Health insurance discussion moving toward a vote

During the first week in June, Pastor Doug Sider, Jr. will make a repeat whirlwind tour of the U.S. conferences, carrying with him the latest word on plans for a denomination-sponsored health insurance plan for pastors and other persons employed by BIC churches. All delegates, whether or not their church is eligible to participate in the initial offering of the health insurance plan, will vote on the recommendation when it comes before General Conference, and so all churches are encouraged to send representatives to an information session in their regions. In addition, churches that complete a Proposal Request Form in advance of the meeting will be presented with rate quotes.

The recommendation being presented at General Conference is that

• Pastors who are contracted for 24 or more hours per week are to be enrolled in the denomination plan unless they have a valid waive (e.g. health insurance provided through spouse’s employment, Medicare eligibility).
• In addition, full-time staff (36 hours or more per week) should also be enrolled in the plan, unless there is a valid waive (same as above). If a church’s existing eligibility guidelines are more inclusive toward part-time staff, we will be able to grandfather the church’s policy into the new plan.

In designing the plan, a national health rating is used in combination with local church demographics to determine rates. The local demographic looks at specific location, age, marital status, and family sizes for each church. The group’s health rating was determined based on the health survey of the eligible BIC pastors and staff that was collected earlier this year. It is the planning team’s judgment that this combination best meets our dual commitments of community and stewardship.

Information packets including the Summary of Benefits, a schedule of preventive procedures that are included in the plan, and a Proposal Request Form have been mailed to U.S. churches. If your church did not receive one of the packets, please contact Pam Arnold at parnold@bic-church.org and she will forward the materials immediately.

« back to the May 2008 Momentum