wfn.org | ELCA Pension Board to Expand Birth Control Coverage

[Brenda Williams <BRENDAW@elca.org>]

Reply-To: ElcaNews <ELCANEWS@ELCASCO.ELCA.ORG>
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

March 6, 1998

ELCA PENSION BOARD TO EXPAND BIRTH CONTROL COVERAGE
98-09-049-RK

     MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) --Trustees of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America's Board of Pensions unanimously recommended that coverage of
prescribed birth control devices or drugs be included in the ELCA Medical
and Dental Benefits Plan. To date the ELCA health plan has not considered
birth control as a "medically necessary" treatment of illness or injury.
Trustees recommended the expanded health plan coverage to the ELCA Church
Council, which will meet in April, since the managed care companies working
with the board now cover prescribed birth control.
     The trustees, which met here Feb. 21-22, recommended the council
approve several other changes to its health plan:
  *         To conform with the Mental Health Parity Act, the plan would remove
            the $300,000 lifetime benefit and come under the $1 million lifetime
            benefit for all other medical and dental expenses. The revised plan
            would limit inpatient mental health treatment to 300 days per
            lifetime and no more than 50 visits per calendar year.
  *         The plan would provide more incentives for members to review
            itemized charges in their outpatient hospital bills for accuracy, in
            addition to their reviewing inpatient hospital bills.
  *         It would clarify coverage available to plan members' children who no
            longer meet the eligibility requirements of the ELCA health plan.
  The trustees also approved a major reorganization of board structure.
John G. Kapanke, president of the ELCA Board of Pensions, said the
reorganization will help "strengthen lifelong relationships" with plan
members and sponsoring organizations and enable the board to be more
responsive to their needs, such as financial planning.
  The ELCA Board of Pensions administers pension, health, disability and
survivor benefits for 48,000 plan members and sponsoring employers and
manages $4.5 billion in assets.

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html