Janiva Toler
Executive Director
Answers Your Questions on Healthcare

Question: What insurance companies cover Christian Science care?

Answer: I read a recent blog at christianscience.com that I recommend. It offers some good answers to the question, “Where is Christian Science care currently covered in public and private insurance?” The broad categories listed include:

• Medicare at 17 Christian Science facilities (And Medicaid is offered at a few of these facilities as well)
• If you work for the federal government as a civilian employee you have the option of choosing from four Federal Employee Health Benefit (FEHB) plans
• If you are a member of the armed forces or a dependent of a member of the armed forces, you may qualify for the TRICARE insurance program
• If you are a state employee in 9 states then Christian Science nursing/practitioner care may be available to you under your state employee insurance plan
• Individuals who have health savings accounts (HSA’s) and contribute money to them, may use those pre-tax dollars to pay for Christian Science nursing/practitioner care.
• Several private insurance plans and self-insured companies.

For specific contact information on many of these categories, see our Medicare and Insurance Information on the Chestnut Hill Benevolent Association website. We also provide more detail on private insurance plans that are currently available such as:

• Group health – a number of employers cover Christian Science care in company plans. Talk to your human resources department about coverage for Christian Science nursing/practitioner care if it is not currently covered. Also check member organizations such as Chamber of Commerce for Christian Science care coverage.
• Indemnity plans such as AARP Health and SCS pay a fixed rate for in-patient services and in the case of SCS – other services
• Medigap/Medicare Supplement – Medigap policies work in conjunction with Medicare benefits. They generally pay for Christian Science nursing charges that Medicare doesn’t cover (such as deductibles) and when Medicare benefits are exhausted but the patient continues to qualify for Medicare. Most Medigap policies may be used at the BA and at other Christian Science nursing facilities that are Medicare providers.
• HMO (Health Maintenance Organizations) – HMOs do not usually provide Christian Science benefits. Tufts Health Plan in Massachusetts and Rhode Island now offers a Christian Science rider for employer policies covering 50+ employees.

We’re always happy to answer your specific questions about Medicare and insurance with Christian Science care coverage. Email or call us at any time.

Longyear’s four-day bus tour includes many of the historic New England sites where Mrs. Eddy lived, discovered Christian Science and founded her church.

The itinerary will include visits to all eight of Mrs. Eddy’s former homes now owned by Longyear.

Additional stops include:

• The Mother Church in Boston
• Red Rock at Lynn, Massachusetts
• Other Boston-area landmarks

In New Hampshire, sites include:

• Mrs. Eddy’s birthplace at Bow
• The town of Tilton
• The site where her Pleasant View home once stood

There will also be special presentations by Longyear Museum staff.

All participants will stay at the BA on the second and third nights as part of the Fall tour – a perfect accompaniment to make your trip even more wonderful.

Many participants find it convenient to stay at the BA the night before the Fall Tour begins and the night it ends. If you would like to do so,  click here to learn more about our accommodations and rates and to reserve your arrangements today.

Janiva Toler
Executive Director
Answers Your Questions on Healthcare

Question: Under health care reform, will a Christian Scientist be required to buy health insurance if not already covered? There are a lot of rumors about a religious exemption.

Answer: It is understandable that Christian Scientists would be interested in the religious exemption offered in the health care reform legislation. In 2014 the health care reform law requires that everyone must purchase health insurance (although there are some exceptions for low-income people) or face an annual fine. Faced with the option of either purchasing health insurance that doesn’t cover Christian Science nursing or practitioners or paying a penalty, the religious exemption has drawn a great deal of interest.

In the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama is a general provision titled “religious conscience exemption”. This provision may exempt individuals from health insurance requirements if they are members of religions that have established conscientious objections to certain forms of insurance.

RELIGIOUS CONSCIENCE EXEMPTION.—Such term shall not include any individual for any month if such individual has in effect an exemption under section 1311(d)(4)(H) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which certifies that such individual is a member of a recognized religious sect or division thereof described in section 1402(g)(1) and an adherent of established tenets or teachings of such sect or division as described in such section.

