Minimum participation levels protect the long-term financial stability of the Concordia Health Plan for all LCMS employers. Minimum participation levels help maintain a balance of healthy and less healthy, younger and older workers by requiring that employers enroll all – or nearly all – of their workers who are eligible for health coverage (except “eligible opt-outs” – see below).

Employers wanting to participate in the Concordia Health Plan must meet the following minimum participation requirements:

• Employers must have at least 75% of its workers enrolled in the CHP (except “eligible opt-outs”).
• Employers who have adopted the Concordia Health Plan (CHP) cannot offer another health plan alongside the CHP ( no “dual choice”).

Eligible Opt-outs” are workers who are not enrolled in the Concordia Health Plan because they already have health coverage. Eligible Opt-outs include:

• A spouse’s group health plan (coverage by virtue of employment, including military service)
• A parent’s group health plan (coverage by virtue of employment, including military service)
• A former employer’s group health plan
• A current non-LCMS employer’s group health plan
• The military as a retiree
• A Medicare supplemental plan
• A government medical assistance program for low-income persons (e.g., Medicaid)
• A foreign country plan
• A group health plan of an LCMS employer located in the state of Hawaii

OR, the worker does not meet the minimum hours-worked requirement (20, 25, or 30 hours per week, as selected by his/her employer) to be eligible for the CHP