Samaritan Ministries vs Medi-Share: An Honest 2027 Comparison

When my family’s health insurance premium jumped from $480 a month to $1,596 a month, I almost fell out of my chair. That bill is what got me looking at health care sharing ministries in the first place.

Things haven’t gotten any better since then. Open enrollment for 2027 started November 1, and KFF reports that benchmark silver premiums on the ACA marketplace are up 13% on average for 2027. That’s on top of a 26% jump the year before.

So it’s no surprise that so many people ask me about health sharing, from fellow dentists to small business owners to families buying their own coverage. The two names that come up most are Samaritan Ministries and Medi-Share. I first wrote this comparison in 2018, and both ministries have changed a lot since then, so I’ve rewritten it from scratch with current numbers.

Disclosure: This article includes my Medi-Share referral link. If you join through it, I may receive a referral reward. It doesn’t change how I’ve compared the two ministries, and I’ve tried to give you an honest look at both.

---

---

What Is a Health Care Sharing Ministry?

A health care sharing ministry is a group of Christians who agree to help pay each other’s medical bills. Each household pays a monthly share. That money goes toward other members’ eligible medical bills.

They’re Not Insurance

This is the most important thing to understand. Neither Samaritan nor Medi-Share is health insurance, and neither one guarantees your bills will be paid.

There’s no contract that transfers your risk to a company. You’re joining a community that has agreed to share bills based on a set of written guidelines. Those guidelines decide what gets shared and what doesn’t, so read them before you join.

Why So Many Families Are Looking at Them

If you’re self employed, run a small business, retire early, or don’t have an employer plan, you pay the full price for your family’s coverage. That’s true whether you’re a dentist, a contractor, or a freelancer.

I learned the hard way how fragile a single income stream can be when I sprained my wrist skiing and realized my income depended entirely on my ability to treat patients. Getting a handle on health care costs is a big part of making work optional, no matter what you do for a living.

Samaritan Ministries: How It Works

Samaritan Ministries was founded in 1994 and is based in Peoria, Illinois. It’s one of the oldest health sharing ministries in the country.

Samaritan offers two programs, Samaritan Classic and Samaritan Basic. Your monthly share depends on how many people are in your household and the age of the oldest person.

Samaritan Classic vs Samaritan Basic

Classic costs more each month but shares more of your bills. Basic costs less each month, but you carry more of the cost when something happens.

Feature	Samaritan Classic	Samaritan Basic
Monthly share	$199 to $865	$119 to $475
What you pay first on each need	$1,000	$2,000
Portion shared after that	100%	90%
Most you pay beyond the first amount (non maternity)	$0	$2,500
Maximum shared per need	$250,000	$247,500
Maternity	70% shared, you pay up to $3,000 after the first amount	$5,000 sharing limit, more sharing after you’ve paid $13,500
Bills over the maximum	Optional Save to Share program	Optional Save to Share program

---

---

The key word in that table is “need.” Samaritan’s first amount, called the initial unshareable amount, applies to each separate medical condition. If your family has three unrelated issues in one year, you’ll pay it three times.

How Bills Get Paid at Samaritan

Samaritan doesn’t use a provider network. You can see any doctor you want, and you’re treated as a self pay patient.

You pay the provider or set up a payment plan, then you send your itemized bills to Samaritan. Samaritan says members can generally expect to start receiving shares from other members within 60 to 90 days after it gets those bills.

This is the part of Samaritan that makes it unique. Each month, members send their shares directly to the member with the need, often with a note of encouragement. It used to be all paper checks, but as of July 2025, digital sharing is available to all members.

Bills Over $250,000

Big medical events happen. Samaritan’s optional Save to Share program helps with qualified needs that go past the sharing maximum.

I’d seriously consider adding it if you choose Samaritan. A major cancer diagnosis or a long ICU stay can blow past $250,000 faster than most people think.

Prorating at Samaritan

Here’s something many people don’t know. If the bills submitted in a month are bigger than the shares coming in, Samaritan can reduce how much of each need gets shared.

It’s happened before. In one month, Samaritan reduced every Classic need by 9% because the bills exceeded the available shares. It doesn’t happen often, but you should plan for it.