This provision does not specifically exempt members from any one religion from health insurance requirements. The determination of which religion’s members might qualify for this exemption has yet to be determined. Since the requirements for purchasing insurance or paying a penalty do not kick in until 2014, it is reasonable to assume that the regulations regarding this exemption will not be spelled out for some time.

For more detailed information on the internet rumors regarding the religious conscience exemption check out snopes.com. On the AARP website they stated that a spokeswoman from the Treasury Department that will be handling the exemption requests confirmed that no religious groups have received or been promised exemptions at this time.

I learned skills that were not just procedures of care but ideas of care that require deep compassion, sound judgment, and a clear reflection of Godlikeness in order to minister to the needs of the patient. I learned principles and ethics essential to ensuring a practice consistent with the By-law and with the theology of Christian Science.

Now I am working on the floor every day with experienced mentors who help me implement what I have learned. The practical application of nursing is an inextricable part of the healing practice, and that isn’t something to be taken lightly. It is very important and it demands a lot. I have grown as a student of Christian Science and in my practice of nursing.

It’s invaluable to me to have the opportunity to support healing while providing compassionate skilled care. This healing ministry is demanding. But isn’t that the whole point? This is something we need. We need to be demanding of ourselves in our practice of Christian Science.

-Emily Reynolds

Is it any wonder that our beloved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy established the BA as a place for prayer, study and communion? Today you will find a haven and an atmosphere of joyful communion with God, as have spiritual seekers for nearly the past century! A search through the letters of those who came to the BA highlights more than just thanks and gratitude for a “spiritual B&B”, but in letter after letter individuals went home healed of bodily ailments. Often they wouldn’t even notice the change until they arrived home and found that some physical limitation, for which they weren’t even doing specific prayerful treatment, was healed.

As one Rest & Study guest put it: “When you step in the door, all worldliness slips away.” She truly found that coming to Chestnut Hill Benevolent Association afforded her refreshment and renewal far beyond what the usual vacation would give her. Her quiet communion with God gave her rest and refreshment that she joyously took back to her work, her church and her family.

Speaking of Rest & Study: if you’re planning on attending Annual Meeting at The Mother Church next month, have you considered extending your visit by staying at the BA after Annual Meeting? Our tranquil setting is a short walk to Longyear Museum, and an easy subway or car drive into the city. We’d love to have you join us. Click here to watch an Annual Meeting 2010 video invitation from The Christian Science Board of Directors. Also, if you’re planning to be in the Boston area on Saturday, June 5 or Sunday, June 6, Longyear Museum is offering tours of the Mary Baker Eddy historic houses.

Newsong Group, a UK-based musical performing group whose member Andrew Brewis composed hymns 436 and 447 in the Christian Science Hymnal Supplement, will perform at the BA on Monday evening, June 7 at 7:30 in the Chapel

The town of Brookline where Chestnut Hill Benevolent Association is located was affected by the boil water order. I was 1,500 miles away, and decisions were necessary on the ground at the BA. It’s sometimes said that one sign of solid operational management is how well the operation functions when top management is absent. Especially in an emergency. How clear are the communications? How adaptive is the organization when it comes to improvizing?

An annual Christian Science students’ association meeting was being held at the BA that day, and many of its attendees had stayed overnight in our Rest & Study guest rooms and suites. Additionally, Christian Science nursing patients and BA residents were affected by the water situation.

Upon hearing the news, communication went out immediately to Christian Science nursing supervisors in the nursing building, and all managers and employees onsite in the residential/administration building. Within minutes, every resident, guest and patient knew what had happened and where we stood. Since we staff a reception area at the main entrance to the largest building, this “front desk” became command central, a hub for all communications. Water was turned off to ice machines and ice was discarded. Large pots were pressed into service boiling water for drinking, food preparation, and food cleanup. Five gallon water bottles with dispensers, part of a much larger emergency inventory we keep on hand at all times, were strategically placed throughout the buildings for drinking water. Clean ice was obtained from Brookline Ice which had an ample supply on hand.

