1KHO 716: The Benefits Trap | Dustin Garrett, Samaritan Ministries

Summary

The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Episode: 1KHO 716 - The Benefits Trap | Dustin Garrett, Samaritan Ministries
Host: Ginny Yurich
Guest: Dustin Garrett, Samaritan Ministries
Date: February 20, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the concept of healthcare sharing ministries as an alternative to traditional health insurance. Host Ginny Yurich is joined by Dustin Garrett of Samaritan Ministries. Together, they discuss the "Benefits Trap"—the common belief that securing a job with good benefits, particularly health insurance, should be a top life priority. They highlight how this mindset limits entrepreneurial and lifestyle freedom, and share practical insights into how healthcare sharing models work, especially for families, entrepreneurs, and those seeking greater autonomy over their health decisions.

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Key Discussion Points

The Culture of "Good Benefits" and Its Constraints

• Societal Conditioning: Both Ginny and Dustin reflect on how they were raised with the message that good benefits are crucial and often dictate major life choices.
  • "When you find a job, make sure it has good benefits. That was the whole thing."
    —Dustin Garrett, [02:52]
• Ginny expresses how this focus on benefits, especially health insurance, can constrain life choices, particularly for would-be entrepreneurs or those with non-traditional careers.
  • "If your top, one of your top priorities is to get good benefits, then you're really constrained with your life choices."
    —Ginny Yurich, [08:21]

What is Samaritan Ministries & Healthcare Sharing?

• Community-Based Model: Samaritan Ministries orchestrates direct, non-insurance, member-to-member sharing of healthcare costs.
  • "It's like many hands making light work of even the largest medical needs."
    —Dustin Garrett, [06:55]
• Historical Roots & Modern Tech:
  • The approach draws on ancient practices of mutual aid, updated with digital tools, making support borderless.
  • "This is not like some newfangled thing that we stumbled upon...but the idea of communities helping each other...is a very old idea."
    —Dustin Garrett, [02:52]
• How It Works: Each month, members send their “share” directly to other assigned members who have medical needs, along with encouragement and prayers—not to a centralized pot.
  • "Instead of sending a premium to a company, I get a name of somebody and I send my monthly amount straight to another person who's had a medical need."
    —Dustin Garrett, [12:41]

The Benefits—Tangible and Intangible

• Relational Aspect: The process fosters meaningful connection between members, who send notes of encouragement, prayers, and support.
  • "To have people come, encourage you, write you notes or pray with you is really meaningful."
    —Dustin Garrett, [05:36]
• Freedom: Members have the freedom to choose healthcare providers and aren't bound by networks or geographic locations.
  • "At Samaritan, you have the freedom to go to whatever provider you want to."
    —Dustin Garrett, [10:10]
• Portability: Membership isn’t tied to employment and travels with the individual irrespective of job changes or moves.

Comparing Costs, Transparency, and Systemic Problems

• Systemic Waste: Referencing Dr. Marty Makary’s book The Price We Pay, the hosts discuss the bloat in traditional healthcare, waste, lack of transparency, and inflated costs.
  • "1 in 5 Americans currently have medical debt in collections."
    —Ginny Yurich, [29:54]
  • "For every 10 doctors there are seven nonclinical FTE [full-time employees]."
    —Ginny Yurich, [41:16]
• Direct Payments Yield Discounts: Members often find that paying cash directly results in significantly lower charges than using traditional insurance.
  • "It was going to be $6,200...but then she was like, if you don’t have insurance, it’s $12."
    —Ginny Yurich, [31:24]
  • "I said, we're cash pay patients...they said if you pay within 60 days, we'll cut it in half."
    —Dustin Garrett, [33:55]

How Samaritan Ministries Handles Administration & Nonprofit Stewardship

• Administrative Sustainability:
  • 11 months of the year, shares go directly to members in need.
  • On the 12th (anniversary) month, the share goes to Samaritan's office to cover operational costs.
  • "That's how people's salaries get paid. That's so interesting."
    —Ginny Yurich, [28:46]

Redeem Health Share — The Digital Evolution

• New, All-Digital Option: Redeem Health Share serves as a next-generation, all-digital extension of the Samaritan Ministries’ model, with added features like dental, vision, preventive care, gym memberships, and a Senior Saver plan for Medicare-eligible members.
  • "Redeem really is designed for folks who maybe have looked at Samaritan before...and there's some people that love that [analog] aspect of it."
    —Dustin Garrett, [43:38]
  • "...Redeem is, has new programs, has new features. And so it's really...the next generation of what's possible in the digital world."
    —Dustin Garrett, [44:02]

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FAQs and Member Experiences

Common Skepticisms & Paradigm Shift

• Many potential members, especially skeptics, worry about reliability and the "too good to be true" factor. Dustin welcomes deep questioning:
  • "Typically behind the skepticism is a deep care for their family...So I don't ever really see the skepticism as a bad thing."
    —Dustin Garrett, [49:43]
  • "Usually they do want you to explain it in insurance terms...You know, the co-pays, deductibles, premiums, the networks...take that framework and light it on fire."
    —Dustin Garrett, [50:32]
• Ginny draws a parallel between healthcare sharing and homeschooling, noting both require a shift away from conventional frameworks.

Pre-existing Conditions & Special Needs

• Samaritan Ministries doesn’t automatically exclude those with pre-existing conditions, but such situations are nuanced. Some needs may be eligible for sharing; others may be handled as "special prayer needs" where voluntary giving is encouraged.
  • "Samaritan would never turn someone away...However, we also can't just take on the entirety of the pre-existing conditions of the world."
    —Dustin Garrett, [55:11]

Unique Personal Connections

• Both Ginny and Dustin share stories of unexpectedly being assigned people they know as recipients for their share, reinforcing the program’s relational and genuine feel.
  • "We got a letter one time and we knew the person."
    —Ginny Yurich, [14:22]
  • "He was sending his monthly amount to another artist from a band he really loved."
    —Dustin Garrett, [14:42]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Health Freedom:

  • "This has opened the door and allowed us to live a very different life...not governed by what are the benefits going to be."
    —Ginny Yurich, [59:07]

• On the "Original" Model:

  • "I usually like to flip that on its head. Actually the model—this is the original. The traditional [insurance] is a hundred years old; mutual aid goes back thousands."
    —Dustin Garrett, [45:42]

• On the System’s Inadequacy:

  • "20% of Americans have medical debts; it's not working."
    —Ginny Yurich, [50:59]

• On Emotional Impact:

  • "She had tears in her eyes...I think this might be an answer to our prayers of me being able to be home."
    —Dustin Garrett, [48:31]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Introduction & Personal Story: [01:02] – [06:55]
• Explaining Samaritan’s Model & Relational Focus: [06:55] – [14:03]
• How Money Flows / Transparency: [12:47] – [14:42]
• Systemic Healthcare Issues & Cost Examples: [29:34] – [41:28]
• Administrative Model & Office Funding: [26:21] – [28:46]
• Redeem Health Share and New Offerings: [41:38] – [44:19]
• Skepticism, Reliability & Member Questions: [49:19] – [53:53]
• Pre-existing Conditions: [55:10] – [58:19]
• Dental, Vision, and Expanded Offerings: [58:19] – [59:07]
• Childhood Outdoor Memory (Closing Question): [62:10] – [64:53]

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Closing and Tone

The episode is personal, encouraging, and practical in tone. It balances real-life anecdotes with direct answers to common concerns, aiming to inform listeners not just about Samaritan Ministries, but about healthier mindsets regarding work, benefits, and community-based models.

