... When You Kiss Health Insurance Goodbye

I have always referred to Noah as our "seventeen thousand dollar baby."  He was certainly worth every shiny penny, but he legitimately cost us $17,000.  The irony?  That was when we had health insurance.  The salt in the wound?  It was several months before we were putting a down payment on our first home.  The funny part?  When Gus was born twenty-two months later, we were still paying for the birth of Noah.

And that was when we decided to kiss health insurance goodbye.

After Gus was born, we knew we couldn't afford a health insurance premium for a family of five.  (Unfortunately, our family has never been insured through my husband's work).  People assured us that Obamacare would bring us "hope."  I spent way too many hours researching our health care options, only to find that the end of the rabbit hole looked just as I suspected: unaffordable.

I have been caught in at least a dozen conversations where my remark, "We don't have insurance" is met with judgment.  I either receive a look of pity or a gaping glance that speaks "irresponsibility" in volumes.  Heck, I don't blame them.  If I saw a disheveled mom of four young kids (one of whom was recently referred to as my "feral child"-- a nickname I couldn't reject) who told me her family was uninsured, I, too, would react with pity or judgment.

Visiting My Brother's Seminary

Now, here's our secret: I broke up with health insurance to enter into a far more rewarding experience.  We are now members of a health share program called Samaritan Ministries.

Samaritan Ministries is one of many Christian-based health share programs.  What exactly does this mean?  It means that we belong to a group of about 200,000 people who are putting Galatians 6:2 into action in our own way.  St. Paul encourages us to, "Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ."  For many, navigating through health issues alone is too large a burden to carry.  Now, coupling health issues with the financial burdens that often come alongside can be crippling.  Unfortunately, our government, in part, has intensified this burden.  Obamacare could offer nothing for a family like
ours.  Praise God for our friend, DB, who told us about Samaritan Ministries!

Hiking at Eaton Canyon

As a member of Samaritan Ministries, we pledge to help other families and individuals meet their health care costs.  We pay just under $500/month for our family of six.  Each month, we receive our newsletter that tells us about a family and his or her health care need.  We then write a check along with a few prayerful words of encouragement, and send it directly to the family.  In turn, when we are in need, we are blessed with both prayers and monetary gifts from other Samaritan members.  When we open our mailbox to find a check and hand-written card from someone whom we have never met, it is a very tangible reminder of St. Paul's image of the Body of Christ.  We are one body!  Together, we can bear one another's burdens.

Another cool part?  If there are not as many health care needs in a given month, our monthly amount gets reduced!  Can you imagine your health insurance company informing you, "Our overhead expenses were less than anticipated this month.  Therefore, you will receive an 8% reduction on your premium payment."  Through Samaritan, we are all committed to helping each other meet our needs; no one is here to profit from your health needs.

A Sample of One of Many Samaritan Blessings

I felt compelled to write this blog for several reasons.  First of all, I know there are other people out there who have been abused by our health care system.  For you: there is another way!  (Here, I would really like to insert: Don't let the government control you! -- but I am trying so very hard to be non-political in this post). Secondly, Samaritan has been such a spiritual blessing for our family, I pray that it can bless you, too.

[Lest I lead anyone astray, I do want to note that Samaritan has a handful of health care costs it will not cover, i.e. immunizations and well-baby visits to name a few.  However, despite these exceptions, we have still found it to be immensely beneficial, worthwhile, and affordable for our family.]

To sum it up?  Lucy was our $300 baby.

Lucy, One and On the Run!

My Newest Pet Project