As policymakers in Washington, D.C., debate overhauling health care, several evangelical Christian groups have found a way of getting around the high cost of health insurance. Instead of paying premiums, they simply agree to pay each other’s medical bills.<\/p>\n
The groups are not regulated because unlike insurance there’s no guarantee an individual’s bills will be paid. That’s something members take on faith.<\/p>\n
James Lansberry, the vice president of Samaritan Ministries, says the concept is simple. First there’s a $170 annual fee to cover Samaritan’s administrative costs. His nonprofit group then compiles members’ health care bills and tells its 14,000 households where to send their monthly checks.<\/p>\n
“The money doesn’t get received at our central office \u201d\u201d it goes directly from one family to another,” Lansberry says. “So each month I send my monthly share of $285 directly to another family.”<\/p>\n