How the Plan Works
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Employee Benefits Trust, through its Board of Trustees and Health Plan staff, operates a self-funded health plan. The Plan Trustees determine the benefits, set the rates, determine eligibility, oversee all operations, and choose the companies that will provide administrative services, such as claims payment and billing & collection.By owning and controlling our own plan, we are able to tailor our benefits to fit our own vision of affordable healthcare, and we are able to respond to member requests to consider changes to the plan. That flexibility has enabled us to make some important improvements in the benefits and the eligibility rules for 2008.
We have chosen to contract with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Pittsburgh, PA, for administrative services. Through Highmark, our members have access to the services of over 720,000 doctors, hospitals, and other providers nationwide, and members around the country have access to a uniform benefit plan.
Operating a UUA-owned, self-funded plan with deep discounts on a not-for-profit basis has significantly reduced total outlays for payment of claims and administration. There is no compensation of high-level marketing people, no expensive occupancy costs or advertising campaigns to inflate our expenses. One result of this is a 2008 rate increase of only 4%, which compares very favorably with national trends.
The finances of the Health Plan are kept separate from the UUA's financial structure. All plan resources are dedicated to the benefit of plan members.
Congregations and other UU organizations identify their eligible staff, who complete the UUA Health Plan Enrollment Application. The only cost to congregations is for their share of the premiums. There is no cost for submitting an enrollment application. We use the online application to enroll people in the UUA plan, generate ID cards, and issue invoices.
Providers submit their claims to their local BCBS plan. Highmark approves and pays the claims, with members responsible only for deductibles and coinsurance amounts, some out-of-network charges, and services not covered by the plan.
Highmark maintains a state-of-the-art website where enrollees can find a provider their area, check on claims status, handle many routine transactions, and access a broad range of health information and wellness tools.
For more information contact healthinsurance @ uua.org.
Last updated on Friday, April 18, 2008.
