A Christian Approach to Covering Healthcare

Through medical sharing ministries, members cover each other's bills
By Michelle Andrews
June 25, 2008

When it comes to health insurance, thousands of people are counting on the Lord—or at least his faithful—to provide. Through Christian nonprofits like Samaritan Ministries of Peoria, Ill., they contribute modest monthly "shares" to pay each other's medical bills. The programs "function like an insurance company, except it's a lot cheaper and a lot less red tape," says Rocco Dapice, a pastor in Tarrytown, N.Y., who three years ago signed on as one of Samaritan's 12,800 households. The Dapice family is responsible for any medical bill under $300, but anything over that amount—like the $16,000 tab for the birth of a third child last year—is 100 percent covered. The Dapices' monthly share of $285 is in line with the $273 premium a typical family pays every month for employer-sponsored healthcare, according to Kaiser Family Foundation figures.

The programs can be more of a bargain for self-employed people, who make up a good proportion of Samaritan members, since finding individual insurance at any price can be tough. But they aren't for everyone. In order to join Samaritan and similar programs—the two other big players are Christian Care Medi-Share and Christian Healthcare Ministries—members must be Christians who belong to a church (and have a letter from their minister to prove it). They sign a pledge committing to squeaky-clean living: no tobacco, no excessive drinking, no illegal drugs. Sex outside marriage is verboten. Should they fail to steer clear of such behaviors, they'll typically be on their own for medical expenses that result. A woman who gets pregnant outside marriage, for example, will have to cover her own costs, except perhaps if she's been raped. Ditto someone with a sexually transmitted disease. The coverage restrictions don't worry Dapice. "They're trying to provide a service to people who believe in God and who have some biblical ethics," he says. The well-publicized weaknesses of certain high-profile preachers notwithstanding, "Those kinds of incidents wouldn't come up," he says.

Every month Dapice receives a letter from Samaritan that tells him where to send his monthly share and why, explaining, for example, that Sally Smith in Nebraska broke her collarbone. He sends the check to Smith along with a card wishing her well and tells her he'll pray for her. When the Dapice family has a claim, he submits it to Samaritan. A month or so later, the ministry sends him a list of member names and the amounts he can expect to receive from them. As the checks arrive in the mail, he crosses off the names and eventually sends the list back to Samaritan to follow up with the occasional member who hasn't come through. The group shares about $2.5 million every month this way, says James Lansberry, vice president at Samaritan.

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