Transcription
A MINISTRY OF THE EVANGELICAL COVENANT CHURCHThe Simple Choice.The Covenant Choice.2023 OPEN ENROLLMENT:October 15 – November 15, 2022
Dear Partners in Ministry,Greetings from the Covenant Benefits team! We havereceived an overwhelmingly positive response toour name change from Bethany Benefit Service toCovenant Benefits, and we are grateful to continueto serve Covenant churches and affiliated ministrieswith this “upgrade.”Covenant Benefits is a ministry of the CovenantChurch to provide an avenue for Covenant churchesand ministries to share the cost and administrativeburden of managing employee benefits contracts.Premiums paid to Covenant Benefits directly payfor Covenant pastors’ and ministry staff’s medicalexpenses. It’s a tangible way the Covenant is “init together” in ministry and caring for each other.Covenant Benefits has been very busy the past twoyears performing an immersive review of the benefitsprogram provided, including surveying Covenantleaders and pastors, analyzing other denominationsand the general healthcare market, and solicitingactuarial analyses. Our goal continues to be tosteward and advance the mission by caring forCovenant ministries and their employees through acomprehensive and dependable benefits program.Thank you for your contributions to the survey wesent between November 2021 and January 2022.Changes to our 2023 benefits program are in directresponse to your feedback.covchurch.org/benefits2
Benefits with a ChoiceAdjustments in 2023Three health insurance plan options for non-Medicare policies: Your employees will have thefreedom to choose which health insurance plan is best for them, with an option to open a HealthSavings Account if they choose the Covenant Value Plan and meet other IRS criteria. Additionalinformation on the three plan options is included in this packet, as well as invitations to webinarswhere you can learn more and ask questions.10% premium increase: Due to high medical inflation and the need to price plan benefits morein line with industry standards, premium rates for the Covenant Plus Plan, which mirrors the2022 health insurance plan, are increasing 10%.Online open enrollment: You will be able to make changes to your employees’ benefits and personalinformation securely online—no more sending in forms! More information is included in this packet.Minimum participation: If you choose to enroll staff in Covenant Benefits, at least 75% ofbenefits-eligible staff must be enrolled. This requirement will limit adverse selection andaid in keeping premium rates manageable.Looking Forward to Potential Adjustments in 2024Region rating: Almost all multi-state health insurance plans adjust premium rates based oncost of healthcare by region. To remain competitive in lower-cost areas and keep premiumrates manageable, we expect to add a level of region rating to our premium structure in 2024.Age rating: Almost all health insurance plans vary premium rates based on age. Though employersoften do not pass on the difference in cost to their employees, employers usually pay less foryounger employees and more for older employees. To remain competitive and keep premium ratesmanageable, we may add a level of age rating to our premium structure in 2024.Medicare coverage: By request from several retirees who have retained their health insurance throughCovenant Benefits, we have been reviewing group Medicare supplement options for the past year andcontinue to do so. Since usually only one plan option is offered through a group retiree program, wetake any level of change to this plan seriously and are in the process of determining the best plan forthe Covenant and our aging and retiring employees. A change to our group Medicare supplement planwould most likely include a reduction in benefits to be able to pass on a premium reduction.We are grateful to be able to partner with you in your ministry.On behalf of the Covenant Board of Pension and Benefits,Christina Kempe, DIRECTOR OF COVENANT BENEFITSThe Evangelical Covenant Church email: benefits@covchurch.org3 fax: 773-784-2249 covchurch.org/benefits
WebinarsTIME: NOON (Central Time)Join our webinars to learn more about Covenant Benefits offerings. To register for the topics that interestyou, use the QR codes or links found at covchurch.org/benefits. Afterward, recordings will also be availableat covchurch.org/benefits.For employeesFor employers, leaders,and decision makersOCTOBER 4 (60 MIN)SEPTEMBER 20 (60 MIN)Health Plan Options:Which is Right for Me?Health Plan Options:How to Implement/Administerfor StaffOCTOBER 18 (30 MIN)Open Enrollment:Online Portal Tutorial“The team at Covenant Benefitsunderstands not only the intricaciesof insurance, but the intricacies ofministry as well.NOVEMBER 1 (30 MIN)Intro to Health SavingsAccounts: HSAs with NationalCovenant PropertiesLINNE A E K, S OLO PASTOR4
