Health Incentives

Healthy Lifestyle Incentives for 2008

by Carole Otto
August 30, 2007

Clergy and their spouses (if applicable) need to have an annual wellness physical and go online to the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits web site (www.gbophb.org) and complete the health quotient before Oct. 31 in order to qualify for personal and church discounts.

Clergy discount -- Participants will receive $240 credit on their participation amount if they complete the health incentive (annual physical and Health Quotient). Spouses will receive $60 credit if they complete the health incentive.

Church discount -- Churches will receive a $300 credit per full-time appointment if their clergy (and spouse if applicable) completes the health incentive. If the Nebraska Conference reaches 50 percent participation, churches will receive $400 credit per full-time appointment and $500 credit if we reach 70 percent. We should be able to reach this goal easily with your help! We reached 45 percent participation last year.

Conference rebate -- The Conference will receive a rebate of 2-3 percent of the entire premium for actives for one month ($60,000 to $90,000) if we meet participation goals. This will be used to provide further discounts.

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Health Incentives for Retired Clergy

Once again retired participants will receive $108 credit on their participation amount if they complete the health incentive (have annual physical and do the Health Quotient). Spouses of retired participants will receive $36 on their participation amount if they complete the Health Incentive.

Don't forget -- The deadline to complete the health incentive is Oct. 31.

Remember -- If you participated in the health screening at Annual Conference, you do not need to have another physical at your family physician's office.

Note - It is especially important for spouses of both active and retired clergy to establish their own user name and password when completing the health quotient rather than completing it as a family member of your spouse (using the same user name and password). Proof of completion for spouses became a problem last year because the spouses who had used the same username/password as their clergy husband/wife did not appear on the conference list.

Questions about the healthy lifestyles incentives for 2008 can be directed to Carole Otto, benefits administrator, at 402-464-5994 or 800-435-6107, or e-mail at cotto@umcneb.org.