Care of pastors and other church workers is important to the Brethren in Christ Church. For congregations in the United States, that includes access to a denominationally sponsored health insurance program. It is our desire that no pastor or other church worker will be distracted from ministry by worry about how to pay for health care costs which they or their family members incur.

Why now? Why us?

At a time when many denominations have given up on providing a church-wide health insurance program, the BIC Church has chosen to go a different and, we believe, better way. Read more »

A good beginning

The BIC Church Health Plan was launched in January 2009, with 75 percent of eligible churches enrolled and more than 400 individuals receiving coverage. During the first year of the plan, customer service was a top priority as we sought to provide prompt, friendly answers to questions about benefits and claim processing. We also paid close attention to the financial model behind the plan, including when it came time to set the premium amount for 2010. As a result, we’ve entered the second year of the plan with an almost 100 percent renewal rate on the part of eligible churches, with high marks for customer satisfaction, and with a solid .93 loss ratio (claims paid to premiums received).

In short, the BIC Church Health Plan is off to a good start, with equally strong results anticipated for 2010.

Maximize your benefits in 2010

• Schedule a routine physical. (It’s one of the preventive services covered at 100 percent and outside the deductible through our plan.)
• Read through the preventive schedule and check into other procedures as suggested.
• Read “The Cost of Your Health Care: What You
  Can Do About It.”
• Take advantage of the complementary wellness discount program that comes with our plan.

Focus on prevention

When it comes to staying healthy, an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. Yet in 2009, just 21 percent of adults enrolled in the BIC Health Plan took advantage of the preventative services included in our program.

Let’s shoot for 50 percent adult usage of preventative care opportunities in 2010. Pick up the phone and schedule a visit today. 

Tracking HRAs

The 31 churches that chose a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) through MMA as the way to help employees cover deductible expenses are off to a good start in building up their funds. For the group of churches, the median payout was 61 percent of the potential total, and 11 churches paid out less than 50 percent. Just 8 churches contributed the full amount of the deductible.