When you’re part of a church family, you’ve seen members of your congregation at some of their worst, and best, moments. From cancer to new birth, your calling to serve the church provides perspective on the fragility of human life — and how suddenly things can change. That’s why finding quality health insurance for all of your church employees is critical. Understanding the nuances of health insurance for church employees, including the different Church health insurance plans available, can help you make informed decisions that best serve your staff.
However, this can be a frustrating task. Balancing the commitments to your congregation with the duties of church administration isn’t easy. And, in the case of insurance, many competing plans make it hard to know what is best for you and your church.
In this blog, you’ll find the answers to 3 important questions that will help you understand your health insurance options.
1. Do we have to provide health insurance for all church employees?
The first thing to consider is U.S. laws. Over the past 20+ years, the health insurance landscape has changed with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA requires any organization with 50 or more employees to provide health insurance. And that health insurance must meet a minimum basic requirement.
Most churches have less than 50 employees — making them exempt from the requirement to provide health insurance. However, the rules of your denomination may mandate it. There is an expectation that individual churches should provide some form of health care for their employees.
Finally, it just makes sense to provide a health insurance plan for your church staff. It’s easy to think of health insurance in the abstract: “It’s there to help when I need it.” But in reality, it’s a whole network of people – doctors, nurses, technicians, and insurance professionals – aligned to provide care when it becomes a necessity.
Pastor Randy Ledeboer knows this all too well. In 2019, he was involved in a horrible car accident. Along with that, his kidneys were failing and he was in need of a transplant.
He is a testament to God putting the right human systems (and people) in place to support him. God certainly wasn’t ready to call Pastor Ledeboer home yet! Check out his full story here.
2. What is (and isn’t) church health insurance?
Most people think of insurance in simple terms — paying into a plan and getting financial help when you meet the requirements. However, it’s not that simple. For health insurance, there is a detailed set of state and federal regulations.
There are rules about how much capital health insurance plans must have. This is to cover their potential obligations. There are laws that also govern how insurance companies handle pre-existing conditions and preventative care as well. There are a host of other requirements, which you can see here.
Apart from this, there are many “insurance-like” companies available to choose from. Their clients pay in and are covered up to a certain amount for various health issues. These plans are usually identified as “health sharing” programs. But you’ll even see them marketed as an alternative to group health insurance.
These plans are appealing to some. However, they do not come with the legal protection and requirements found in real insurance plans. Want a closer look? Check out this blog.
3. Can my church access group insurance plans?
One of the best ways to get great benefits for your church employees (at a reasonable price) is through group insurance plans. Large businesses receive better pricing because an insurance company’s risk spreads out over a large employee base.
However, churches usually only have a few employees. Left on their own, they can still access comprehensive plans, but the costs to the church may be too high. The good news — there are organizations that can help. These groups take clients from multiple churches, and “bundle” them for an insurance provider. This opens the door for affordable group benefits.
In fact, that’s what Reformed Benefits Association does. As a non-profit association with over 1,200 members from churches across the country — we’re able to offer comprehensive Church health insurance plans at affordable prices with benefits comparable to large companies. If you would like to see what’s available, you can download our benefits guide here.
Finding Health Insurance for Your Church Employees can be Easy
There’s a lot to digest when you have to find health insurance for your church. But it doesn’t have to be difficult. At Reformed Benefits Association, we’ve been providing health insurance for church employees to faith-based ministries for over 20 years. We can help you understand how the choices you make will shape the coverage you get.
Want to learn more? Start by downloading our free benefits guide. This will show you the Church health insurance plans that we offer, who’s eligible, and additional perks through Reformed Benefits Association.
As always, we’re available to answer your questions, too. Just send us an email and we’d be happy to help.
The information contained in this blog is for educational purposes only. Please seek professional advice before acting on the information you have read above.