Joining Samaritan

New members pay a $200 startup administrative fee, which isn’t refundable, along with their first monthly share. Members also agree to a Christian statement of faith and lifestyle standards.

Medi-Share: How It Works

Medi-Share is run by Christian Care Ministry, which has been around since 1993. It says it has more than 350,000 members and has shared and discounted more than $9 billion in medical bills.

Medi-Share works a lot more like the insurance you’re used to. That’s a big plus for some people and a drawback for others.

The Annual Household Portion

Medi-Share’s version of a deductible is called the Annual Household Portion, or AHP. It’s the amount your household pays toward eligible bills each year before sharing starts.

Today, new members can choose an AHP of $3,000, $6,000, $9,000, or $12,000. The older $500, $1,000, and $10,500 options aren’t offered to new members anymore. My family is still on the $10,500 option because we joined before it went away.

The big difference from Samaritan is that the AHP is one amount for the whole household for the year. It doesn’t matter how many separate medical issues you have.

Your monthly share depends on the AHP you choose, the age of the oldest person in your household, how many people are on the membership, and where you live. A higher AHP means a lower monthly share.

The fastest way to see what Medi-Share would cost your family is to run your own numbers. You can get your Medi-Share quote here.

Annual Household Portion	Monthly Share	Shares Per Year	Worst Case Year (Shares Plus AHP)
$3,000	$1,118	$13,416	$16,416
$6,000	$830	$9,960	$15,960
$9,000	$656	$7,872	$16,872
$12,000	$461	$5,532	$17,532

Provider Fees

When you see a provider, you show your Medi-Share card and pay a provider fee. Think of it like a copay. Medi-Share’s website currently lists these fees.

Type of Care	Provider Fee
Office visit for illness or injury	$50
Urgent care	$50
Hospital stay or surgery	$50
Emergency room	$500
Telehealth visit	$25

The exact fee for your membership is printed on your member ID card. These fees have gone up over the years, so check your card before you assume anything.

The Network and How Billing Works

Medi-Share uses a large PPO network. You show your card, pay your fee, and the provider bills Medi-Share directly. There are no checks to mail and no waiting months to get paid back.

You can go out of network, but it costs you. Out of network sharing is limited to usual and customary charges, and hospitals or facilities outside the PPO add 20% of total charges to your responsibility.

The Health Incentive Discount

Medi-Share rewards healthy members with a lower monthly share. To qualify, you submit your height, weight, waist measurement, and blood pressure.

If you’re married, both you and your spouse have to qualify, and you have to apply within 30 days of each other. You also have to reapply every year to keep the discount.

Sharing Limits

Medi-Share has no annual or lifetime limits on eligible bills, which is a big difference from Samaritan’s caps on each need. Medi-Share also says it never prorates sharing.

There are a few limits you should know about.

First Month

During your first month as a member, sharing is capped at $50,000 of eligible bills.

Preexisting Conditions

Preexisting conditions aren’t shared at first. After 36 months of membership, they can be shared up to $100,000 per member per year. After 60 months, that goes up to $500,000.

Maternity

Maternity sharing is limited to $125,000 per pregnancy. You need an AHP of $3,000 or higher, and you have to be a member from the month of conception through the month of delivery.

Prescriptions

Prescriptions are shared for up to six months for each eligible treatment. After that, you can use Medi-Share’s prescription discount programs.

Dental, Vision, and Preventive Care

Dental and vision aren’t shared. Members get discounts on dental, vision, and prescriptions, but those bills are still yours to pay.

One annual physical with a basic lipid panel and A1C test is eligible after your AHP is met. Well child care is eligible until a child turns six, though vaccinations aren’t included.

Samaritan vs Medi-Share Side by Side

Here’s how the three options compare.

Feature	Samaritan Classic	Samaritan Basic	Medi-Share
Monthly cost	$199 to $865	$119 to $475	Based on age, household, AHP, and location
What you pay first	$1,000 per need	$2,000 per need	$3,000 to $12,000 per household per year
Sharing after that	100%	90%	100% of eligible bills
Visit fees	None	None	$50 office, $500 ER
Provider network	None, see anyone	None, see anyone	Large PPO network
How bills get paid	You pay, members reimburse you	You pay, members reimburse you	Provider bills Medi-Share
Sharing caps	$250,000 per need	$247,500 per need	No annual or lifetime limit
Maternity	70% shared, up to $3,000 extra	$5,000 initial limit	Up to $125,000 per pregnancy
Prorating	Has happened	Possible	Says it never prorates
Healthy member discount	None listed	None listed	Yes

---

---

Per Need vs Per Year: The Difference Most People Miss

Most comparisons focus on the monthly share. But the way each ministry handles what you pay first can matter much more.

