Increased Navajoland Grant
Resolution text
Resolved, that Executive Council increases the grant to the Navajoland Area Mission by $150,000, in line 385 of the 2023-2024 DFMS Budget to cover healthcare expenses for 2024; and be it further
Resolved, that the Treasurer is authorized to determine from where the funds will be drawn.
Explanation
The Navajo employees in the Diocese of Navajoland (both clergy and lay) are not covered by the Denominational Health Plan. Navajo employees are expected to use Indian Health Services, which offers a much lower standard of care. Navajoland simply cannot afford the Denominational Health Plan(DHP) coverage, as it would cost $150k per year. Church Pension Group confirms that $150k would be adequate to cover their employees and dependents under the way the DHP is currently priced.
Dave Bailey (former bishop) says that the lack of DHP coverage dates back decades, to a time when Navajoland was part of “Coalition 14” with Arizona and Utah, and their grant was paid by the Coalition. The Coalition decided not to cover health insurance (before the establishment of the DHP), and that arrangement was simply carried forward when TEC took over the granting process. But back then, Indian Health Services offered much better care, and it’s gotten worse and worse.
The other three aided dioceses (Alaska and the Dakotas) do offer DHP coverage to their employees, as they were never part of Coalition 14, and their TEC grants are sufficient to pay the coverage.
The $150,000 would cover 10 employees (5 clergy, 5 lay) plus 1 spouse and four children on a PPO 70 plan. Indian Health Services acts as secondary payer and will pick up some of the employees’ coinsurance. This matter is exigent because the employees need to be enrolled by the end of December to get 2024 coverage.