By Nadeena Kersey, GuideStone Chief Insurance Officer
When evaluating how to choose a health plan, some questions automatically come to mind about costs, deductibles, networks and prescription medication coverage. After all, these factors directly affect your wallet and access to the medical care you need. However, have you ever considered that just as important are the Christian ethics in this decision and their impact on the Kingdom, your personal faith and even your family? It’s imperative to evaluate three key ethical considerations when choosing a health plan provider:
- Is the health plan aligned with faith and family?
- Does the health plan enable me to be a good steward of my health?
- Will I have access to Christian mental health providers?
Is the health plan aligned with faith and family?
Your biblical values guide your ministry, your home and your relationships — they should lead your health plan decisions as well. This requires looking at how your plan options operate as a whole. Even when you don’t personally use a medical product or service that goes against your convictions, you may be paying into coverage for others that is in direct conflict with your faith in some secular health insurance plans.
To find a compatible Christian medical health plan that will not compromise your deeply held beliefs, look for a provider with shared values about God’s design for life.
For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13 (CSB)
Every human life is sacred because it is God’s creation. To guard the sanctity of life, we believe it is crucial to search for a plan that does not support any treatment that is harmful to any life.
“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that he who created them in the beginning made them male and female.” Matthew 19:4 (CSB)
It’s also important to find a health plan that honors God’s design for men and women.
As a faith-based organization and an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, GuideStone® offers a health and welfare benefit plan that aligns with biblical values. GuideStone® does not compromise those biblical values in its health coverage offerings and excludes coverage for abortifacients, abortion procedures and gender dysphoria treatments, including sex change surgery or related sex hormones.
Does the health plan enable me to be a good steward of my health?
Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (CSB)
An ideal medical plan equips you to take care of your health by providing access to the care you need for your situation and life stage, including medical tests, treatments, prescription medications and more. GuideStone believes that when the Body of Christ is healthy, it’s free to transform the world. To find a plan that best supports your health as you advance the Kingdom, ask yourself the following:
- Will I have access to local, trustworthy health care providers?
- Does the scope of coverage fit my family’s medical needs?
- Are both in- and out-patient services covered?
- Are prescription medications covered?
- Am I covered if I travel?
- Are routine care, preventive care and wellness checks covered and encouraged?
- Do the monthly payments fit my budget?
Being a good steward of your health means taking care of your body with proper nutrition, weight and stress management, consistent prevention and more. Look for a health plan provider that equips you with helpful tools and resources to keep you on track and empower you to lead a physically resilient and full life.
To help ministry workers lead their healthiest lives, GuideStone offers personal health coordinators, health coaching, a maternity program, a type 2 diabetes reversal program and more tools and resources at no additional cost.
Will I have access to Christian mental health providers?
Mental health issues such as depression and burnout are real concerns for those in the ministry, including pastors, their spouses and their children. Who you seek support from is critical. The philosophy that informs Christian mental health providers can differ greatly from secular providers. Christian providers can offer treatment anchored in biblical principles and take spiritual elements into account when providing guidance.
When selecting a health plan, find out if the plan’s network includes access to Christian mental health professionals, whether in your geographic area or remotely. There may be times when a Christian counselor of your choice doesn’t accept insurance. In this case, you may still have the option to see that counselor and use funds from a Health Savings Account (HSA) to help pay for the visits. Ask your health plan provider if its medical plan options include a money-saving HSA account, which allows you to set aside funds before taxes to pay for qualified medical expenses.
Empower Your Health, Uphold Your Ethics
The right medical plan can help pave the way for a sound mind and healthy body — all with a clear conscience. As you evaluate ethical considerations in how to choose a health plan, GuideStone is here to serve you with quality health plans that don’t compromise biblical values.
If you have questions or need additional assistance, you may reach our customer solutions specialists by contacting us at Insurance@GuideStone.org or 1-844-INS-GUIDE (1-844-467-4843), Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT. Visit us at GuideStone.org/Insurance .
Nadeena Kersey provides executive leadership and oversight to the Insurance line of business at GuideStone, including product development, sales and marketing, services and operations of life and health plans, property and casualty coverage and ancillary products. Prior to joining GuideStone in 2022, Mrs. Kersey was the chief financial officer of a university in Georgia and served as vice president in various roles for a large health-sharing organization for 15 years. Mrs. Kersey holds an MBA from Campbell University and a bachelor’s in applied mathematics from Georgia Tech. She has served the Lord as an active member of her church with 20+ years in youth and children’s ministry and more than 10 years teaching adult small groups and speaking at women’s events.