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BY MELISSA LAUBER
UMCONNECTION STAFF

Note: Use the link at the end of this story for access to a chart with the new health care plan's features and benefits.

Encouraging health and wholeness and attempting to provide the best quality health care for the lowest possible price is the foundation of the new health care plan for the Baltimore-Washington Conference, participants were told at a recent series of informational meetings.

At eight sessions throughout the conference Oct. 4-7, active clergy and retirees were introduced to HealthFlex, a denominationwide health plan, and the conference?s new health care provider, United Health Care.

This switch from CIGNA, which goes into effect Jan 1, includes a number of changes for the 1,500 people currently covered by the conference.

Among the changes, said Martha Knight, director of finance and administration, are a reduction in the amount individuals and families would pay if they chose to see doctors not in the United Health Care network; co-payments for emergency room visits will drop from $200 to $50; urgent care will decrease from $100 to $50; and a new hearing benefit has been added.

In addition, through Medco Pharmacy, which administers the Healthflex prescription drug benefits, substantial discounts will be offered for those who use generic drugs; and all 'maintenance drugs,' those used on a daily basis, will be provided through a mail-order service.

HealthFlex participants are eligible to have 100 percent of charges for an annual physical, including mammograms, pap smears, prostate exams, blood work and colorectal screening for cancer.

The annual physical is supplemented by Health Quotient, an online Health Risk Assessment that screens for 21 risk factors and assists people with managing chronic disease.

Optum NurseLine, a toll-free, 24-hour health information service; and WebMD, an electronic personal health manager, provide participants with knowledge and tools to enable them to better manage their health.

In addition, at no cost, after Jan. 1, participants have access to LifeSolutions, a toll-free service also available on the web at www.liveandworkwell.com, which provides a wide array of services on mental health, substance abuse, elder and child care, legal assistance, financial services and counseling.

The new plan even supports such wellness measures as covering half the cost of massage therapy, Knight said. Eight free visits to a counselor for behavioral health issues is also provided and pastoral counselors will even have a service at their fingertips to assist with referrals and other issues that arise as they counsel their clients.

'Caring for those who care for others,' is the goal, say members of the conference Board of Pensions and Health Benefits.

Meeting this goal is not always easy, said Knight, who explained that the rising cost of health care is providing challenges for organizations and businesses across the country.

In the next 20 years, for example, Knight said, the Baltimore-Washington Conference anticipates spending $50 million to provide health care benefits for its retirees.

Some conferences in the denomination have ceased providing these benefits to retirees, but the Baltimore-Washington Conference has not had to consider such a measure, said Knight, who stressed that discipleship is the bottom line of everything the conference does.

On Oct. 24, packets confirming enrollment in the new health care plan will be mailed to participants. Enrollment and changes, including enrolling in the flexible spending plan, will take place during November. Identification cards will be issued before Dec. 15.

Those enrolled in HealthFlex are encouraged to take their new ID cards to their pharmacists and doctors to make sure they are participants in the United Health Care network.

Those who are making changes to their current health care coverage, and those who are enrolling for the first time, will need to do so online. People who wish to elect pre-tax spending for 2006 will also do so online.

Before Jan. 1, information on which doctors participate in the United Health Care network can be found at www.provider.uhc.com/gbophb.