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Final Reflection

Ginny and Dustin challenge listeners to think outside the insurance “box,” suggesting that true freedom often comes from embracing less conventional, community-centered solutions. For families contemplating entrepreneurship, changes in their work-life dynamic, or simply craving more autonomy, the Samaritan Ministries approach—and its evolving Redeem Health Share option—offers both tangible and soulful alternatives to the traditional benefits trap.

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For more info:

• Samaritan Ministries
• Redeem Health Share

Quote Highlight:
"It brings me much joy to see you don’t have to worry about your healthcare needs...and that you can then focus on the mission you guys are on."
—Dustin Garrett, [61:12]

Transcript

[Jenny Urch]

Oh,

[Podcast Intro Singer]

it's a beautiful world Ain't nothing on screen that's ever gonna be this view

[Jenny Urch]

oh,

[Podcast Intro Singer]

it's a beautiful world and I just want to share with I just want to share with you this beautiful world. Such a beautiful.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

This episode is brought to you by Peloton Break through the busiest time of year with the brand new peloton cross training Tread plus. Powered by peloton iq. With real time guidance and endless ways to move, you can personalize your workouts and train with confidence, helping you reach your goals in less time. Let yourself run, lift, sculpt, push and go. Explore the new peloton cross training tread [e-mail] welcome to the 1000 Hours Outside podcast.

[Jenny Urch]

My name is Jenny Urch. I'm the founder of 1000 Hours Outside and have a real in life friend. Today, not actually in person, we are over screens, but we have met in person and my husband Josh has spent a lot of time with you. Dustin Garrett. Garrett.

[Dustin Garrett]

I said it right?

[Jenny Urch]

Dustin Garrett from Samaritan. What do you say? From Samaritan Ministry. How would you. How would you say it?

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah, Samaritan Ministries. That's good.

[Jenny Urch]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dustin Garrett]

And.

[Jenny Urch]

And a new. There's this new program called redeem Health Share ministry that we're going to be talking about today. So it's an honor that you're. We have been a part of this for quite a while. I don't know exactly how many years, but it has been a total answer for us because we're entrepreneurs. And I think when you become an entrepreneur, what you do with your healthcare is like a huge looming question. And so actually our friends, we have family friends that are entrepreneurs and they were the first ones that joined. And I mean, we remember, Dustin, we had like so many questions for them. We're like, what's this? And what about that? You know, And I think sometimes things, that's how they travel. They travel person to person. So it's just been such a blessing for our family. It's been a huge answer for us. It's allowed us to be entrepreneurs. And in this day and age, a lot more people are becoming entrepreneurs. So it's an honor to get a chance to have this conversation. Thanks for being here.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah, thanks so much for having me. I got my coffee ready to roll.

[Jenny Urch]

All right, so as we're kicking it off, you know, I would love if you could just give an overview. I think, you know, I grew up whatever, just like in a typical household, you know, your parents have insurance, so they've got like dental and medical and like occasionally you go to the doctor and then I be, you know, I became a mom and I was a teacher. So like, you know, throughout my pregnancy it was like same thing. It was just like you have this in plan and you got a copay. I guess I didn't even realize, Dustin, that there were other things out there. And this has been around for decades.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah, I mean I grew up the similar way that like, you know, hearing from my parents, like when you find a job, make sure it has, you know, good benefits. That was the whole thing, like the whole thrust was finding a job that would give, you know, benefits, particularly healthcare benefits. And so you're right in that especially I think in the past 10 years there's been a giant swath of people that have gone to be self employed or entrepreneurs and they don't get healthcare through their employer. And then you find out that to, you know, for private, you know, insurance, it costs a whole bunch. And then there's a whole bunch of videos out right, you know, right now of going people that actually then have medical needs in there and they're like, what is going on? What is actually happening here? What is this covering? What is this paying for? What, what's. What's going on? And I found especially in the folks that, you know, that maybe they've never had a medical need. They don't really understand how the, the system works. You know, what's going on. You know, you just think, oh, as long as I have this plan, then everything's going to be, you know, okay. And I think that especially like you mentioned in the past decade or so, some of the, how do I want to say? Some of the things are starting to now be more exposed and the veil is coming off of what's happening there. And especially around 2013, that you started to see people go and look for other options that were available in the healthcare space. And I will say that Samaritan, yes, Samaritan Ministries has been around for over 30 years, but the idea that we're tapping into has been around for thousands of years. Though I will say in our recent years you've seen this idea of like crowdfunding or community sourcing has been more popular, especially in the age of being able to move resources around electronically. But the idea of communities helping each other in times of need is a very old idea. This is not like some newfangled thing that we stumbled upon. But Samaritan has been coordinating and facilitating the sharing of medical needs amongst the community of members and doing it in a way that is zeroing in on medical needs, but not just the financial part of what's happening there, which is really important. I mean, I think that most people, when they're looking for health care, they would say they're looking for access to care and then financial help or backing whenever the need comes so that they don't go bankrupt. And Samaritan is meeting that need through a community model and doing it all without the use of insurance. And so we just happen to have, you know, hundreds of thousands of members that are moving around tens of millions of dollars every month. But not only that, it's. We really believe at Samaritan that when somebody's in the midst of a medical need, there is the financial need that's there, but also if you or anybody that's listening has ever gone through a medical need and been in a hospital or what it may be, to have people come, encourage you, to write you notes or cards or pray with you is really meaningful. And so we really tap into not only just moving of the financial resources around, but people write notes and cards and pray for one another. And that's, I think, the most beautiful thing that's happening at Samaritan. So all that. But we've been doing it for a long, long time. And I think people now, they realize that their medical needs can be met in other ways than insurance. And we're just doing it through a giant. It's like many hands making light work of even the largest of medical needs.

[Dustin Garrett]

Yeah.

