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The Synod of the Pacific offers comprehensive Medical, Dental and Vision insurance coverage, along with voluntary benefits such as a 125 Flexible Spending Account and Life/AD&D plans, to all lay employees who work twenty hours or more per week. There are no physical examinations and no exclusions for pre-existing conditions.

The Synod of the Pacific's Benefits Service, like all its other services, was established to provide for a need that churches and affiliated organizations individually may not have been able to afford.  By gathering together all the churches and affiliate organizations within the bounds of this Synod, a group has been formed which may barter for better coverage as well as a more cost effective price.
 
The benefit which most are not aware of is that the net revenue from this Benefits Service, along with the Investment and Loan Services, is given to the Synod Mission Partnership (eleven Presbyteries) for mission and ministry programs.

A Little About Our Benefit Plan Options

Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBCs)

The medical SBC's can be found above in the dropdown menu tab "Benefits" (scroll to "Medical Plan Options and Summaries" and "Dental and Vision Plan Options and Summaries").

Sutter Health Plus

Sutter Health Plus offers a variety of programs and resources to help members maintain a healthy 

lifestyle and improve health conditions.

Wellness Coaching Program

Sutter Health Plus offers a Wellness Coaching Program at no additional out-of-pocket cost to 

members. This telephone-based program combines personal life coaching with personal accountability 

as a way of engaging our members and achieving wellness goals.

The program currently offers help with healthy weight, tobacco cessation and stress management. 

Members and coaches work together to address needs, concerns and preferences. Members can call

1-866-961-8513 for more information.

Disease Management Program

Sutter Health Plus offers its members access to Sutter Health’s telephone-based Disease Management 

Program if they have asthma, heart failure, diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. 

Members can be referred by their doctor or enroll themselves in one or more of these programs, 

which are available

at no additional out-of-pocket costs. Once enrolled in the program, Sutter Health works with the 

member’s provider to improve health in these areas. Members can call 1-855-421-6831 to enroll in 

the Sutter Health Disease Management Program.

Personal Health Assessment

The Personal Health Assessment is an interactive tool that analyzes health information provided by 

the member. This includes health history, lifestyle behaviors and biometric test results, such as 

blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Each member that completes the assessment receives a 

personalized health risk report and suggestions on how to improve overall health. The assessment 

may be found on the member portal at shplus.org/memberportal.

Health Maintenance Guidelines

The health maintenance guidelines brochure, “Partnering for Your Best Health - Checks Ups, 

Screenings, Immunizations,” helps members understand the recommendations for all stages of life to 

keep them healthy. The guidelines include recommended topics for member discussion

with a health care provider such as tobacco use, alcohol misuse and prevention of sexually

transmitted infections. The guidelines are available at

sutterhealthplus.org/wellness.

Kaiser Permanente

10 things you may not know about Kaiser Permanente:

1. Care and coverage together means health care designed for your life.

At Kaiser Permanente we have one simple mission—keeping you healthy. And because we’re both a care 

provider and a health plan, you get everything you need in one convenient package.

2. Our doctors are your personal health advocates.

We hire physicians from some of the top medical schools. Doctors come here because they can 

practice what they love and be part of an integrated team of clinicians using leading technology. 

And you can choose or change your personal doctor at any time, for any reason, at 

kp.org/searchdoctors.

3. Members have access to us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can manage your health care anytime online, by email, and by phone. In some areas, you can save

a trip and have an appointment by video or phone. And with our mobile app, you can manage your care 

on the go. Learn more at kp.org/mobile.*

4. Our quality is top notch.

Kaiser Permanente has been recognized by outside agencies for our high-quality care and member 

satisfaction. In some cases, we were rated best in the nation. Read more at 

share.kp.org/category/awards.

5.We speak baby.

For the roughly 93,000 babies born each year at  Kaiser Permanente hospitals, we provide proud 

parents with everything they need. From ultrasounds to classes to delivery nurses, we’re here to 

help families experience a

lifetime of good health. Learn more at kp.org/pregnancy.

6. Your heart matters to us.

Because of our high-quality cardiac care, we’ve reduced serious heart attacks among our members by 

62%. Learn more at kp.org/cardiaccare.

7. We have tools to help you thrive.

Members can get Wellness Coaching by Phone or take online healthy lifestyle programs at no cost. 

Visit kp.org/wellnesscoach  and kp.org/healthylifestyles.

8. We lead the way in prevention.

We have the highest rating for breast and colon cancer preventive screenings, and we’re in the top 

10% for cervical cancer screenings.† Also, 89% of our members diagnosed with high blood pressure 

now have it under control, compared with 63% nationally.‡ Learn more about the screenings we offer 

at kp.org/prevention.

9. We’re nerds, but in a good way.

We’re one of the nation’s largest nonacademic research organizations, thanks to you. Our national 

research center and 7 regional research centers have thousands of studies going on at any given 

time. These studies are focused on the causes of disease, prevention strategies, and new 

treatments. Learn more about

our research at share.kp.org/category/research.

10. The care you need is all in one place.

How many other health plans let you see your doctor, get an X-ray, have a blood test, and fill a 

prescription all under one roof in one visit? Kaiser Permanente offers these services at most of 

our locations.

Anthem Blue Cross (Our Dental/Life/AD&D provider)

Ask a Dental Hygienist

When people need to research a health or dental condition, they most often begin their research 

online instead of calling their doctor or dentist. We launched a new service for our Dental Prime 

and Dental Complete members, called Ask a Hygienist. It helps members get answers to their dental 

questions quickly and privately.

How does Ask a Hygienist work?

Dental members just email their questions to our team of licensed dental professionals. In return, 

they’ll get personalized advice on a variety of dental health topics. It’s easy for members to send 

in their questions. They just log into anthem.com/ca.

From there, it’s simple. Just follow the steps below and members can expect a direct email response 

in about 24 hours. And there’s no extra cost for the service.

STEP 1

Go to anthem.com/ca,

Sign in using your username and password

STEP 2

Click on the Benefits tab and then view dental

STEP 3

Click on Ask a Dental Hygienist

STEP 4

Key your name, email, question and click submit.

Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Association. ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross name and symbol are registered marks of the Blue Cross Association.

Vision (VSP)

For general information on VSP, please visit their webpage: https://www.vsp.com/  and for our plan-specific information, click on the "Benefits" tab above and scroll to "Dental and Vision Plan Options and Summaries"

Flexible Spending Account ( FSA)

For general information on Vantage Flex/FSA Plans, please visit their webpage:https://vantageflex.com/ and for our plan-specific information, click on the "Benefits" tab above and scroll to "Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Options"

Aflac

Aflac provides supplemental insurance that includes life insurance, short-term disability, injury/critical illness/hospital care, cancer programs, childbirth insurance programs, and more. Please use this link to learn more: Aflac 2022 Summary.docx, and contact your church/presbytery administrator directly to find out if your church/presbytery participates in an Aflac plan.

Health Care Reform Updates

Click here for a link to our insurance broker's website with Health Care Reform updates.

The Affordable Care Act now requires that group health plans make the Uniform Glossary of Coverage and Medical Terms available to employees.  Please click on link in prior sentence to access, or call the Benefits Coordinator at Synod of the Pacific to request a mailed copy.