In a time of uncertainty and challenge in the United States health care system, I am excited to share some good news with you. The difficulties in the current health insurance marketplace have led many small group plans to raise their rates, and many Affordable Care Act plans are seeing increases between 20 and 40 percent. I am therefore thoroughly delighted to announce that there will be no rate increase in 2018 for UUA Health Plan insurance premiums.

The decision by the UUA Employee Benefits Trust to continue the 2017 rates in 2018 is certain to be welcome news for all participants in the UUA Health Plan. The UUA Health Plan includes benefits that reflect Unitarian Universalist values and remains committed to offering the best insurance pricing possible.

The UUA Health Plan was implemented in 2007. Before then, our congregations struggled to provide quality health insurance to their religious professionals and other staff. Now, eleven years later, the Plan is financially strong, well-managed, and fully integrated into a support network – an “insurance community” – of thirty other religious denominations.

The health insurance marketplace is volatile in 2018. Efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act will most likely continue, and those actions ripple out to the broader health insurance marketplace. The wellbeing of the most vulnerable members of our society is being threatened. The UUA Health Plan is committed to offering stability and affordability in the midst of this volatility.

I am immensely grateful to the UUA’s Office of Church Staff finances and our Health Plan advisors for their unyielding efforts in crafting an effective and successful UUA Health Plan. They have added information below that I recommend to your attention.

In faith,

The Rev. Susan-Frederick Gray

November is Open Enrollment Month

For congregations not yet in the UUA Plan, we invite you to join the hundreds of UU organizations that trust us with their health insurance. We can do so much more when we work together.

For More Information

Look for an information packet about Open Enrollment mailed to all UU congregations and current plan members. Full details and deadlines will be posted on the Health Plan website by November 1.

The following UUA staff are always available to answer any questions you might have:

• Jim Sargent, Insurance Plans Director, jsargent@uua.org
• Patti Angelina, Insurance Plans Manager, PAngelina@uua.org
• Rachel Brennan, Insurance Plans Coordinator, RBrennan@uua.org