[Jenny Urch]

So I am thrilled to let people know that there's other options. It matters a lot. It matters if you wanted to be an entrepreneur. Right. And you think that there's no path forward. It matters as you're launching your kids out into the world because that. That becomes a big part of the equation, too. What's going to happen there? And then it matters if. I mean, I remember as a teacher, you know, I haven't been in the field for a very long time, but, like, they're constantly changing things, Dustin. So it would be like, okay, well, this year your copay is $50, and next year it's going to be $10,000. And you're like, wait. You know, it's. So there's a. Often, I think, situations where you're allowed to opt out or able. Of course, I think you probably should be allowed to do anything. I don't know. There should be some freedom here. So to even have the awareness that there are other options, because I didn't know until, like I said, Our friends, that's what they were doing and we learned about it from them. You had said at the, at the beginning, you know, that you get this message from your dad, like make sure you get good benefits. And it's such an interesting societal message. Obviously. I think that's the message you get everywhere. Like I got that. What are the benefits? What, you know, you're like, that actually feels pretty like anti free. I don't know, it feels constrained. That's what I'm looking for. It feels constrained that you're like, gosh, there's a lot of things that you could do with your life and people are doing really interesting things.

[Dustin Garrett]

People.

[Jenny Urch]

I just talked to this guy, he, he bought five acres of land or something and then he put all these Airbnbs on it and, and then he sold it in nine months for like $7 million. And he's like in his 20s. And you're like, well you could do that or you could sell cross stitch kits on the Internet or, you know, there's so many things that you could do. But if your top, one of your top priorities is to get good benefit fits, then you're really constrained with your life choices.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, looking back on things, I think when this idea first came out and jobs were providing an insurance benefit, it was to, to hopefully retain the employees, you know, is to try to give you a benefit. And as time has gone on, it's like anything that's kind that gets institutionalized, it has the, the danger of instead of starting off with the intention to serve people, it begins to actually then be something that is, is other than that. And so they're, you know, I think that there, in regards to, you know, there's a lot of people out there that, that want to work in areas, in different areas and they, they can. And even now though the benefits, what we're finding is people who have jobs that are, that are providing, you know, insurance benefits that they really actually don't like them and they're, and there's kind of a posture of, instead of the, the, the, the workplace providing something that's really beneficial to them, they're just doing the minimum that they have to do in order to meet that requirement. And so yeah, so then we have people that contact us that aren't just entrepreneurs, but maybe they genuinely don't like either what it's costing them through their paycheck or maybe they are wanting more freedom like you said, to choose who they go to. That's another huge factor in this, in that at Samaritan, you have the freedom to go to whatever provider you want to. And I think that something that even we've seen in the past, you know, decade or so has really been a huge push because when you are kind of, you have to go to a specific, you know, stay in within a specific, you know, group of doctors or physicians or whatever it may be, some people want to kind of have more freedom than that. So that's been another thing too. And, and then even I think this is probably for like the listeners or your pod, if you're travel around and you're moving a lot, to know that whether you're in the States or in another country or wherever it may be, if you have a medical need, you're going to be able to get the care that you need and then also being able to afford that. So that's another thing. It's not just the freedom of who to go to locally, but then just to have freedom to move out of our travel or do whatever it may be. So that's really another, I think, key thing that is bringing people to look at what's happening at Samaritan. And, and we understand, like Jenny, that this is not going to be the, the one all beat all, you know, fit for everybody. So if you're listening.

[Jenny Urch]

But it's a good fit for a lot of people.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

A lot of people.

[Jenny Urch]

I think part of it is just knowing that it exists. I think that that's a big part of life. It's like if you don't know what your options are, a lot of times you can be stuck in a situation. Now there's, I mean, the job market is being really shaken up. You know, you're seeing it all often. It's like, well, this company just sacked

[Dustin Garrett]

a bunch of people.

[Jenny Urch]

And, you know, it's like AI components to that or whatever. Markets are always changing. So if, you know, if you are constrained and obviously, like you said, every family is different, has different and has different medical needs. But, you know, it's like if you are constrained by that insurance thing and you, like, just don't know that there's other options, then, you know, there, there may be other paths for you. So I think whether you're listening and you're like, okay, that's not for me, but I know of someone, or maybe in 10 years, it's my kid, you know, who might need that solution. I just think we're all connected with

[Dustin Garrett]

a lot of people.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah.

[Jenny Urch]

And we didn't. Our story was we didn't know about it. And so sometimes you're like, I've got no idea what I'm going to do.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah, well, there's a lot of people that join Samaritan, even if they, like, are offered benefits from their job, because if they do change jobs, you could still maintain and be a Samaritan member. And it kind of can follow you wherever you go. And, you know, I think that, you know, with. With being a Samaritan member, one of the cool things is that every month, the way that I'm a member is that instead of sending, like, a premium to a company, each month, I get a name of somebody and I send my monthly amount straight to another person who's had a medical need. And it gives me. It doesn't give me all the gory details of their medical need, but I get in a little bit what they provided. So I know how to encourage them or write them a. Not to pray for them. And so each month, that's how I like. That's the money that's coming out of my budget line. It's for my being a member at Samaritan. And I. I've been a member now for over 10 years, and I can tell you, I've never once, like, at the end of the year been like, well, that was a big waste of money or, you know, or whatnot, you know, So I always find that's interesting, Dustin.

[Jenny Urch]

Like, the money is going to an actual person with an actual substance, some. Some sort of a need that they have.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah. And that feels really great.

[Jenny Urch]

As opposed to, like, I'm just sending it out to the ether. You know, they take this much out of my paycheck, and I have no idea who's getting it or where it's going. Can I tell you something so wild? So, you know, you get the. To your point, you get the person's name, but you don't get their details. It's not like they'll be like, he so and so has a goiter, you know, or whatever.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[Jenny Urch]

But with all the amount of people that come that are apart, we got a letter one time and we knew the person.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah, okay. Yeah, that's wild.

[Jenny Urch]

See what they had. But I was like, you know, and I. I brought it up and she was like, oh, my gosh. It was my. She ended up telling me it wasn't anything that was a big deal or super private, but I was like, it was so cool.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

So what's wild about that is I. I spend a lot of my time at Samaritan. Part of my My career was traveling on, like, music tours and things like that. And what I found is that there was a bunch of artists, music artists that were Samaritan members, because guess what, they're self employed and they travel around. And so one of the artists that I know, he said he had a medical need, and he found out that he was sending his monthly amount to another artist that was from a band that he really loved. And so, you know, that's something that, you know, I think, you know, that doesn't happen all the time, obviously, but to the connection of, oh, this is going to a real person and a real. A real family who's in the midst of need. It's something that, I think when people join Samaritan, they really enjoy that aspect of it because it makes it a lot more personal. And like you said, instead of just, I don't know where this money is going, I'm just kind of paying it just in hopes that nothing happens. Because even if you don't have a medical need, then at least you're. Yeah, you know exactly where your money's going. And that's kind of what Samaritan is known for, this kind of direct sharing model. And. And you brought up a good point. Like, a lot of people either don't know that Samaritan exists, so they have no clue that something like this is out there, or two, they've heard of something like this, but we get calls all the time, and people have heard about it, but they are not really understanding how the process works, and they think all sorts of things about what. And so then once they actually hear how this works and how long it's been working, and the people that have been using it, typically, like you said, even if it's not a great fit for them, they're like, this is really cool that this is happening, and they share it with other people that it might be a good option for. And as Samaritan, you can really jump in at any time. There's no, like, open enrollment time or anything like that. You can jump in and become a member. And it's been wonderful for me and my family. My family and I have had multiple medical needs. We've had multiple babies under Samaritan. And my wife is the type of person who, you know, is. I don't. I don't like this word here, Jenny, but I'm gonna say it anyway. People would probably label her kind of the. The crunchy type, you know, have you heard this?