Say your family has one big event in a year, like a $25,000 surgery. With Samaritan Classic, you’d pay $1,000. With Medi-Share at a $3,000 AHP, you’d pay $3,000 plus a $50 provider fee.

Now say your family has three unrelated issues in the same year: a broken arm, a kidney stone that sends you to the ER, and an appendectomy. With Samaritan Classic, you’d pay $1,000 on each one, so $3,000 total. With Medi-Share at a $3,000 AHP, you’d still pay $3,000 total, plus a few provider fees.

Add a fourth issue, and Medi-Share starts to come out ahead. The more kids and the more activity in your house, the more that once a year structure helps.

Who Does the Paperwork

With Samaritan, you’re more involved. You often negotiate cash prices, collect itemized bills, submit them, and wait for shares to come in.

With Medi-Share, the provider sends the bill, and Medi-Share handles it. If you’re busy and don’t want to chase bills, that’s a real advantage.

Freedom vs Convenience

Samaritan gives you total freedom to see any provider. Medi-Share gives you a network with negotiated discounts and direct billing, but charges you more for going outside it.

Neither one is better for everybody. It comes down to how your family uses health care.

Which One Fits Your Family?

Here’s how I’d think about it.

Samaritan Might Fit If…

You value seeing any provider you want, you’re comfortable paying up front and waiting to be reimbursed, and you like the idea of your monthly share going straight to another family. It can also work well if your family rarely has more than one medical issue in a year.

Medi-Share Might Fit If…

You want something that feels more like traditional insurance, you’d rather not handle bills yourself, and you want no annual or lifetime caps. It’s also worth a look if your household is healthy enough to qualify for the Health Incentive Discount.

If that sounds like your family, you can check your Medi-Share pricing here.

What to Watch Out For With Both

Both ministries require you to agree to a Christian statement of faith and lifestyle standards. Both limit sharing for preexisting conditions. And both can deny bills that don’t meet their guidelines.

Monthly shares generally aren’t treated like insurance premiums for tax purposes, and neither program works with a health savings account. Talk with your CPA about how a health share fits your tax plan.

Where My Family Landed

After looking closely at both ministries, my family chose Medi-Share. Both of our kids are in college now, and when each of them turned 18, they had to fill out their own paperwork, but they were able to stay on our membership.

We’re on the $10,500 AHP and pay $647 a month for our family of four. When I compare that to other families I’ve talked with who are paying thousands of dollars a month for health insurance, it’s a huge difference.

So far, we haven’t had any major medical bills, and I’m thankful for that. When we’ve needed a doctor visit or had an injury checked out, the bill has come in at a discounted rate, a lot like what you’d see with regular health insurance.

I’ve written a full review of our experience, including what we pay, how billing works when you need care, and what I’d change. You can read it in my Medi-Share review after 8 years as members.

The Bottom Line

Samaritan Ministries and Medi-Share can both save families serious money compared with full price health insurance. With marketplace premiums climbing again for 2027, they’re worth a real look.

Samaritan is the better fit if you want freedom and a personal, family to family way of sharing. Medi-Share is the better fit if you want convenience, direct billing, and no caps on eligible bills.

Whichever one you choose, read the guidelines all the way through before you join. Lowering a big fixed cost like health care is one of the fastest ways to free up cash flow you can put into income-producing assets.

If you want to learn how to build passive income so work becomes optional, join the Passive Investors Circle. It’s where I share what I’m learning about building wealth outside of a traditional job.

This article is for educational purposes only. Health care sharing ministries aren’t insurance, and sharing isn’t guaranteed. Prices, fees, and guidelines change often, so confirm current terms directly with Samaritan Ministries and Medi-Share before joining. This is not financial or tax advice. Consult your advisor or accountant.

Join the Passive Investors Circle