Episcopal employee insurance rates rising as much as 14% in 2027, further straining church budgets

The useful part

[Episcopal News Service] Episcopal dioceses and congregations are getting a first look at the 2027 health insurance landscape, and it will be expensive. Trust, which manages the Denominational Health Plan that insures all full-time clergy and lay employees, has projected an overall cost increase of 12.6% for the year. "We're working very hard at a losing battle." The inflationary pressure on insurance costs is not unique to The Episcopal Church.

How it works

• In response, the Medical Trust, an affiliate of Church Pension Group, will end coverage of GLP-1s except for treatment of type 2 diabetes.
• Episcopal employees will also see higher deductibles, higher copayments and higher out-of-pocket maximums for 2027 to help minimize the premium increases.
• At the same time, some dioceses are considering options for short-term and long-term assistance for their congregations.
• "The spiraling costs of health care and resulting insurance premium increases affect every congregation in our diocese, large and small," Bishop...

Details worth keeping

Across the health insurance industry in recent years, costs have been driven higher by an aging population, increasingly expensive treatments and the growing use of high-cost specialty drugs, including GLP-1 prescriptions for weight loss.