[Jenny Urch]

So I like the word.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

So. So, yeah, so she is like the crunchiest of the crunchy.

[Jenny Urch]

Like, listen, you're talking, you're talking to a lot of crunchy types probably that are listening. They're gonna be kids outside.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

I mean, my wife is, is, is like grinding her own flour over here.

[Jenny Urch]

That's great. Yeah, that definitely falls into that category.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

So she has a grain mill check.

[Jenny Urch]

Yeah. That puts her in that bucket.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah. And so, you know, for us, it was really important to us, especially when we brought our kids into the world that we had. You know, we, we went to the chiropractor. In fact, my wife is actually at the chiropractor with our one year old daughter as we speak. I'm a little bit on dad duty here. Our son is taking a nap and I have eyes on him right now. I can see him. And so he's not napping, but he hopefully should remain in his room. But all that to say he may join us later. Yeah, he may. If he comes screaming in here, we'll just cut that out. But the, it's been so important to us to have the freedom. And then to. Here's what's really interesting about Samaritan too, is that, you know, when we had our kids and had those medical needs and you know, it's tens of thousands of dollars to not only have the people sending us the money to help us pay our bills, but we got the sweetest notes and cards from people

[Jenny Urch]

and like, congrats on your baby.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah. And it really makes it to where the whole process, it feels the whole experience is different because typically I think most folks, my wife and I had insurance prior to becoming Samaritan members. And you're kind of like, you're trying to, you're trying to kind of play a bit of a game. You're trying to figure out, you know, and, and obviously insurance companies are for profit. Right. And so yeah, there's like this, okay, what's going to be covered, what's not. Trying to find way. You're trying to find ways and you know, to hopefully they'll pay for this. I don't really know what's being. But you get bills that you don't really know what's going on, how much is being paid. There's a lot of confusion around that. And I think the Samaritan process really cuts through that. And it's like each month you help somebody and then if you need help, then the, that's where it's going to come from. The people that send you their monthly amounts. So that's really kind of the Nuts and bolts of it.

[Dustin Garrett]

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[Jenny Urch]

Okay, we're going to get into the nuts and bolts of it in a minute. It because you said people don't understand. So we are going to talk about how it works, which is basically that, right? Instead of, instead of paying a monthly premium, I might be. I'm like I already told you, I don't watch the words. Like when we had insurance it was like you had to pay, you know, X amount was kind of a lot every month. And then you have to copay and you're just paying it to the insurance company. This instead you're pooling money. It's like what they do with the Amish. I mean like everybody pools. And if someone needs a Medical.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah, I would. Yeah, I would. I would say, like, the only thing. Well, no, I mean, the only thing as far as, like, pooling. As far as, like. So what's unique about Samaritan is that each month, like, I send the money straight to, like. Like, if you had a medical need and I got assigned to you, I'd be sending it straight to you instead of, like, sending it to a big

[Jenny Urch]

pot in the middle.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

A big pot. Yeah. Right. Like, some people do think that, like, we have, like, a. A. A basement of gold coins, like Scrooge McDuck that would just have a giant pool of gold that we just dish out, you know, as we see fit. But it's really all that, like. Like literally tens of millions of dollars is moving, but it's moving, like, person to person, household to household. And Samaritan isn't touching that.

[Jenny Urch]

Gosh, it's wild, Dustin, because it's so many moving parts. And yet somehow, you know, over the. Over the years, people have figured out how much money needs to come in in order to cover and all the different people.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Well, right. I mean, there's. There's over 500 employees at Samaritan, and it takes a lot of coordination, and it takes a lot of. Of Of, I would say, smart, gifted people to. To make this whole thing, like, to facilitate the whole thing. But realistically, I think that, you know, we've really seen over the past, you know, 30 plus years that this whole process of people bearing one another's burdens and sharing each other's. Like you said, it's kind of the Amish barn raising mentality. So back in the day, if you lived in a community and you had to raise a barn, everyone would show up and grab a, you know, put a hand on a wall and pull it up and then. But also, that meant that, you know, when you had a neighbor that. That was raised in a barn, that you were showing up for them. You know what I mean? And so you're exactly right. That's kind of what this is all built on. And again, I think it's interesting because Samaritan now is doing it in a digital age where historically it would have been like a community or a geographical location of people doing this, where now we're able to do it and cross geographical, know boundaries and meet even the largest of medical.

[Jenny Urch]

Yeah, like, I can send my money to Man Goes to Montana or whatever. Right.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Well, and you're tapping into something here. Let's talk about as far as the homeschooling side. If you are a Samaritan member. And let's say you have kids, and each month you are kind of getting to see, like, hey, here's where our money's going this month, kids. Like, we're pointing onto a map. It's going to Montana. Wait, you know, and then also, if you have a medical need, and let's say, you know, let's say you had a. A $300,000 medical need, that means you'd be getting from people all across the country. And you can literally kind of track like, look, we got this from somebody in Hawaii. We got this from somebody over here in New York. We got this. And I think it is a great. Not only a great, like, geographical tool, but it also is a great, like, hey, there's people from all across the country who are not only sending us the money that we need for this, but they look at. They're sending us notes and cards and they're praying for us. And it's a beautiful. I think that really, in this time, where most of us can agree, right. That healthcare right now in the country is a pretty dark spot. It's a pretty dark spot. Yeah. Broken. I mean, I don't think anybody would argue that it's not. I mean, we don't have to make a case that it's broken. Everybody from way over here to way over here would agree, hey, this is broken. And I think that if you look at what's happening at Samaritan, there's a real beauty that's there. And we're so glad to get to do what we do. I mean, Samaritan's a 501C3 non profit. And I know that probably there's a question right now out there in somebody's mind. All right, you got 500 employees. How are you guys keeping the lights on there? You know, what's. And that's a fair question. And so, as a Samaritan member, as the course of the year goes, 11 months out of the year, I'll send my monthly amount straight to other people who've had medical needs. And then on my anniversary month, that month, I send my monthly amount to the office. And so that's what keeps things going. And that's why, you know, we're able to continue doing what we're doing.