Benefits with a ChoiceMedical and PrescriptionTo provide employees flexibility and choice we offer three health insuranceoptions tailored to meet a variety of preferences and needs.CovenantPlus PlanCovenantStandard PlanCovenantValue Plan(HSA eligible)MEDAL LEVELPLATINUMGOLDSILVEROut-of-Pocket costs*Deductible 400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,000 . . . . . . . . . . . 6,250Family Deductible 800 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,000 . . . . . . . . . . . 12,500Coverage percentage after deductible80% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80% . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100%Maximum Out-of-Pocket 2,700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,500 . . . . . . . . . . . 6,250Family Maximum Out-of-Pocket 5,400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,000 . . . . . . . . . . 12,500Primary Care Physician 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . deductibleSpecialist Physician 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . deductiblePrescription costs**Generic 30-day/90-day 8/ 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8/ 16 . . . . . . . . . . . deductiblePreferred brand 30-day/90-day 40/ 85 . . . . . . . . . . . . 40/ 85 . . . . . . . . . . deductibleNon-preferred brand 30-day/90-day 65/ 140 . . . . . . . . . . . . 75/ 160 . . . . . . . . . deductibleSpecialty 30-day/90-day 100/ 225 . . . . . . . . . . . 125/ 280 . . . . . . . . deductiblePremium rates***Employee Only 770 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613Employee Child(ren) 1,822 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,656 . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,449Employee Spouse 1,918 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,744 . . . . . . . . . . . 1,526Family 2,055 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,868 . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,635*Maximum out-of-pocket includes all in-network applicable deductible, copay and coinsurance amounts.**90-day prescription fills available through Express Scripts mail order and Walgreens pharmacies.*** Charged monthly to employer. Agreed-upon employee contributions toward monthly premiums must be recovered by payroll deduction.5
Dental, Vision & Hearing BenefitsMonthly Premium RatesEmployee Only 60 Employee Child(ren) 139 Employee Spouse 120 Family 187Dental CoverageDelta Dental PPO & Premier networks Enhanced benefits for certain conditions including diabetes, pregnancy, periodontal disease,certain high-risk cardiac conditions, certain conditions which suppress the immune system,and cancer-related radiation & chemotherapy Maximum benefit balance can carry over to the next year if enrolled the entire previous yearand filed at least one claimDeductible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Family Deductible Maximum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Maximum Benefit (per person annually) . . . . . . . 2,000Lifetime Orthodontic Maximum (per person) . . . . 1,500Preventive Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100%Basic Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80%Restorative Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50%Orthodontic Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50%Vision CoverageEyeMed Access networkExam copay . . . . . . . . . . . 20Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 allowance, then 20% offGlasses Lenses . . . . . . . . 20 copay ( 65 progressives)Contact Lenses . . . . . . . . 80 allowanceHearing Discount ProgramAmplifon (no additional cost)Discounted or no-cost hearing screening, discountedhearing aids with free batteries and three-year warranty.6“With all the changesgoing on with mychildren’s births,we didn’t have anyproblems, any issues.Covenant Benefitshad everything laidout for us.N AT H A N N I C H OLS ON,C OV EN A N T O F F I C ES EMP LOYE E
Benefits with a ChoiceLife, Disability, and Other BenefitsBenefits listed below are available through Covenant Benefits for all full-time staff (working at least an averageof 30 hours per week). All benefits-eligible full-time employees must enroll in these benefits unless specificarrangements have been madeLife & Disability InsuranceLife CoverageMonthly premium rateTo age 65 100,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.00Age 65-69 65,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.95Age 70-74 50,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.50Age 75 36,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.28Double indemnity for accidental death & dismemberment.Waiver of premium for certain disabilities.Long-term Disability CoverageElimination period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 daysBenefit payment based on salary . . . . . 60%, up to 70% with other earningsContinued health insurance . . . . . . . . . . Up to 24 monthsContinued retirement contributions . . . . 100% if licensed Covenant ministerMonthly LTD Premium RatesLicensed Covenant minister . . . . . . . . . . 1.06 per 1000 annual salaryNon-licensed employee . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.91 per 1000 annual salaryTravel AssistanceEmployee Assistance Program(No additional cost for full-time employees)(No additional cost for full-time employees)Includes emergency medical evacuation, passportA 24/7 counseling and referral service and onlineretrieval assistance, hospital admission assistance,resource bank for most work/life balance issuesand more.and concerns. Also included are up to three freein-person counseling services and medical billingadvocacy assistance for non-covered and out-ofnetwork medical services.7
