Insurance rates are seeing an increase in premiums this year from 2015 to 2016. The Diocese of Georgia began the move to encourage its members to participate in the High Deductible Health Plan. This year the Church Medical Trust is offering two new available High Deductible plans. The Bishop and Diocesan Staff led by making the move to this plan first and most clergy have followed since Diocesan Council made this the compensation standard.

The annual opportunity for clergy and lay employees to review and adjust health coverage for will occur between today October 21 and November 6 of 2015. The options selected during the open enrollment period will be in effect for the 2016 calendar year. This is your one chance to change, add or adjust coverage unless there is a life-altering event such as a birth, marriage or job change during the year. We continue to offer an option for active clergy and lay employees who are eligible for Medicare Part A to participate in a Medicare Secondary Payer plan.

If the clergy and eligible staff (employed at least 20 hours per week) of your congregation are not presently in the Medical Trust plans then please take time to review this material and contact Canon Willoughby at the diocesan office for a briefing. For those of you whose plans whose plan costs have increased and you are considering other options, you are also encouraged to contact Canon Willoughby for more information on your options.

The Medical Trust also makes the Employee Assistance Program available to all eligible clergy and lay employees whether or not they participate in health insurance coverage. So for those clergy who have alternative coverage such as Tri-Care or a spousal benefit, you may now enroll your entire family in the EAP for only $5 per month.

The 2016 rates and plans are in the table below. Please click on this link to reach the web site for plan information, CPG Plan summary, refer to the plan names and codes below to select your plan. Please note the plans beginning with MS are only for families or individuals with a member over age 65 and eligible for Medicare Part A. Please note that you will not receive a temporary log in for open enrollment as in past years. With its redesigned user interface at cpg.org, employees log into the site, click on the My CPG tab and continue with plan selection. Those making no selection will retain their current coverage.

NOTE: In order to comply with the diocesan clergy minimum compensation standard, a congregation with a priest working at least 30 hours per week is required to assure insurance coverage. For those who do not otherwise have medical insurance provided through a spouse or an existing plan such as Tri-care, this means selecting at least the lowest cost option from the plans above.

  

For those in a High Deductible Plan with a Health Savings Account, the Diocese expects the employer will pay $200 per month or $2400 per year into the HSA for those electing the single HDHP and $400 or $4800 per for the plus one or family plan in the first year of coverage and to continue to pay $150 per month for Single HDHP and $300 per month for plus one, and $400 for family plans in subsequent years.

In addition to the health insurance benefits, we offer optional dental insurance for clergy and lay employees. The plan document and a description can be accessed by logging in to your account at cpg.org.

  

An interactive resource on detailed information on plans can be found below. The Diocese of Georgia is active in Anthem BCBS plans: https://www.cpg.org/active-lay-employees/insurance/health-and-wellness/open-enrollment/