[Jenny Urch]

So that's brilliant.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah, yeah. So it doesn't really seem like anything different as a member, but, yeah, 11 months out of the year, but that's

[Jenny Urch]

how people's salaries get paid. That's so interesting.

[Dustin Garrett]

What a.

[Jenny Urch]

What a great system. Wow. And it's been around for 30, you know, over 30 years. So you kind of know, like, all the kinks have been worked out. There is a book I read. It's called the Price We Pay, and it's by this man named Dr. Marty Makary, who is now the head of the FDA. But he wasn't. When I interviewed him, actually, it was the. He told me it was a very last interview that he gave before, you know, becoming a part of the government. And I actually got to meet him and he was like, I remember because it was the last one, you know. So anyway, the book is about just basically like the rigamarole of healthcare. And he talks about, like, things like, this is a gigantic industry. Prices change, depend on who's depending on who's paying. He talks about the crime of being out of network. So you're talking about that. You know, it's like, oh, gosh, there's all this stress. Like, am I in this in network?

[Dustin Garrett]

How.

[Jenny Urch]

How much. How much money is that going to cost? It's hard to understand the bills. And he, he gave like, an example of, like, if you want to get your lawn cut, and he's like, you know, how much does it cost? They're like, we don't know. And then you get your lawn cut and they're like, it costs 800. You know,

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

I would have hired somebody else.

[Jenny Urch]

So he, he says this book with the Price We Pay, he says, this is a massive problem, that 20% of Americans, 1 in 5, currently have medical debt in collections. 1 in 5. And he mentioned Samaritans. The book really is on page 188.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

That's amazing. I'm writing that down right now. Okay. Yeah.

[Jenny Urch]

As a shout out because he's talking about, well, what are some other options? So I would love to talk about, you know, that part of it, because I think people look at health care and they're like, you know, these procedures are so much money. And, you know, it's like, how could this possibly work? But part of what's happening, and I. You can correct me if I'm wrong, but like, so, you know, we. We haven't needed many medical things.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah.

[Jenny Urch]

So praise God. Amen. You know, I. And I. I think that to some degree, and every family's different, but I think to some degree, getting outside has really been helpful as, like a protective buffer for our kids. But going along with that, someone did get poison ivy. So, like, that's maybe one of our only things. And we, and we did, we did Telehealth. It was so easy. Like here's the picture is on the kids face. So we're like, we're gonna need to deal with this poison IV and got I think a prescription for like a steroid or something like that.

[Dustin Garrett]

It was like on the face.

[Jenny Urch]

So then my husband Josh, he went to go pick it up from the pharmacy and they were like, these are not the accurate numbers, but this is like generate general of what the situation. They're like, this steroid is going to be $6,200. You know, it was something outrageous, right?

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

You're right.

[Jenny Urch]

Yeah. And you know, they're like, what's your insurance? So I don't have insurance insurance. You know, I'm just gonna pay cash for it. And they're like, oh, you don't have insurance? And then he like makes the sound that the lady was like, you know, like on her computer and she was like, I've got coupons and you don't have insurance. It's 12 bucks.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jenny Urch]

And so that's, that's a lot in the price we pay as well in terms of like this. Everything's kind of like in the dark and you don't really know. And then that a lot of times things maybe don't cost, cost as much as they would if you run it through insurance. So it's just like an odd, it's an odd thing. So I guess it helps with understanding that when you go in and just pay for something. I don't know if I don't want to lead you wrong.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

No, you're, you're right on. I mean I'm seeing more and more stuff about this online. You're seeing more and more talk about this on like a huge federal level as far as far as price transparency. You're seeing more and more of people going what is happening here? And even there's even folks who if they have insurance, they go, I'm just going to pay cash. And they're figuring this, like they're figuring this out that oh, okay, wait, something's going on here. And you got to think of it like this from like if you're a hospital or a physician or a doctor or whatnot, I mean they're a business that has to keep going. But realistically, you know, everybody who's touching that bill, everybody who's involved, all have to get paid. And then there's you know, these discounts, negotiations that are happening. And so it's often times you see if you're paying just right there and right There. And then they go, oh, it's going to be this much. Then it really highlights the brokenness that exists in that system and at, like, as a Samaritan member. So when my. We had our son, our son was rushed to, like, the intensive care. He had a. Just a tough birth. And we later got a bill from the hospital for like, $30,000. And obviously, you know, who knows what stuff costs, you know, but until they put it on the, on the.

[Jenny Urch]

They itemize it, though. And when they itemize it, they'll be like, tylenol.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah, yeah, 500.

[Jenny Urch]

Yeah, it's pretty wild.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

So what happened in our case, which we hear a lot this happens, is that we got the itemized bill and I said, we're cash pay patients. We're going to be, you know, gladly paying you promptly. And they said, oh, okay, well, if you're, if you're paying, you know, that way, and you pay us within 60 days, we'll cut it in, you know, in half. Like just $15,000. Just like that. Wham. And so I was like, okay, that's, you know, and so we see that a lot. I mean, at Samaritan, we have what's called the provider relations team. And there is a lot of work that does happen in this area, you know, as far as what is a fair price. And because what also we see what happens, and this happens in other industries is that sometimes, like, discounts are used to make it seem like you're getting a good deal. But what has happened is that the price has just been jacked up, you know, by a thousand. So, like, for example, you know, let's say you're driving by a car dealership, and they're like this, you're going to get $1,000 cash back from buying this car, but the price is $5,000 more than what it. What it should be. So there's people, there's in the situations where it's like, oh, hey, we'll give you a 50% discount, but it was 200% more than what it should have been. And then there's some people who are like, hey, we're just going to give you this price. And there's actually some really great tools online that you can use to look up, like, okay, a fair price for a specific procedure or. And it's kind of helping to bring some transparency into the world of what does this cost. I remember talking to somebody at a homeschool conference, and she was talking about how she needed some wrist surgery. And I said, oh, like, do you know how much the surgery costs. And she's like, I don't know. And we're like, is it 300? Is it 3,000? Is it, is it 300,000? You know what I mean? And so we were able to look it up using this tool, and it turned out that a fair price in her area, because that's another thing. Depending on where you live. Guess what, Jenny? Oh, yeah, it might be more or less. And now then we're going to talk about medical tourism. We can talk about that a little bit too. But yeah. And so for her wrist surgery, it was like, like $3,000 in her area. And what her deductible was for her, for her Insurance was like $6,000 dollars. So it was like you're it. She, like at that point, yeah, she might as well just, you know, paid for it because it wouldn't have, you know, that it would have been something she would have paid more for anyway.