Providing Covenant Benefits to Your Ministry StaffEmployer Policies & RecommendationsWho can enroll?tier options within the Covenant Benefits programAll Covenant churches, conferences, camps, globalmakes this more feasible for churches who havepreviously provided different types of health coveragepersonnel, and any ministry affiliated with theto different levels of staff.Covenant may enroll their employees in CovenantBenefits. If an employer chooses to enroll theirWho is “benefits-eligible”?employees in Covenant Benefits, minimumparticipation requirements must be followed, asEach employer chooses which positions areoutlined below.“benefits-eligible” and counted toward the minimumparticipation requirement. For example, you mayCovenant ministers serving in non-Covenantministry are also eligible if they hold an activechoose to offer benefits to all staff working at leastcredential and have been approved by Ordered30 hours per week, or your budget may allow you toMinistry to serve in a non-Covenant ministry or ifonly offer benefits to pastoral or non-hourly staff.they hold an inactive credential and whose employerThe Covenant encourages all churches and affiliateshas been approved as a voluntary participant of theto be as generous as possible when choosing howCovenant Pension Trust. (Contact us for more detailsand to whom to offer benefits so your employees areand any needed clarification.)cared for and protected when they and their familiesexperience physical or mental hardship.Minimum participation requirementsWhich benefits are required?Employers who wish to enroll staff in CovenantBenefits must meet minimum participationEmployees working 30 hours or more per week whorequirements to be eligible—at least 75% of benefits-are considered “benefits-eligible” must enroll in lifeeligible employees must be enrolled (does not applyand long-term disability benefits but may opt out ofto ministers serving outside the Covenant). This policydental and vision benefits (unless alternate employer-helps the Covenant to provide high-quality benefits atlevel arrangements have been made with Covenanta reasonable premium rate to all Covenant churchesBenefits). Employees working less than 30 hours areand ministries.not eligible for life and long-term disability benefits.Employees may opt out of medical and prescriptionPayroll deduction amounts and Health SavingsAccount contributions can be differentiated bybenefits only if they are enrolled in health insuranceposition types/tiers to provide higher or lowerthrough another employer (i.e., spouse or parent’slevels of benefits to different staff if preferred, butemployee coverage or another job of their own) or ifCovenant Benefits must be the only health insurancethey are eligible for government-subsidized healthoption offered to staff. The addition of lower planinsurance (i.e., veteran’s benefits, income-basedMedicaid).8
Benefits with a ChoiceHow to administer more thanone health insurance plan optionFor many Covenant employers, offering staff optionsfor different levels of health insurance policies willbe brand-new! Covenant Benefits is ready to helpyou navigate this adjustment, and we are confidentyour employees will be grateful for the opportunity tochoose which health plan works best for them.Covenant Benefits’ strong suggestion is to set a“budgeted dollar amount for each family tier andallow employees to choose the plan they want. IfI’m very grateful for the care myfamily has received from CovenantBenefits. It has been a blessing.I highly recommend our churchesto do the same for their pastors.they choose a plan with a greater premium than thebudgeted dollar amount, they will reimburse theemployer for the difference through payroll deduction.If they choose a plan with a lower premium than thebudgeted dollar amount, the employer will providethe difference to the employee in a tax-advantagedDA N N Y MA RT I N EZ , SUPER I N T ENDE NTsavings option, such as a Flexible Spending Account(with the Covenant Plus or Covenant StandardPlan— 500 annual employer non-matchingcontribution limit) or a Health Savings Account (withCovenant-ordained minister retires, they may enrollthe Covenant Value Plan). (Covenant Benefits does notin a Medicare supplement policy, which includesoffer tax-advantaged savings options, but is able toMedicare D, dental, and vision coverage.provide recommendations for vetted vendors.) Someexamples of how to administer multiple health planMedicareoptions is are available on page 10.If an employer has fewer than 20 total employees(including all part-time and full-time W-2 employees),Transferring or continuing benefitswhen employment endsan employee’s medical coverage can be changed toMedicare supplement when they become Medicare-If an employee relocates from one church oreligible due to age (65). The employee’s coverageparticipating affiliate to another, benefits canis changed to the Medicare supplement plan (mosttransfer without interruption. If an employee orsimilar to the Covenant Plus Plan), and the premiumdependent becomes ineligible for coverage throughrate is adjusted to reflect the change (Medicarethe church or affiliate, coverage will be canceled, andsupplement rate if single, combination of MedicareContinuation of Coverage will be offered, which allowssupplement rate and family rate if dependents arethe employee or dependent to continue their healthinsured). This opportunity provides cost savings toinsurance elections for between 18 and 36 monthsboth the employer and Covenant Benefits. Pleaseat their own expense. If an enrolled employee orcontact Covenant Benefits for instructions.9
