Source: Site Page (Congregational Life/medical-and-dental-insurance.html). Administered through the Episcopal Church Medical Trust (Church Pension Group).

Parity

• Churches must provide PARITY between eligible clergy and lay employees.
• Any plan offered to clergy must also be offered to all lay employees working at least 1,500 hours annually.

Opting out of Medical Trust coverage

• Covered under a spouse's medical plan.
• Covered under other plans, e.g. TRICARE or a previous employer's plan (COBRA).

Rates and plan documents

• 2026 insurance rates are linked from the page.
• Summaries of Benefits and Coverage and Plan Document Handbooks: www.cpg.org/mtdocs.

65+ members working

• Those who may qualify for Medicare Secondary Payer plans should read the linked benefits document.
• Contact Elizabeth Jones (ejones@nwtdiocese.org) for questions and next steps.
• Engage the Diocese and CPG before meeting with Medicare.

Employee Assistance Program (Cigna Behavioral Health)

• Employees enrolled in Medical Trust health coverage are automatically enrolled in Cigna EAP.
• A stand-alone EAP may be offered to employees who opt out of medical coverage.
• The employer must pay for EAP-only coverage; requiring employee contributions would violate the ACA and risk significant penalties.
• Eligibility is limited to qualified non-members (e.g. on a spousal plan). Enrollment must be done by the group administrator with MLPS access, not during Annual Enrollment.
• Brochures linked: EAP benefits, Pastoral Support Network, Access Providers.

Disclaimers

• Informational only; official plan documents govern in any conflict.
• CPG may amend or terminate plans at any time.
• Plans are church plans under ERISA 3(33) and IRC 414(e); self-funded plans are funded by the Episcopal Church Clergy and Employees' Benefit Trust (a 501(c)(9) VEBA). The Medical Trust serves only eligible Episcopal employers.

Related: page-3183412, page-3187038, diocese-northwest-texas