[Jenny Urch]

But often you don't know. You don't know how much it's going to cost, and that's like a big deal. The book, the book by Dr. Marty Carey is actually a really good book. The Price we Pay. Because he talked about, you know, like, these are the things that you wouldn't know. He talked about these two hospitals.

[Dustin Garrett]

Hospitals, to your point that you just

[Jenny Urch]

brought up, it was like these two hospitals, they're really close to each other and one of them charges 15 times more. Yeah, 15 times.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Well, and is. But are they giving. Yeah. Out 15 times more? Like, you know what I mean? Like

[Jenny Urch]

you would want to know because, like, in an emergency, if you happen to be right in between the two hospitals, you want to choose, you know, this one. And so there's just a lot of. Of gray and, and unknowns. And so I think what it helps you understand because I think people would say, oh, how? I think that the impression is stuff is so expensive that this would never work. Like, how could it possibly work? How could it possibly that I would send in, you know, a reasonable amount of money each month? Because it's a reasonable amount of money and I would send this in and it's going to cover everyone. But Dr. Marty McCary said we currently spend enough money to provide excellent health care to every American. We just need to cut the waste. Yeah.

[Dustin Garrett]

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[Jenny Urch]

For every 10 doctors there are seven non clinical FTE which is some sort of acronym that I don't know, probably full time employee.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah, that's right. That's right. Yeah, that's exactly what that is.

[Jenny Urch]

So it's like there's just a lot

[Dustin Garrett]

of weight waste here.

[Jenny Urch]

So anyway, super interesting. I would love for you. So you kind of explained, you explained how it worked. There's also redeem

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

so Samaritan. So Samaritan actually I'll be able to kind of. This is probably something that would maybe there's. If there's people out there that do know about Samaritan that Samaritan Ministries, even the name kind of suggests okay, what's is there more ministries? So when Samaritan Ministries first started, the whole goal was to birth other ministries and create things in which we have over the years the most successful of those has been the healthcare sharing ministry, which is now kind of synonymous for, you know, Samaritan Ministries. You think about healthcare sharing, it all comes from actually The Luke chapter 10 about the good Samaritan and so recently though, under the Samaritan Ministries umbrella, we launched an additional sharing option called Redeem Health Share. Now if I was to I explain it like this, Samaritan Ministries historically has been kind of like again sending back and forth, you know, to others, sending straight to other people. Redeem is, is like the all digital option. The, so the, the way you interact with your membership, how things are being sent. Redeem is, is, has new programs, has new features. And so it's really, it's under the obviously the same heart, the same, same, the same mission that Samaritan Ministries has, but it's just really kind of next generation of what, what's, you know, possible in the digital world. So I, I think if there's some people out there that, you know, maybe looked at Samaritan before and was like, okay, this feels a little maybe too analog, you know, for me, you know what I mean? And there's some people that love that aspect of it. And then Redeem really, I think is designed for folks who maybe have looked at Samaritan before and their wasn't a specific program or feature. Like an example would be under Redeem we have a program called Senior Saver. And so it's specifically designed for people who, you know, are Medicare eligible 65 and over where historically Samaritan didn't really have a program in that area. And so I would definitely say if you're in that season of life, check out the Senior Saver program from Redeem. Also Redeem has a groups option for, you know, places of businesses or churches, stuff like that. And so that's another huge area. So all that to say is that Redeem is a, you know, fully digital option that has new, new programs in it that can reach out even into different seasons of life. And we're excited about it.

[Jenny Urch]

Okay, people can check that@redeem healthshare.org I want to read about what's in your, in this book.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Oh, let's do it. Yeah, is that cool?

[Jenny Urch]

Nobody's ever told you that you must featured in the Price Do We Pay? What Broke American Health Care and How to Fix it. This is page 188. Some individuals and employers are leaving the insurance industry behind altogether. In recent years, faith based sharing ministries have become more popular. Samaritan Ministries and others are taking the Christian concept of sharing one another's burdens quite literally. They pool the resources of their members to pay one another's bills. Samaritan says it's at this point it was 250,000 members share more than $27 million per month in medical costs. Their growth shows they're meeting a need. And also that the same way of. The same old way of doing health insurance is not working. The plans are typically less expensive than insurance. But don't rely on your health insurance broker to tell you about this lowcost option. Samaritan Ministries and other health insurance co ops don't pay kickbacks to brokers workers.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

That's right. That's exactly right. In that that is one reason why maybe you don't hear about it. But then also I hear a lot of people that will say stuff like, oh, this is like an alternative to traditional insurance. And I usually like to flip that on its head. Is that actually the model?

[Jenny Urch]

This is the original.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

This is the og yeah, just home school and home birth. That's what I mean. Yeah, yeah. It's like, oh, that's. Yeah, that's a, it's a new. That's a, it's an alternative to the traditional. It's like, no, that the traditional is really only something that's been, you know, here in the past 100 years. And if you look at the thousands of years of history, you know that, yeah, that, that was the, the traditional model. And I appreciate you reading that because it's really cool one to hear the shout out. And then also I think when people do find Samaritan and they hear about it and they actually look into it, this is one of the reasons that I'm kind of burdened to talk to you and more people about it is we get calls all day, every day, Jenny, of people who go, man, I wish I would have heard about this before. I wish I would have called you before. I wish I would have looked into this before.

[Jenny Urch]

Yes, it could change your whole life. It could change your whole life for a lot of reasons.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah, yeah. Especially if you're, if you're, I mean, if you're wanting to change jobs, jobs or there's a lot of folks, maybe they're 26 or they're wanting to retire early or they're just, you know, all these seasons of life and usually one of the main things that comes up is how are we going to navigate this healthcare piece? And so to have an option like Samaritan that can come in at an affordable, you know, at affordable price that is able to meet you and your family's medical needs, that has been doing this for a long time. It has a great track record. You can scratch around the Internet and you can even call us and ask as many questions as you Want. Take as much time as you need to ask as many questions as you need to in order to find out if this is a good fit for you and your family. And I've had, like, I've been at a homeschool conference, and the majority of my time at Samaritan, I'll. I'll say this has been going to conferences and homeschool conferences, just getting the word out.

[Jenny Urch]

Right.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Getting the word out. And before that, I worked at a. At a college where I would go to homeschool conferences. I feel like the past, you know, for like, 10 years of my life. Life. The only person that's probably been to more is you. I've been to so many of them. And while I was at one, there was a husband and wife that came up and they said, oh, we, we, we, we. This is something we've been talking about because it was a mom who was working as a teacher, and she wanted to transition to being full time at home with the family.

