Qualified employees of Church of the Brethren agencies may join the Brethren Medical Plan. For an agency to be in the Plan, 75 percent of their eligible employees must be enrolled. Employees can be waived from the 75 percent calculation if they work less than 20 hours per week, or if they have insurance through their spouse or through another employment arrangement.

Guaranteed Issue
The Brethren Medical Plan offers guaranteed issue, which means guaranteed insurance coverage, to all qualified agency employees, and their dependents, regardless of health histories. This means —

• There are no underwriting requirements for new enrollees or when current members move from place to place.
• There are no screenings or limitations on pre-existing conditions.
• Coverage will continue even if the employee or a family member experiences a serious medical condition.

While guaranteed issue may seem like something only important to currently uninsurable people, a person’s health status, and thus insurability, can change at any time, at any age, regardless of physical fitness or good eating habits. Thus, it is important for individuals to know they are part of an insurance plan for which they will not be penalized by higher rates or conditional coverage if their health situation changes for the worse.

Caring Community
While most insurance companies are in business primarily to make a profit, the Brethren Medical Plan is a not-for-profit plan in business primarily to provide quality health insurance for its members. Staff work hard at customer relations so members do not feel like a number or statistic.