Home > Our World > News > News Archives by Date > June 2009 > News - June 2009
Health costs to rise for retired missionaries


In this undated photo, the Rev. Richard Schwenk works with the Aetas
tribal people living near Mt. Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines.
A UMNS photo courtesy of the Rev. Richard Schwenk.

A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*
June 30, 2009 | NEW YORK (UMNS)

When the Rev. Richard and Paz “Caring” Schwenk went to the pharmacy one day in June to pick up three eye medications, the retired missionaries had to pay nearly $100 in co-payment fees.


Paz “Caring” Schwenk and her husband retired in 2000 after serving as missionaries for 35 years.

Their concern is that those out-of-pocket costs will rise substantially after July 1 under the supplemental health care benefits plan provided by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. The board’s directors approved changes to the Collins Pension and Health Plans for retired missionaries at the end of April.

While acknowledging the realities of the current economic climate, the missionary community is in shock about the speed in which the health benefit changes were approved and the fact that those affected, around 500 people, have had very little time to assess how the changes will affect their pocketbooks.

The United Methodist Missionary Association has complained to the Board of Global Ministries about the lack of consultation with the missionary community and requested at least 90 days notice before changes are implemented.

Helen Dwyer, who currently serves as missionary-in-residence at the board, said a number of retired missionaries seemed to be just receiving information about the changes in health benefits in mid-June – only days before July 1.

The Rev. Edith Gleaves, head of the mission personnel, said the July 1 timing on reduced benefits will help “sustain the program.”

Discerning the effect

The Schwenks, who retired in 2000 and currently live in Pasadena, Calif., near two of their sons, do not know how the plan changes will affect them. They received the plan details in mid-June, the 75-year-old said.

The couple met at a Methodist high school in the Philippines, where he was serving as a short-term missionary, fresh out of college, and she was working as a teacher. After his seminary training, both were commissioned as missionaries in 1965 and sent to Malaysia, where they stayed for 14 years before returning to the Philippines.

Under the current health plan, the couple would pay $1,200 a year, in addition to doctor visits, for the medications needed to help Paz Schwenk, 78, forestall glacouma. While they normally would use generic medications, they believe that could be a risk for eye care. Other less expensive medications relate to thyroid, osteoporosis, prostate and dermatology health needs.

With the new plan, coverage for non-generic retail and mail-order prescriptions for those with 25 or more years of service is being reduced from 90 percent to 80 percent for preferred drugs and 60 percent for non-preferred.

Reductions also are being made for other medical and hospital costs, reimbursement of the monthly Medicare premium and nursing home coverage. The reductions are higher for those with 20 to 24 years of service and coverage for retirees with 15 to 19 years of service is being phased out for anyone whose service started after Jan. 1, 1997.

According to information presented in April by Stirling Benefits, which administers the health plan, eliminating coverage of retirees with 15 to 19 years of service – which takes effect in 2012 – would have saved more than $300,000 in 2008.

Other annual savings calculated by Stirling includes $265,341 for changes in coverage to retirees with 20-24 years of service and $223,060 for retirees with more than 25 years of service.

Not represented

We invite you to join the dialogue. Share your comments.

Post a comment

During a May 13 meeting of the board’s personnel services team, Helen Dwyer pointed out that while missionaries were made aware of discussions regarding changes to their pension plan and had representation on that committee, neither her office nor the missionary community “have been represented at any stage of the process” related to the health care changes.

“From this perspective, the issue is one of failure to show respect for the missionaries as integral parts of the General Board of Global Ministries and a failure to trust missionary representatives to be privy to and have a voice in the necessity for responsible change concerning issues that intimately affect missionaries,” she said in a written statement.

Setting such an immediate time line for the changes “shows little understanding” of the anxiety some older retired missionaries – many are in their 80s and 90s and a few range in age up to 107 years – could feel in dealing with the plan revisions, Dwyer said.

Her husband, the Rev. James Dwyer, who works in mission personnel at the Board of Global Ministries, pointed out that the financial constraints propelling the changes in supplemental health benefits to missionaries are not the chief concern.

“The issue at the moment is not, from my point of view, the reduction in health care benefits but the fact that senior citizens who may need advocates to interpret for them … were given 10 days notice of the changes,” he said.

As of June 26, 502 retired missionaries were receiving benefits under the plan, including 239 with 15 to 24 years of service and 259 with more than 25 years of service. Another four missionaries were early retirees, under 65 years old.

That number fluctuates slightly throughout the year, largely because of deaths. On Jan. 1, for example, 511 were enrolled, including 41 retirees aged 65 to 69, 70 aged 70 to 74, 113 aged 75 to 79 and 282 aged 80 or older.

Issue of immediacy

 
The Rev. Edith Gleaves says cutbacks were needed to sustain the retiree health benefit. A UMNS photo
by Cassandra Heller.

Gleaves said some questions about the immediacy of the changes were raised during the board meeting, “but ultimately the directors determined we could go ahead with that (July 1) date.”

She said she sent a letter advising missionaries of the coming changes at the end of May, but acknowledged that missionaries had not received the detailed plans from Stirling in a timely manner. “They (Stirling) got delayed,” she explained. “They didn’t send it as soon as they told us they would.”

Gleaves did note that the board had doubled dental benefits to $2,000 annually in 2009 and has retained nursing home coverage. “These missionaries are receiving some benefits that most retirement plans don’t include,” she said. “It (the plan) also continues to reward long-term service.”

Still, Richard Schwenk finds the potential increase in their co-payment of medications and other medical costs “kind of a shock” and hopes the board will consider reinstituting current coverage when economic conditions improve.

“We’ll feel the repercussions, I’m sure,” he said. “We sort of depended on the good care that we were promised.”

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

Related Articles

Church agencies announce layoffs

Missions board suffers loss of investment income

Global mission board looks to future direction

Board commissions missionaries, deaconesses

Resources

Board of Global Ministries

United Methodist Missionary Association

Special coverage: Economic Issues

Comments will be moderated. Please see our Comment Policy for more information.
Comment Policy

Ask Now

This will not reach a local church, district or conference office. InfoServ* staff will answer your question, or direct it to someone who can provide information and/or resources.

Phone
(optional)

*InfoServ ( about ) is a ministry of United Methodist Communications located in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. 1-800-251-8140

Not receiving a reply?
Your Spam Blocker might not recognize our email address. Add this address to your list of approved senders.

Would you like to ask any questions about this story?ASK US NOW