Kirksville council authorizes agreement to join Samaritan Fund program for rare high-cost medical cases

The Kirksville City Council on second reading authorized the city manager to sign an agreement to participate in the Samaritan Fund program, a nationally used approach that provides financial support for individuals with long-term, high-cost medical needs.

Deputy City Manager Rodney Sadler told council the program is intended for rare, ongoing medical conditions such as long-term infusions rather than short-term incidents. "Participants who do qualify are not included on the city's health care plan for that year," Sadler said. He provided the program27s administrative fees: "For an employee or eligible family member, it's the first 1 in the family. It is a $55,000 administrative fee. If there's a second person in the family that qualifies, it'd be $15,000." The city would pay the administrative fee to the program; the Samaritan Fund Foundation performs fundraising and the program administers payments to eligible participants via medical debit cards.

Sadler said program participation is expected to reduce long-term claims and help stabilize the city27s health-plan premiums. He noted timing constraints: to be eligible for 2026, the city needed to complete the agreement by Oct. 17. Council approved the agreement on voice vote.

Why it matters: The program offers a targeted safety net for employees facing catastrophic medical costs while the city pays an annual administrative fee in exchange for removing the participant from the city27s traditional plan for the review year.

What happens next: If the agreement proceeds, Samaritan Fund will begin evaluating city employees or dependents for eligibility; individual enrollment would be required before any specific administrative fees are charged for a named person.