Nathan and Melanie interviewed about Samaritan Health

[oscar]

I'd have to imagine since the Maxwell's are "high profile" in the fundie world, there medical expenses/needs are going to go to the top of the "needs" list. Samaritan need all the "good" publicity it can get. Since they don't guarentee payment, I'd imagine many poor fundies have received little or no money to pay their "claims".

This observation is spot-on. The "fundie royalty" who promote and participate in Samaritan Ministries have a high profile in that community. Many people feel like they "know" these families and are emotionally invested in their well-being. Therefore, they're much more likely to have their claims funded than are ordinary people about whom nobody knows or cares.

De facto, this is a scam - whether or not it is technically illegal, it's remarkably distasteful.

[Witsec7]

People with no backgrounds in science or medicine get to determine the validity of your claim-this just pizzes me off. On top of it, you get to publish your medical condition with no regards to your right to privacy. Its a fools game.

[uncreative]

Yup, people would be screwed with that limit, if serious injuries or illnesses occurred.

Yup. My dad contracted Hepatitis C 'innocently' in the 1960s and ended up having a liver transplant 12 years ago. The hospital bill alone for the transplant and initial recovery was somewhere in the $300,000 range. That didn't include the doctors' fees, the 'halfway house' for immunosuppressed patients, physical therapy, or his return to the hospital for what was ultimately a fatal fungal infection acquired at the hospital. Thankfully (?) he was in the Army when he was given the infected blood, so the government paid for what our insurance didn't. A $250K cap is a joke.

[Austin]

I read this but I can't believe anyone thinks this is an acceptable alternative to regular insurance or Universal health care. You have to reveal your medical problems to a bunch of random strangers to judge whether you have "sinned" or not to end up in your sorry condition? They can decide that you aren't the "right" kind of person to deserve their judgmental coverage?

I'm dumbfounded.

Total agreeance with the person who pointed out the irony of the name. The founders of this must have totally missed the point of the Good Samaritan story. Wonder what they think it really means?

Oh, they don't think of it as a bunch of random strangers. They call it "accountability"! That's the only way they can tell if your sin/disobedience/lack of vigilence in following God's precepts caused your illness so they can deny any responsibility for helping you. Which is what seems to happen most of the time.

[WonderingInWA]

So one of the requirements for Scamaritan Health is that you have your pastor's confirmation that you are in good standing and attending church. Do Nathan and Melanie attend the nursing home church? It seems like we never hear anything about them being there. But then would Stevie be their pastor?

[emmiedahl]

I was wondering about the home-church issue as well. We could all say we are home-churchers and vouch for ourselves, after all.

One of the important guys from SM came to the old Freejinger and then would not answer any questions. Especially the one about the actual Bible story and how they are more like the Pharisees refusing to help the "undeserving" based on their religious beliefs.

[Guest Anonymous]

Nathan is a preacher (at the nursing home).

[WonderingInWA]

I love how the fundies can just call themselves "preachers" or "pastors" even without degrees in divinity.

I think I'll add that title to my resume, too. Shazaam! I'm a pastor!

[Patsy]

Despite their incredibly friendly drop-bys at LiaS' blog to remind her not to refer to them as 'insurance' because they'll get shut down that's not actually what Biblical ecumenically conscientious health-sharing is, they have fucking 'pre-existing condition' inelligibility. Exactly how U.S. health insurance works.

[treemom]

I am just glad someone else called it scamaritan. I have been trying to get it to catch on since before the rapture, I think everyone just thought I was making my normal typos.

[apple1]

I am just glad someone else called it scamaritan. I have been trying to get it to catch on since before the rapture, I think everyone just thought I was making my normal typos.

Nope.

I call it SCAMaritan, too. (I don't claim originality).

[Feberin]

I would also think Nathan and Melanie are lucky in that their needs are focused around pregnancy and newborns, which fundies love very much. The whole thing with their first daughter was so tragic that I think if most people knew somebody going through that who needed financial help they would be willing to contribute. And what do fundies love more then unborn babies so Melanie's high risk pregnancies probably get plenty of funding while an elderly gentleman who needs heart surgery wouldn't get nearly the same focus. Especially since it sounds like the others would judge the elderly guy and say "perhaps he ate too much fatty foods" or something even if it wasn't the case. However I consider Nathan and Melanie far more irresponsible then someone who is not managing their diabetes or smoking.

[ems]

Their name always makes me laugh because the whole point of the Good Samaritan was to help people who are not like yourself and the whole mission of this "ministry" is to encourage people to only help people who are just like themselves.

This. I think on another thread I proposed a new, more representative name and somebody proposed "Pharisee Ministries." :)

[emmiedahl]

I am just glad someone else called it scamaritan. I have been trying to get it to catch on since before the rapture, I think everyone just thought I was making my normal typos.

Good to know, I have been dying to call it that but did not want to steal your punchline! :D

[treemom]

Good to know, I have been dying to call it that but did not want to steal your punchline! :D

Oh please doM. I get great joy when I read people spreading stuff like this around.

When I die I will leave the legacy of

Pet fundies shitting on the rug

Latisha sawyers

And scamiritan ministries.

[WonderingInWA]

Oh please doM. I get great joy when I read people spreading stuff like this around.

When I die I will leave the legacy of

Pet fundies shitting on the rug

Latisha sawyers

And scamiritan ministries.

I may have just used the word "Scamaritan" on FB. It was only in an IM discussion, but I'm sure it will make its way out to the public domain. LOL. Good one, Treemom!

[ems]

Ok, I love the name Scamaritan Ministries too. :D

[treemom]

Ok, I love the name Scamaritan Ministries too. :D

I liked Pharisee ministries as well :).

[2xx1xy1JD]

I liked Pharisee ministries as well :).

Except the actual, historical Pharisees believed that man had no business saying "serves you right and this is a divine punishment" and instead taught that we have a duty to help the sick, period.

[treemom]

Except the actual, historical Pharisees believed that man had no business saying "serves you right and this is a divine punishment" and instead taught that we have a duty to help the sick, period.

Well then Scamaritan Ministries it is!