When Jase and Jennie Stefanski needed to pay a midwife her $5,000 fee for delivering their sixth child 10 months ago, the money came from an unlikely source: people who are members, like them, of a Christian nonprofit group called Samaritan Ministries. In dribs and drabs, the checks arrived, most between $135 and $320, many with personal notes attached congratulating the family.<\/p>\n
The Stefanskis don\u2019t have health insurance. Instead, they belong to a \u201chealth-care sharing ministry\u201d\u009d whose members follow biblical teachings that they share each other\u2019s burdens \u201d\u201d in this case, their medical costs. Each member pays a monthly fee that varies with family size: Single members generally pay $135, couples $270, single-parent families $200 and two-parent families $320. Members pay the first $300 for any medical expense they incur; when they have bills \u201d\u201d or \u201cneeds,\u201d\u009d as they call them \u201d\u201d above that amount, they send them to the ministry\u2019s Peoria, Ill., offices. The ministry keeps track of the needs, informing other members where to send their monthly check, and letting those who have made requests know what checks to expect.<\/p>\n