4. Money-Saving Ideas: Health Care-Sharing Ministries

Health Care-Sharing Ministries

The fourth money saving strategy in this series of five ways to save money with your health expenses and to integrate that with Sentinel Primary Care is a group of entities that are collectively referred to as health care-sharing ministries. These are not-for-profit Christian organizations that help to coordinate the members to support each other financially in their health expenses. It’s a really interesting concept. Now, insurance is kind of like that. I mean you pay your monthly premium into this large pot, the corporation of the insurance company has this large administrative structure that comes up with contracts with doctors’ offices and hospitals and such, and then doles out reimbursement; but none of us, I think really love health insurance companies. With the health care-sharing ministry, it’s a much more direct connection.

How Health Care-Sharing Ministries Work

For example, if I end up in the emergency room and need stitches or I have pneumonia and I generate some health expense. I pay my portion and then I can submit my costs to the health care-sharing ministry. Then the ministry helps to coordinate other members in supporting me financially for my health expenses. So it’s a much more direct connection between the members and supporting each other.

Organizations

It is organizations like Medi-Share which is reasonably well-known among them. Another is Samaritan Ministries.

• Medi-Share Health Care Sharing Ministry
• Samaritan Ministries Health Care Sharing Ministry

These are worth taking a look at it because they’re not a large administratively top-heavy organization. The expenses are a lot lower and for most circumstances, monthly contributions in a health care-sharing ministry are less expensive, potentially significantly less expensive than with traditional insurance. So that’s a way you can save some costs. We at Sentinel are more than happy to work with folks who use a health care-sharing ministry.

Take a look at these. Health care-sharing ministries may be a good option, though they are not the right fit for everyone. Absolutely not. Take a look, and you might find there something that is very attractive to you.

For more ideas on saving money with your healthcare costs and integrating that with Sentinel Primary Care, take a look at the other videos in the series at sentinelprimarycare.com.