On Monday, the Board of Health visited to determine our emergency response, and left confident that we were in compliance with safe alternatives. On Tuesday morning, final repairs were made to the broken pipe in Weston and the water ban was lifted. Shortly afterwards, our facilities personnel began flushing water heating reservoirs and pipes in order to drain unsafe water and bring clean water back into the buildings.

The BA is just one of many hundreds of organizations and institutions in the greater Boston area, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of households affected by this water emergency. Within that broader context, it’s gratifying to know that our managers, employees, contractors, residents and guests worked so harmoniously together during those three days.

The BA offers retirees an extraordinary residence opportunity. Residents live in the “Original Building” alongside resident workers as well as Rest & Study and Interim Housing guests. A monthy rental fee covers private living quarters, meals, housekeeping, planned activities and events, and transportation to services at The Mother Church and other local events. Meals are prepared on site by award-winning chefs and staff from Sodexo Corporation. Our residents comprise a loving, supportive community. The BA’s 24.2 landscaped acres provide a tranquil yet active setting. And the larger Boston area community has many features and attractions, among them Longyear Museum which is practically across the street, as well as The Mary Baker Eddy Library and The Mother Church located within a short drive.

For the next few weeks, the BA is offering two incentives for individuals considering joining our Independent Living community: a free stay for 3 days to explore living here, and a generous 15% discount on room rates. If you’re interested, you must book your free stay before the end of May, and move in before the end of June, 2010.

Call Tom & Marion Harvey at 617-734-5600, or email independent@chbenevolent.org for details and to schedule your visit.

Kathy learned to play folk guitar at an early age and studied classical guitar. She majored in vocal performance and musical theatre, and for years has expressed her love of music and church through soloing.

Char studied classical piano and voice and took up folk guitar. They both have roots in folk music, and the sacred songs and hymns they sing are adapted and arranged with upbeat, contemporary folk stylings. Kathy sings melody and plays guitar; Char adds harmony and accompanies with guitar or piano.

Shortly after re-uniting at the BA in 2004, they received invitations to perform, and since 2006 have scheduled a modest number of performances here at the BA including several Christian Science Nursing Arts Graduation ceremonies, at Longyear Museum, branch churches, and The Mother Church Reading Room. Meanwhile, co-workers, nurse trainees, patients and their families wanted to hear their healing music in other settings, and requests for a CD began pouring in. In 2008 Kathy and Char recorded Inhabiting Eternity. They have received many letters and cards expressing gratitude for the recording.

These two Christian Science nurses continue to devote their love of music to their patients and their nursing activities. Although they occasionally respond to live performance requests, their hearts – and their music – belong to Christian Science nursing.

Janiva Toler
Executive Director
Answers Your Questions on Healthcare

Question: Which insurance companies provide Medigap policies? Is there a list I can access online or download?

Answer: As a general rule, all Medigap policies, unless specifically or implicitly excluding the possibility of care at a Christian Science nursing facility, will cover this type of care. Therefore, the list of prospective insurance companies is long. At the BA we see a number of policies from AARP. I only mention this one because we see it more than others and the claims are paid. Please note that this mention is not a recommendation.

Here is a link to information on the Medicare.gov site that will aid in understanding and selecting a Medigap policy. Among the topics listed along the left side of the page, two are particularly relevant. The first is “Find and Compare Medigap Policies” and the other is “Learn More About Health Plans and Medigap Policies in Your Area”. Clicking on these two topics will open search windows that accept input such as your zipcode, and provide detailed information and results.

If you have any questions you’d like me to answer on healthcare, leave a comment below. If you prefer a private response, email me at: inquiry@chbenevolent.org