Insights with Hugh Downs released a new mini documentary about Samaritan Ministries today.
Archive for the ‘Ministry Update’ Category
New video posted.
Friday, April 23rd, 2010Samaritan members exempt from individual mandate
Monday, March 22nd, 2010This is the text of a press release issued today (Monday, 3/22/10) by Samaritan Ministries in response to passage of the health care bill:
PEORIA, IL–Members of Samaritan Ministries International will be able to continue sharing medical needs as they have done for the past 15 years, thanks to an exemption to the individual mandate in the health care bill approved by the U.S. House on Sunday, James Lansberry said Monday.
Lansberry, vice president of Samaritan Ministries International, said the exemption for members of health care sharing ministries is intact in the bill now on the president’s desk.
“Members do not need to change anything they’re doing,” said Lansberry, who is also president of the Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries.
He said that the reconciliation bill passed by the House and now before the Senate “also has nothing in it that we can find that affects anything related to individual mandate exemptions.”
Most importantly, Lansberry said, “Nothing has changed with respect to God’s sovereignty.”
Neither, he added, has anything changed “with our ability to continue to operate.”
Samaritan Ministries is concerned, however, about the eventual impact of the health care bill on the United States over the long term.
“This is certainly a very dangerous thing for the health care industry and for Americans in general,” Lansberry said.
On the up side, though, “There are some things economically in there that may actually increase favorability toward cash patients. I think that’s going to be a positive effect for our members.”
Lansberry also stressed that once government subsidies for health insurance plans kick in and start funding abortion, Christian health care sharing ministries “will be the only pro-life option left for Christians.”
The Samaritan VP also encouraged members to pray in the coming days and months for God’s will to be done in the health care sector.
Samaritan Ministries is a health care needs-sharing organization founded in 1994. It includes more than 14,400 member households in all 50 states and around the world. For more information about SMI or to contact James Lansberry, call 1-888-726-4276, send e-mail to jlansberry@smchcn.net or info@healthcaresharing.org, or view www.samaritanministries.org.
###
For interviews, contact Jeff Whittemore at 1-888-726-4276 or jwhittemore@smchcn.net or Mike Miller at 1-877-764-2426, Ext. 142, or mikemiller@smchcn.net.
Senate health bill passes
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
In the first vote on Christmas Eve since 1895 and after the longest consecutive session in Congress since World War I, the Senate passed the health care bill. Many commentators have also noted that the political dealing to get the votes has reached historic lows—or perhaps that should be highs. When one senator was accused of selling her vote for $100 million, she brazenly declared that is was more like $300 million that she negotiated for. That’s only the beginning of special interest money up for grabs, as the graphic here shows.
Despite these disheartening developments it is important we remember that God is still in control. We need to continue to cry out to Him and persistently, respectfully appeal to our elected representatives. There is still a complicated reconciliation process ahead for the Senate and House versions of the bill and there’s barely enough support to continue. A change of just one vote could stop the process. A recent National Review article gave Five Reasons It Might Not Pass. Even if it does become law, it won’t take effect for several years and the negotiations would continue.
We must also keep in mind that much of the information we are being given in the health care debate has been manipulated. When someone has to distort information to prove that a particular course of action is needed, it usually means they know we would not agree with their proposals if we had accurate information.
Although the mainstream media has passively accepted the under-a-trillion-dollars cost estimates of proponents of the health care bill, many experts have been digging for the truth of the matter. CATO Institute health care analyst Michael Cannon may have found the smoking gun memo showing that the real cost of the bill is more than double what has been widely reported. As noted in a previous post, another statistic that is often manipulated for political purposes is the number of uninsured.
In John 8:44 Jesus tells us that deception and lies do not come from God. We need to recognize that we are involved in a spiritual battle and not be complacent.
The health care ‘reform’ battle continues
Monday, November 30th, 2009We are thankful for each member who responded to recent emails, letters, and phone calls by praying and contacting your elected representatives. We are very encouraged and believe God is blessing these efforts to make an impact on the health care debate. We need to persevere, remembering that, “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.”
We continue to pray that the Body of Christ will be awakened to the dangers that are looming and will seek out the truth that is being ignored in much of the information the public is receiving.
A few Samaritan members have called our office, asking if the passage of HR 3962 in the U.S. House of Representatives means we will no longer be sharing needs. The short answer is “Keep sending to the needs assigned to you!” There are a variety of health care scenarios that could play out in the coming months and years, and we are going to need to be both vigilant and patient.
The health care ‘reform’ process is far from over. There are still many ways for God to intervene. We need to continue depending on Him and taking action where we can. Please continue to pray that God would stop the legislation in its current form. Please also continue to contact your representatives, especially your U.S. Senators, to express your concerns.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has presented a bill in the U.S. Senate that combines elements of the bills from the Senate Finance Committee and the HELP Committee. The widely reported vote of the Senate on November 20th was merely a procedural step that allowed the Senate to begin consideration of the “health reform” bill when the Senate reconvenes after its Thanksgiving break.
There is some good news in that there is language giving individual members of health care sharing ministries an exemption from the requirement to have health insurance. However, this protection did not include businesses and ministries of 50 employees or more (such as Samaritan Ministries) who use a health care sharing ministry for the health care needs of their employees. There is also a provision that would seem to promote abortion.
A majority of the senators voting would have to approve any amendments. Then 60 senators would have to agree to allow it to come to a final vote.
If the Senate passes a bill, it would go to a conference committee, where members of the House of Representatives and the Senate would put together a bill that would combine it with the bill the House has already passed. The bill from the conference committee would then have to be approved by both houses.
As you can see, there will be many opportunities for various provisions to be added or taken out. Many things will not be certain until the very end. It will be important for us to be praying and contacting our elected officials at every point along the way. We will need to be prepared to act quickly, and at the same time be prepared for a very long, drawn-out process.
In the bills proposed thus far, individuals will not be required to have health insurance until 2013. Until then, there will still be time to make additional appeals, while continuing to bear one another’s burdens with prayers, encouragement, and gifts.
