Medi-Share (operated by Christian Care Ministry) and Samaritan Ministries are the two most established healthcare sharing ministries in America — and they take fundamentally different approaches to the same idea. One pools contributions centrally and works through negotiated provider networks; the other routes your money directly to another member household each month. Here’s how the numbers and the models compare, using each ministry’s own published data.
| Medi-Share (Christian Care Ministry) | Samaritan Ministries | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 | 1994 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, FL | Peoria, IL |
| Monthly price range | $150–$250 (single, 30s, $12K AHP); $450–$650 (couple, 40s); $650–$850 (family of four, 50s) | $210–$925/mo (Classic, by household size and age) |
| Initial unshared amount | Annual Household Portion (AHP): $3,000–$12,000 options | Initial Unscheduled Amount (IUA) per need — commonly $1,000–$2,000 by program, plus co-share on some programs |
| Per-need sharing limit | No fixed per-need cap published; governed by program guidelines | Classic: $500,000 per need; Basic: $497,500 (Sept 2026 guidelines) |
| Programs | Individual & family programs with multiple AHP levels; senior programs | Basic, Classic, Secure, Elevate |
| Faith requirements | Statement of faith; members share under biblical principles | Statement of faith and church involvement requirements |
Data verified as of September 2026. Confirm current pricing and guidelines with each ministry directly.
What the model difference means in practice
Predictability vs. participation
Medi-Share’s centralized model behaves more like what most people are used to: you see a provider in a network, the bill routes through the ministry, and there’s a customer-service structure behind it. Samaritan’s direct model is more participatory — your share goes to a named household, sometimes with a note of encouragement, and you submit bills and communicate with the ministry about where needs are published. Members who choose Samaritan often cite the relational, ministry-first character as the reason; members who choose Medi-Share often cite simplicity.
Cash pricing without a network
Samaritan’s lack of a provider network cuts overhead but means you’re negotiating cash prices yourself (or using a billing advocacy service). Medi-Share’s network means negotiated rates arrive automatically, but you’re working within that network’s rules. Neither approach is objectively better — it depends on how much administration you want in your life.
Fee structure
Medi-Share charges a one-time $120 new-member fee (plus a $2 sharing-account setup fee). Check Samaritan’s current join requirements directly on their site before comparing fee totals.
Pros and cons, honestly
Medi-Share strengths
- Negotiated provider network with automatic discounts
- Wide AHP options ($3,000–$12,000) let you tune monthly cost vs. exposure
- Large, long-running operation: 350,000+ members, $8 billion in bills shared since 1993
Medi-Share watch-outs
- Published examples skew older/pricier for couples and families
- AHP is annual — a bad year means you pay it twice
- Centralized model means less direct member-to-member connection
Samaritan strengths
- Direct member-to-member sharing — you know exactly who your money helps
- Published monthly share range starts lower than most insurance-era alternatives
- Clear per-need caps published in guidelines ($500,000 Classic as of Sept 2026)
Samaritan watch-outs
- No provider network — cash-price negotiation is on you
- IUA applies per need, so a year with several needs means several IUAs
- Some needs require a co-share on top of the IUA
The verdict
If you want the closest thing to a familiar healthcare experience with a network and negotiated pricing, Medi-Share fits that instinct. If you want the most direct expression of the sharing idea — your money, to a family, every month — Samaritan is the model that ministry built its reputation on. Both are established ministries with decades of shared bills; neither decision is wrong. Read both ministries’ guidelines before you choose, not just this table.
Disclosure: this site is published by Anglican Care, a healthcare sharing ministry. We publish the same data categories for every ministry we cover, and this comparison can lead you to either of them without us — that’s the point.