[Jenny Urch]

Yeah, this is a big deal. You want to change your life. Yeah.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

And I'm telling you, Jenny, she looked over at, like, we talked for a while about what it is we do, how we do it, and she looked at her husband and, like, she literally had tears in her eyes.

[Jenny Urch]

Sure.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

And she.

[Jenny Urch]

And she.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

And she said, I think this might be an answer to our prayers of me being able to be home. And she just kind of started crying right there. And I realized that the. The linchpin that was there for them, for her not making that transition, was because they didn't want to lose the benefits that the teaching job was providing. And so. And there's so many different situations like that and people who are, you know, in different seasons of life. And we are absolutely overjoyed to get to serve the people who. Who are in those seasons of life. And we would be. Be. We'd be glad to. To, like I said, give us a call, shoot us an email, and we'll take as much time as we need to answer any questions you have.

[Jenny Urch]

Yeah, I mean, I think this. The skepticism would come from, like, how

[Dustin Garrett]

could this really work?

[Jenny Urch]

But it does. You know, doctor. Dr. Marty McCary is very clear. He's like, there is enough money to pay for, you know, the actual care of people's health in our country. And I love. I mean, it's a big deal. I think. I love that he shouted you out in this book. Talk to the students Skeptic who's like, there's no way.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah, No, I actually appreciate that because typically behind the skepticism is like, a deep care for their family or a deep care for, like, being a good steward or they don't want to be duped. They don't want to be, you know, taken advantage of. So I don't ever really see the skepticism as, like, a bad thing. In fact, I'm. I'm a little bit concerned when people come to Samaritan and they don't. They aren't like, okay, hey, I got some questions because we're talking about the possibility of millions of dollars of medical needs when you're fa. With your family. Like what? Like, we're talking about things that. It's not just like buying a watch. You know, it is a really big

[Jenny Urch]

deal because it's a whole paradigm shift, too, because you're like, well, how could. How could it be that I would spend the same amount of money or possibly less on a monthly basis and it still works.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

You're. And speaking into that, a lot of times when people call in or if I was to talk to somebody, usually they do want you to kind of explain it in insurance terms, and it's kind of helpful to just kind of. All right, here's this. Here's that framework that's there. You know, the co pays, deductibles, premiums, the networks, all that. We're going to take that framework real quick and we're just going to light it on fire.

[Jenny Urch]

Okay. And there also, because it's not working. It's not like lighting on fire something that's, like, wonderful and that everybody loves. It's like, no, 20. 20% of Americans have medical debts, like, not working.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

So. Yeah.

[Jenny Urch]

Well.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

And when. And actually, tell you the truth, normally the people that go, oh, like, they, yeah. They're not weeping at the fact of burning that framework down. There's nobody going, no, no, please don't touch that. And so. But it. There's no way to push the Samaritan model through that framework. You have to. And, and you get this with homeschool, too. This. There's a similar paradigm shift of going like, okay, I have to. To. I have to take the. And I have to kind of make a different framework that I'm. I'm basing this off of, which is why there's a lot of people out there who homeschool and stuff. That it's easier, I think, for them to. To just, you know, look into something like Samaritan because they're already kind of going, hey, we're. We're going to look. We're looking at Things a little bit different of a way. And. And so if you're willing, if you're able to do that, which most people who are looking for options are, then I think it really makes a whole lot of sense. And you're right. The skeptics out there go, all right, well, how do I know? And bringing those questions to the table, there's a bunch of different questions that our people have. I think some common ones are, yeah, like, we addressed, how are you guys getting paid? You know, how do I know that? Here's another big one. How do I know that people are going to send to me? What if they don't send? You know, like, what if they. Like, it's like a.

[Jenny Urch]

Like, it's like a chain letter. That was like a thing when I was a kid. You know, it's like, if you send out one letter, you'll get 15 letters back.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah. Yeah. So, like, what. And I can. To this quickly. So, like, when I. If I had a medical need and I submit my bill, Samaritan and Samaritan, let's say a Samaritan assigns, you know, 15 people to me. So all the. In order to be an active member at Samaritan, you have to be sending each. Each month. Right. And so. So if somebody on there that's assigned to sending me doesn't send, it's not like, oh, well, I just got a dud. And you know what I mean? You're out of luck. Samaritan will reach out to. And typically, it's just an oversight, you know, and they'll get it right to you. But if, you know, if months go. If they're not sending and months go by where that member is continually not sending, then obviously they wouldn't be able to be an active member. And then if somebody hasn't sent to me, Samaritan will assign somebody. Somebody else to send in the. In their place. And. And again, I think what happens when you actually have a medical need at Samaritan and people send to you and you realize, oh, like, I'm. I'm. I. And this here's another thing, Jenny, is like, there's a bit of humility that's there too.

[Jenny Urch]

Yeah.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Because I think in America, we especially don't like to be in need. We don't like, you know, like, we like being on the receiving side. And like, you feel like, oh, like, like, okay, these people are sending people to me. But truthfully, we all have seasons of life where there's some. Where we are the ones who are giving, and there's some seasons of life where we're in the spot of needing to be given to. And so when you do have a medical need at Samaritan and people give to you, I think it does kind of help you as you continue with your journey through Samaritan because you realize there's somebody on the other end here who is, you know, who, who I'm, I've been assigned to send to. So that kind of clear. I mean, that's, that's a. Usually a general question that people ask, like, how do I know for sure. Yeah, that this is happening. But we have, right now, like you said, there's. There's just over 250,000 Samaritan members. It equates to around 75,000 households. And they're all standing ready to give every single month. We're talking about millions and millions of dollars. And that's why today, you know, even the largest medical needs were able to meet because there's so many people that are. Are just at the ready to make it happen.

[Jenny Urch]

What about pre existing conditions?

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

That's a great question. So, you know, I really invite people to call Samaritan on that because it's a, it's a little bit of a. Of a touchy topic. And I will say that sometimes people think that they, their condition is going to be a deal breaker. Which that's, that's one thing Samaritan would never like. It would never turn somebody away or deny them becoming a member because of, of a preexisting condition. However, we also can't just take on the entirety of the preexisting conditions of the world. And so there are guidelines that, you know that speak into certain conditions that it's not, it's. It would be. It's not going to be an issue at all. And certain ones where there's a timeframe that would have to go before shar could happen in that. And so it's a pretty nuanced area. I try to avoid that word, but this is actually it. And most of the time, if somebody's out there going, all right, I have a preexisting condition, usually it's kind of. There'd be some questions back and seeing what the concern is around that is the concern of that they wouldn't be able to join because of it, or is the concern that they have a lot of current bills because of it, or they're anticipating a lot of bills. And so one of the things that Samaritan does have is, is. Is. Is if you do have bills from condition you coming into membership, you could submit those bills and we can push it through what's called a special prayer need. And what that means is that then people can voluntarily give to it which so it's not under like the required sort of giving side. So there's still some help that's there. But again I would really encourage people to call in because every situation, situation is a, it has some, some nuance to it and you might be out there and I'm not able to speak directly into it.

