Presbyterian Church in America drops health plan for employees

by Celeste Kennel-Shank
Religion News Service

WASHINGTON — Citing rising costs for premiums, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) — the second-largest Presbyterian denomination with about 400,000 members in the United States and Canada — will discontinue its health plan, which provides benefits for 858 of its employees.

      The board of directors of the PCA Retirement & Benefits Inc. announced in a Dec. 30 letter that its health plan will end Feb. 28, and employees will need to find new health insurance.

      Unlike many other denominations, the PCA did not require its ministers and church employees to be enrolled in its program, said Dominic Aquila, PCA news officer. The number of participants dropped as premiums increased, he said.

      “This is symptomatic of the crisis of health insurance costs in the entire country,” Aquila said.

      William Kuh, president of PCA Retirement & Benefits Inc., said that the plan was no longer financially viable.

      “It was simply a case of healthy participants being able to find better rates elsewhere,” Kuh said. “After prayerful consideration, the board elected to discontinue the plan. There was disappointment and sadness,” Kuh said. “The plan has been with the denomination since our founding in 1973.”

      Aquila said the employees who will be most affected by the termination of the health care plan are those with pre-existing conditions and immediate health concerns such as heart problems or cancer.

      The 2.4 million-member Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) maintains a Medical Benefits Plan for its 20,000 active and retired ministers and other optional benefits plans for other church employees. Participation in the plan is required only for pastors serving congregations.