REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA

FOLLOWING CHRIST IN MISSION

ROBERT A. WHITE

PRESIDENT, BOARD OF BENEFITS SERVICES

Dear Colleagues in Ministry,

January 2004

Enclosed is a Board of Benefits Services (BOBS) response to verbal and written comments on RCA medical insurance from across the church in recent months. All comments and suggestions have been reviewed carefully by BOBS and RCA staff. After conferring with the board’s insurance consultant, we remain convinced that the full-participation medical plan approved by General Synod last June and now before the classes is the best option for providing adequate medical care to RCA ministers and employees.

Many thoughtful people are contributing to the RCA medical insurance debate. Among them are BOBS members with a high level of insurance expertise. The BOBS insurance committee, which crafted the full- participation policy, is chaired by a Grand Rapids, Michigan, attorney who specializes in medical insurance issues. The committee also includes an RCA member from New Jersey who owns his own insurance company, a physician with certification in occupational medicine, and another attorney from Grand Rapids. All of them are ordained elders with a devotion to the RCA and a deep commitment to our ministry. None of them has a vested interest in a denominational insurance plan. After exploring the various options objectively, all of them believe a full-participation insurance policy is the best way to provide a viable health care plan to everyone depending on us.

Their insights have been confirmed by the consultant retained by BOBS. Todd Swim of Mercer Human Resource Consulting Services evaluates and recommends improvements to medical insurance plans offered by denominations and other not-for-profit agencies. Todd’s only interest is to give us the best advice he can. He was present at General Synod last June to explain why a full-participation policy is common among denominations and essential to a sustainable, covenantal RCA medical insurance plan.

The medical insurance crisis in the U.S. is complex and highly debatable. Last summer General Synod listened to its benefits services board, debated the issue in depth, and voted overwhelmingly to recommend the full-participation insurance policy to the classes. As a minister, I’m grateful for the expert elders on BOBS who framed this policy for the good of the whole church, and I trust their judgment. I urge the classes to do so, too.

Yours in Christ,

/s/ Robert A. White, on behalf of all board members:

Mary Bauman Gordon Dobson Craig Neckers

Thomas Bos Carolyn Jones-Assini Okke Postma

John Chang Gene Ligtenberg Merle Prins

Harry DeBruyn Donald Nash David Schutt

Jeff Tolsma Steven Vander Molen

Web posted: January 31, 2004

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