This story http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/07/09/texas-insurance-company-refuses-to-pay-for-baby-emergency-brain-surgery-family-claims/?intcmp=latestnews and so many others like it are a huge reason we switched to Samaritan Ministries. I cannot imagine the frustration and suffering of these patients who are fighting these insurance companies. This story is about a mother fighting for the life of her child and wanting to keep seeing the same cancer doctors who have been helping them for months, but instead being told she has to go to a different hospital for the surgery because the hospital is out-of-network; go away from the hospital offering a 90% survival rate for the special surgery required vs the national average of 47%. Instead of being supportive the insurance company essentially prevented emergency brain surgery on a baby by refusing to pay for it. There are no words for that kind of callousness. These highly restrictive networks resulting from the ACA are becoming dangerous to people and the problem will only get bigger as more and more people discover they can’t see the doctors they need in order to get treated.

I have tremendous peace knowing that if someone in my family had a medical need, we can see ANY licensed doctor we need to. We don’t have to fight for our access to medical care, and the members of Samaritan will step in to help us get the bills paid. I am fraught with angst for this young mother who is fighting bureaucracy instead of sitting by her child’s bedside. As a Samaritan member this mother would only have to focus on her child’s healing, not on whether she will be allowed to get her the care she needs. She is fighting a heartless insurance company who only sees regulations and doesn’t see them as people. Samaritan members see each other not only as people, but as children of God who need each other’s support. Samaritan does not throw up these ridiculous road blocks. Samaritan members have the freedom to get the care they need and trust that it will be shared among members for payment. Simple, uplifting, prayerful, and healing.

Moral of the story, with each passing day I see more trouble coming out of the ACA and less coverage and health care for citizens. I pray that more people will be able to join a ministry like Samaritan Ministries so that we can get the treatments we need without adding unhealthy stress to the recovery time.