, if there are $10 million in eligible bills but only $9.8 million in Shares, then those bills would be shared at 98 percent (a 2 percent proration). Proration is one indication that a Share increase is needed to account for rising costs. For more information, please see our proration FAQ page.

Since January 2021, COVID-19 bills have accounted for only slightly more than 3.5 percent of all Needs submitted.

Samaritan trusts that members are making thoughtful decisions when it comes to seeking medical care, including taking provider-prescribed medications. While prescription drug prices fluctuate with inflation, supply chain issues, the U.S. regulatory environment, and many other factors, pharmaceutical costs are not driving Share increases, as they accounted for less than one-half of one percent of the total amounts shared in 2021 for Classic and Basic. Our Guidelines (Section VIII.B.28.) limit the sharing of prescriptions, mitigating the risk of prescription expenses expanding beyond what the membership can bear.

Classic has had more eligible bills than available Shares throughout 2021 and into 2022. Basic recently came close to needing proration. As a result, the Board of Directors has recommended Share increases for both programs.

Although every Samaritan member participates in one of three sharing programs, we are first and foremost members of Samaritan Ministries, not Samaritan Given™ or Classic or Basic. We’re a community that cares for one another in Jesus’ name, regardless of which sharing program we each select.

At the same time, Samaritan Ministries seeks for each sharing program to be complementary and self-sustaining in both its sharing and operational costs. To accomplish this, we sometimes adjust a program’s cost, structure, or Guidelines, or we may adjust the allocation of administrative resources. Although this goal is not always possible, we want every sharing program to be supportive of the Needs of its participants and the costs it takes to facilitate the program.

While we aim for self-sustaining sharing programs, we still share medical bills between programs since we are all members of one community: Samaritan Ministries. This philosophy and practice have been the case since Samaritan Basic was introduced, and similarly applies to Samaritan Given.

No. Share amounts are based upon the bills members submit and the Shares they contribute, not upon administrative financials.

The administrative expense budget is prepared by management to meet the needs of the members and is approved by the member-led Board. In addition, there is an independent audit of revenues and expenditures performed each year and reported to the Board for financial accountability. For more information, please read about our best practices and commitment to sustainability and transparency.

Several increase options, including monthly Share amounts and changes to the IUA, are considered by the Board of Directors, based on the trend of bill submissions by members and broader medical spending projections. The Board prayerfully considers and chooses the option that available data suggests will allow the Samaritan community to meet one another’s health care burdens for another year as costs continue rising.

We review each membership group using several factors to determine a proposed Share amount change that we believe will allow the program to continue to bear members’ burdens as health care costs rise.

One of our considerations is forecasted health care spending (not just health care inflation), which is estimated to be in the range of 6.5-7.3 percent for 2022. Our goal is to balance each member’s personal responsibility with our mission to enable the body of Christ to bear one another’s burdens.

We review each membership group using several factors to determine a proposed Share amount change. Based on those considerations, we are proposing increases that reflect the bills submitted and Shares contributed by membership groups. Our goal is to balance each member’s personal responsibility with our mission to enable the body of Christ to bear one another’s burdens.

The short answer is that members of Samaritan Ministries are subject to the same increases in health care costs as everyone else. Share amounts must regularly increase so that this community can bear members’ medical burdens as health care costs rise.

We encourage every Samaritan member to be actively engaged in their health care decisions, utilizing resources like Healthcare Bluebook to review providers and procedures. Engaged health care patients seek quality care at a fair price.

One way to help contain costs is by ensuring you are not only getting a discount from your providers, but more importantly, a fair price before you receive care. Log into your Dash account and browse Healthcare Bluebook before you see a provider when possible. The $250 fair-price reward continues to be an option that incentivizes members to use Healthcare Bluebook on Dash to find a fair-price facility when they have a medical procedure.

The best thing all of us can do is be engaged health care patients who stay informed on ways to promote health and wellness and who use resources (like Healthcare Bluebook on our member Dashboard) to choose providers who offer quality care at a fair price.

We believe members are doing their best to stay healthy and avoid submitting unnecessary Needs, and they are working hard to steward resources well when they have a Need. The monthly Share amounts continue to be much lower than the premiums most consumers pay for insurance policies, which often have high deductibles and copays.

Samaritan members approach their health care with an attitude of stewardship, but as health care spending continues to increase, members still often end up paying more than they would have in previous years for the very same service―even after diligently working to get a fair price. The best way to help contain costs is to browse Healthcare Bluebook on Dash before seeing a provider. Members can also receive a $250 fair-price reward to demonstrate they chose a Healthcare Bluebook fair-price provider.

There is often a wide variance in price—even up to tens of thousands of dollars—for the same procedure from different providers. Plus, higher prices are not an indicator of quality care, nor do they suggest the likelihood of a more positive health care outcome. Rather, market data on pricing and outcomes is the best way to know whether you are getting quality care at a fair price.

As an example, one provider may offer a cash-pay price of $4,000 for a surgery—but no discount. Another nearby provider may charge $10,000 for that same procedure. That second provider would need to give a 60 percent discount to be on par with the first provider’s non-discounted price.

Samaritan Ministries has given every Samaritan member access to this market data through Healthcare Bluebook. Plus, we offer a $250 fair-price reward as an incentive when you utilize Healthcare Bluebook. For more information, see your Dash health care resources or review the article we published on obtaining fair prices.

When there are more Shares than Needs, Needs for the following month may be shared ahead of schedule. There are also times when a surplus in one program can allow for sharing across programs to take place. We are all members of one ministry bearing one another’s burdens. As member Needs are met across the ministry, if a surplus of Shares remains, the Share amounts assigned to each member may be reduced that month.

You can complete an application for short-term Sponsorship (where your monthly Share is temporarily decreased), which will include a review of your financial situation. Contact us through your Dashboard for more information.

We appreciate questions and feedback. You can contact us through your Dashboard.