[Jenny Urch]

Don't like, don't pre disqualify yourself.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah, I would really call him because they'll be able to not only talk with you and talk through it and, and be able to tell you exactly how the guidelines at Samaritan would line up and what you would expect, but then also, you know, be able to pray with you and stuff. And like you said, like I was talking about earlier, the lady that, that had what she thought was a preexisting condition of needing to have the $3,000 wrist surgery that was just, it was, it didn't even matter because it wasn't something that her insurance was going to pay for anyway. You know what I mean? And so the situations like that and then there are situations like my mom, my mom had cancer a few years ago and her situation is more like, okay, if this cancer comes back, you know, then that's so there. And then there's some people who we call and they go I. High blood pressure, you know, so it's like, are we talking? There's so many different things and some of them may make it to where Samaritan's not a good fit and some of them may just be totally. There's a provision that's already, that's there that it's still going to be a good fit. I hope that answers the question.

[Jenny Urch]

Yeah, what about vision, dental, those type of things that tend to be in the same conversation.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Ooh, I love that. So that's really one of the things of the radiant option that has just launched. So we got that question so much Jenny. People would ask what a dental and vision. And people are always going, hey, I wish you had something there for dental and vision. And so a big part of redeem was to build in an add on option that would be able to share for things like vision, dental, pre existing preventative, even gym memberships. And so there's, I would say if that's something that is really important to you, the redeem is. The redeem health share option is really Going to be something I would take a gander at.

[Jenny Urch]

Yeah, Redeem the next generation of health care sharing. I'm so grateful for this. This has opened the door and allowed us to live a very different life, you know, a life that's not governed by what are. What are the benefits going to be? And one that's been like a really special thing, you know, especially if we get our friend's name, Rebecca. I was like, what in the world?

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Shout out to Rebecca.

[Jenny Urch]

And it almost makes you think, like, well, I have never in my life, until we joined Samaritan, like, helped anybody out with their medical needs, you know, and it's like, well, why, why not? You know, like, it's such a big part of our life, our health and our vitality. And so. So it's a really cool thing to be a part of. And so for our family, it's just been such an answer to a huge looming question of, you know, how are we going to care for our family? And, you know, and in a way that aligns with the way that our

[Dustin Garrett]

life is set up.

[Jenny Urch]

And it's just been a total smashing success from us over here.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Well, I remember being at the homeschool conference years ago and you guys had a booth and I went up and your husband was there and I said. I just said, hey, how much I appreciated the. What you guys were doing. And I said, I'm Dustin from Samaritan. He said, oh, Samaritan, yeah, that's. That's what we use for healthcare. And I was like, really? I think that's amazing. And then I went and saw, I think, your breakout session on gardening, and there I was like. And. And then we connected after that. And I will say, it is. It is absolutely wonderful to get to work at a place that allows you and your family. Family to do what you're doing. It brings me much joy to see that you don't have to worry about your healthcare needs. You know, that all that's. That's. That that's taken care of and that you can then focus on the mission that you guys are on. I am so delighted. Thank you for letting me be here. Continue. Keep doing what you're doing. I. There's so many people that in my personal space that have been benefited from what you guys are doing and to know that we can kind of in some small way help you to keep doing that.

[Jenny Urch]

Yeah, well, absolutely. It's part of the engine, isn't it? It's part of the engine and we didn't have to be locked into the choices that we make just because of, you know, choosing some sort of insurance plan. And so it's a, it's a huge deal. So I am honored, I'm honored. Destined to be able to share. You know, it's like a friendship shared with us. And that opened the door to freedom in our lives, a different type of freedom. And now we will be able to open that door to our children and, and on. Honored to share to the friends that are listening to the show. So, Dustin, it's been a total joy to talk about the broken health care system. Yay. We always end our show with the same question.

[Dustin Garrett]

Yeah.

[Jenny Urch]

So I'm gonna ask it. And like a little bit of a deviation.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Let her rip.

[Jenny Urch]

What's the favorite memory from your childhood? That was outside.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Oh, that was outside. Okay. I'll tell you one, this, this, because this is back in the 1900s. Okay. And I would not recommend this to, to, to, to parents, but I will say this one stuck with me. And where I grew up in northwest Indiana, right behind her house, there was a ditch. And sometimes it would kind of, it would, it would overflow. So that ditch would, would, you know, be, would be rushing. It turned into, it turned into a small river. And right past our house there was an overpass over this ditch. And, and what we thought would be a great idea and this was sponsored by the adults at the time. It was a little bit different time. So again, give me, give my parents some grace here. Everybody who's listening, don't call the authorities on them. I'm 42 now, so this was, this is way past.

[Jenny Urch]

You survived.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah, yeah. But they set up a ramp for us to ramp over the ditch. And if you happen to go in the water, they had people set up on the bridge with ropes and you just had to hopefully grab onto a rope as it, it's like a life saving. Yeah, that's what it was. And, and, and so I just remember missing the ramp going down the D. I missed the rope. And it just took me all, all the way to down until I finally was able to, you know, grab on and pull myself out of this ditch. And I, I, there was so many other memories like that from when I was growing up that it was just me outside, us being, you know, riding our bikes, making ramps. We made ramps everywhere. And so I, I have a lot of really fond memories of being outside and just, just ran, just riding my bike off a ramp. And I, I, I, I, I still, I think I, I, if I rode a bike off a ramp to this day, there'd be something inside of me, Jenny, to be like, yeah, that looked so cool. That was so totally.

[Jenny Urch]

Everyone's. Everyone's looking at me. Yes.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

So.

[Jenny Urch]

And then you're white watering through a ditch.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Yeah. Yeah. White water. That's what it was. White water. It was ditch white watering. That was a great memory. So. But if you're out there and you haven't built a ramp in a while, I would still encourage some good ramp building.

[Jenny Urch]

I love it. I love it. Dustin, thanks so much for, for what you're doing. This is an answer for so many. So I appreciate your time.

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

Thanks for. Thank you so much for having me. Appreciate it.

[Podcast Intro Singer]

Get outside Open your eyes Feel feel that sunshine kissing your skin Throw your

[Samaritan Ministries Representative]

worries out to the wind Climb some trees Skin your knees Feel that grass

[Podcast Intro Singer]

on your feet again get out there

[Dustin Garrett]

and take it in

[Jenny Urch]

oh,

[Podcast Intro Singer]

it's a

[Jenny Urch]

beautiful world

[Podcast Intro Singer]

Nothing on the screen is ever going to be this view

[Jenny Urch]

oh,

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[Podcast Intro Singer]

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[Jenny Urch]

Turn.

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