There are so many perks to being a Samaritan member I sometimes forget about a few of them. One perk I was recently reminded about in the latest Samaritan newsletters is that all members have free access to MediBid. This is a GREAT service which allows us to get bids from providers for the specific medical services we need. Depending on where you live the resulting bid may require travel to obtain, but it gives us the ability to choose the right one based on cost, distance, facilities, etc. If you live in a more urban area then likely less travel will be required. If you live in a rural area this will give you options you probably hadn’t thought of before and may be closer than you think.

I’m totally going to use this when it comes time for a colonoscopy, as that is a rather expensive procedure and one that falls under the preventative/pay it on-our-own category. MediBid as a whole loves to cater to self pay patients, it’s perfect for us as Samaritan members. The MediBid website says people have saved over $1000, including travel expenses, for colonoscopies, and I’d love to save that much. And often there are savings of over $10,000 for major surgeries. That’s not chump change. Doing the research on our own can be time consuming and in today’s busy world using something like MediBid can really be helpful and MUCH less stressful than make all those calls on your own. We simply fill out the form detailing what we need and providers will bid for OUR medical business. Refreshing! 🙂

To get this free access login to your Samaritan member account and follow the MediBid link on the left side. To learn more about them go to their website at www.medibid.com