Here are a few examples:First Covenant Church budgeted 700 per monthfor individual coverage or 1,700 per month for family coverage. Employee #1 selects single Covenant Plus Plan:Payroll deduction is 70/month ( 770 premium minus 700 employer contribution). Employee #2 selects family Covenant Standard Plan:Payroll deduction is 168/month ( 1,868 premium minus 1,700 employer contribution). Employee #3 selects single Covenant Value Plan:No payroll deduction, employer contributes 87/month toward employee’s Health SavingsAccount ( 613 premium plus 87 HSA contribution equals 700 employer contribution).Covenant Preschool hasn’t offered health benefits in the past but wantsto get started with 500/month for all employees to offer health insurance (plus the costof life and long-term disability benefits). Employee #1 has health insurance coverage through their spouse, so opts out.No cost to employer or employee. Employee #2 selects single Covenant Value Plan: Payroll deduction is 113/month, employee canopen an HSA and save for future health expenses ( 613 premium minus 500 employer contribution). Employee #3 selects employee plus children Covenant Standard Plan:Payroll deduction is 1,156/month ( 1,656 premium minus 500 employer contribution).Faith Covenant Church budgeted 740 per month for individual coverageor 1,500 for family coverage and an HSA contribution for all Covenant Value Plan enrollments. E mployee #1 selects employee plus spouse Covenant Value Plan: Payroll deduction is 100/month,employer contributes 74/month to HSA ( 1,526 premium plus 74/month HSA contribution equals 100 payroll deduction plus 1,500 employer total contribution). E mployee #2 selects single Covenant Value Plan: No payroll deduction, employer contributes 128/monthto HSA ( 613 premium plus 128/month HSA contribution equals 740 employer contribution). E mployee #3 selects single Covenant Standard Plan: No payroll deduction, employer contributes 40/month to Flexible Spending Account ( 700 premium plus 40/month Flexible Spending Accountcontribution equals 740 employer contribution—requires enrollment in external FSA, 500 max FSAcontribution without employee matching).10
Benefits with a ChoiceOnline Open EnrollmentOnline open enrollment process:1. Provide each employee with the “Your Benefits”pamphlet, encourage them to attend the webinaron October 4 (see page 4), and ask them tocomplete the enclosed form (also available fordownload at covchurch.org/benefits). Please keepthis form for your records—it does not need tobe sent to Covenant Benefits.Oct. 15thtoNov. 15th2022 Log in:2. R equest online portal access, if you do notalready have a username and password, bydownloading the “online portal access” form atcovchurch.org/benefits or by contacting CovenantBenefits’ eligibility office at 855-908-9465 orcovenantbenefits@cdsadmin.com.3. Log in: Go to emeProfile CovenantBenefits andenter your login information. (QR code providedon this page).4. Select “Enrollment”, to begin entering 2023benefits elections. T o add an employee, select “EligibilityMaintenance”, then “New Hire/Enroll”Portal Instructions T o select benefits for 2023, select“Enrollment Wizard”You may now update your employees’ benefit choicesand personal information on Covenant Benefits’ onlineportal! Every employer MUST log in and select youremployees’ benefits choices between October 15 andNovember 15. Enrollment on January 1, 2023, cannotbe guaranteed if submitted after November 15. T o cancel benefits for an employee,select “Eligibility Maintenance”, then“Terminate a Participant”5. You can view or download a census of allemployees’ information in “CEW Reports Menu” orview each employee in detail in the “Status” tab.Enter all benefits-eligible staff in the system, whetherthey are electing to receive benefits or not. At least75% of entered employees must be enrolled inbenefits. All full-time employees will be autoenrolled in life and long-term disability benefits(unless alternate arrangements have been made).6. You can view invoices in the “Reports” tab. Theinvoice for January 2023 will be available byDecember 9 (or December 23 if currently payingby auto-withdrawal ACH).7. The “Resources” tab includes lots of helpfulinformation and forms. View a more detailedtutorial of the portal, download a Summary ofBenefits and Coverage, and more.If you do not select a plan for an employee who isalready enrolled, they will be auto-enrolled in theCovenant Plus Plan, which is most similar to the2022 health insurance plan.8. Sign up for and attend the webinar on October 18to walk through this process with the experts.11
Covenant BenefitsMAIL: 8303 W. Higgins Road; Chicago, IL 60631TOLL FREE: 800-313-8955EMAIL: benefits@covchurch.orgWEB: covchurch.org/benefitsCovenant Benefits Enrollment & BillingOnline portal, Premium billingTOLL FREE: 855-908-9465EMAIL: covenantbenefits@cdsadmin.comHighmark Blue Cross Blue ShieldMedical provider network search, estimated costsof medical services, claims information, downloadinsurance card, health coaches & care navigationTOLL FREE: 844-363-0067WEB: highmarkbcbs.comMOBILE APP: Highmark PlanExpress ScriptsPrescription drug cost search, order prescriptions for deliveryTOLL FREE: 800-892-5130WEB: express-scripts.comMOBILE APP: Express Scripts12
Hearing Discount Program Amplifon (no additional cost) Discounted or no-cost hearing screening, discounted hearing aids with free batteries and three-year warranty. With all the changes going on with my children's births, we didn't have any problems, any issues. Covenant Benefits had everything laid out for us. NATHAN NICHOLSON,
