Benefits
Better Resources
“Our benefits programs include pension options, health benefits, life insurance, disability coverage, alongside robust education and wellness support for eligible clergy and lay employees. We are focused and intentional as we continue to find new ways to meet the needs of those who serve The Episcopal Church.”
In 2020, CPG significantly enhanced our resources and services:
Enhanced Health Plans
We continued to improve benefits and manage costs for participants in the Denominational Health Plan (DHP). We extended broader access to telemedicine and virtual visits through 2022. We also captured cost savings from lower healthcare utilization in 2020 and used them to offset price increases in 2021. Read the DHP Annual Report.
International Clergy Pensions
To protect the purchasing power of participants in the International Clergy Pension Plan (ICPP), we began performing a purchasing power analysis for plan beneficiaries, which we will undertake every three years. Subject to our analysis and CPF Board approval, eligible beneficiaries who have suffered a loss of purchasing power will receive a supplement to the discretionary cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).
We also began providing a monthly subsidy to help offset international banking fees, narrowed gaps in international disability benefits by closely mirroring the disability benefits offered in connection with The Church Pension Fund Clergy Pension Plan, and increased the Major Medical Supplement available to ICPP participants. Dedicated relationship management support and ongoing outreach continue to bring the needs of our international clients more sharply into focus and allow us to respond proactively.
Future Improvements
Over the past two years, we have been studying alternatives to the Medicare Supplement Health Plan we offer retirees. We have had robust conversations with the CPF Board about various options, opportunities, and risks, and we have landed on a new plan—UnitedHealthcare’s Group Medicare Advantage—that we will implement on January 1, 2022.
The new plan will offer lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs, as well as improved client support. According to John Servais, Senior Vice President, Benefits Policy and Design, “Group Medicare Advantage will offer an even better experience with little-to-no provider or prescription disruption.” The full rollout of our new Group Medicare Advantage Plan offering will begin this summer and will include many opportunities for our retirees to learn about it.
Educational Programming and Institutional Support
When the coronavirus pandemic grounded our Education & Wellness and institutional account management (IBAMS) teams, we utilized our phones, digital platforms, and an amazing group of Chaplains to the Retired to provide uninterrupted support to those individuals and institutions in need. Mary Kate Wold, our Chief Executive Officer and President; the Rev. Clayton Crawley, our Chief Church Relations Officer; and the IBAMS account specialists were in regular contact with bishops and administrators to make sure that we understood their needs and they understood the full range of CPG resources available to them.
The Education & Wellness team worked with expert vendors to create and host 22 new webinars for nearly 3,600 participants on topics related to financial, physical, and emotional wellness. They also launched a new podcast, “Choose Well,” to provide people on-the-go with convenient access to wellness tips.
IBAMS convened hundreds of administrators in online conferences to keep them up to date on what is happening at CPG, and to help administrators continue to do their jobs well while working remotely. We seized every opportunity we could to be present for the people and institutions we serve, and the feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive.
