Health Care Reform

Welcome to the Oregon-Idaho Conference Health Care Reform Webpage!

EXCHANGE NOTICE REQUIREMENT
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires all employers to distribute a notice about the new Health Insurance Marketplaces (often called “Exchanges”) to all full-time and part-time employees – whether or not they are covered in the employer’s health plan. This notice must be provided by October 1.
 
Under the ACA, the “employer” is the salary-paying unit – typically the church or ministry where one works on a day-to-day basis. This applies even though the annual conference administers health benefits for clergy.
 
On August 29, we mailed a letter about this requirement to each pastor and to the chairperson of each Pastor/Staff Parish Relations Committee. In the letter we reference the following resources:

1. A summary of the Notice Requirement to help you understand it (Health Care Reform for UMC Local Churches: Required Notice to All Employees).

2. A copy of the template forms from the U.S. Department of Labor —Choose the form that best suits your situation as an employer: [Since all of our churches provide health insurance to clergy appointed three-quarter time or more (whether they have such a pastor or not), we believe form a. below is the best to use.]
     a. The Form for an employer that provides health insurance coverage to some employees, [We have provided a Completed Sample Form for you.] or
     b. The Form for an employer that does not provide any health coverage to employees.

3. A guidelines summary to help you complete the template form (ACA Notice Requirement Helpful Hints for Local Churches). 

4. An optional letter that your church can send to its clergy and lay employees with the Notice (Sample Exchange Notice Cover Letter). 

 

Additional Web Resources
 
Boldly Making Disciples of Jesus Christ - Vitalizing the Church - Transforming the World