The Denominational Health Plan
Since its inception in 2009, the Denominational Health Plan (DHP) has offered valuable healthcare coverage to members. Meanwhile, The Episcopal Church Medical Trust (Medical Trust) has delivered on its responsibilities to manage overall healthcare costs, work with The Episcopal Church to achieve parity in cost-sharing between clergy and lay employees, and reduce healthcare cost disparities among dioceses.
On this page:
The Value of the DHP | Controlling Costs and Cost Disparities | The DHP Taskforce | DHP Annual Reports
A Great Asset to Those Who Serve the Church - the Denominational Health Plan
Affordable Healthcare
- Medical Trust helps ensure that contributions are sufficient to fund health claims.
- Closely watches industry trends to control costs.
- Medical Trust plans avoid commissions.
- 97% of every premium dollar is used to pay healthcare claims.
- Episcopal employers are relieved of many administrative burdens.
Comprehensive Coverage
- Medical, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, dental, hearing
- Tailored packages, portable plans, broad access to healthcare providers
- Range of pricing options (platinum, gold, silver plans)
- Variety of rate tiers (single, family, etc.)
Robust Cost Containment
- Average age in DHP is 52* vs. 42 national average
- Despite demographics, costs are lower than expected
- Medical Trust average rate increases: single-digit range
- Below-market increases amid benefit enhancements
- Continued effort toward reduction in healthcare cost disparity between highest-and lowest-priced dioceses
*As of June 10, 2024
Controlling Healthcare Costs and Reducing Cost Disparity
The Medical Trust recognizes that healthcare can create financial burdens for members, and its efforts to manage costs have kept DHP premium increases on the lower end of national trends.
Resolution 2012-B026 reaffirmed the Denominational Health Plan and encouraged the Medical Trust to explore alternative strategies to arrive at a more equitable sharing of healthcare costs across the Church.
CPG continues to work on minimizing health plan cost disparities among dioceses and explore opportunities to improve member benefits and further manage costs.
Task Force to Advise the Church on the DHP
The 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church passed Resolution 2022-D034 establishing the Task Force to Advise the Church on the Denominational Health Plan (DHP Task Force) for the purpose of reviewing the structure and offerings of the DHP and reporting back to the 81st General Convention with a list of options to reduce healthcare costs across the Church and a full explanation of the reasoning, costs, and benefits of each option.
Following this review, the DHP Task Force made several observations and recommendations to continue managing overall healthcare costs and achieve parity in cost-sharing between clergy and lay employees while still balancing high-quality benefits with financial stewardship for the Church. The DHP Task Force also introduced other factors (e.g., ability to pay) for considering how to share cost burdens across the Church. The DHP Task Force’s recommendations, as well as the independent actuarial report supporting its work, were included in the 81st General Convention Blue Book.
DHP Legislation & Plan Model
Resolutions passed by the 76th and 77th General Conventions established and affirmed the Denominational Health Plan and the Plan Model.
Get more information on the resolutions and model.Read the full 2023 DHP Annual Report
While the DHP continues to meet its objectives, the Medical Trust nonetheless recognizes that healthcare can create financial burdens, and it remains focused on addressing costs and providing consistent service and broad access to high-quality benefits, thus balancing compassionate care with financial stewardship for the Church.
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