If you are a City of San Diego retiree, you are likely used to SDCERS managing your City retiree health benefits – this includes administering City Retiree Health Open Enrollment every year and processing health-related reimbursements. Although SDCERS has assumed the role of the City’s retiree health administrator for many years, this is not actually part of SDCERS’ mandate as the City’s pension plan administrator. After much collaboration and discussion, SDCERS and the City determined that it was in the best interest of the retirees to transition City retiree health to an outside vendor that specializes in benefits administration. This change is an enhancement to the City’s retiree health program and our goal is to provide retirees with the highest level of service available in the industry.
Therefore, in 2023, the City issued a Request for Proposals for the administration of retiree health benefits processing. We are pleased to announce that the City has selected Benefit Outsourcing Solutions as our new benefits administration partner, which will be operating under the name “City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center” (“City Retiree Health Services”). SDCERS is committed to making this transition as smooth as possible and to providing you with timely information and updates.
Important Dates and Transition Details
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November 1 – 30, 2024: City Retiree Health Services will begin accepting enrollment and disenrollment forms during the Annual Open Enrollment period. You will receive the calendar year 2025 Annual City Retiree Health Open Enrollment Booklet via U.S. mail in late October and an electronic version will be available online by October 31st. City Retiree Health Services will also provide information about how to enroll or disenroll online, although you may still submit paper forms if you would like. Please contact City Retiree Health Services in November if you need assistance enrolling or disenrolling in a plan. As always, if you are not making any changes to your health plan, then you do not need to take any action at this time.
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January 1, 2025: City Retiree Health Services will begin administering retire health plan reimbursements, including reimbursements for privately secured healthcare plans and Medicare premiums. Starting in January 2025, contact City Retiree Health Services directly for any questions on these topics.
Please continue to contact SDCERS for questions regarding retiree health plan reimbursements through December 31, 2024.
What Will Stay the Same
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All sponsored healthcare, dental, and vision providers and plans will remain unchanged for the calendar year 2025, although the premiums may be different. Look for the Annual Open Enrollment Booklet, which will be mailed in mid-October 2024.
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If you choose not to make any changes during Open Enrollment, your current plans will remain in effect through 2025. No action is required on your end.
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Payment for sponsored dental and vision plan premiums, as well as sponsored healthcare plan dependent coverage, will continue to be deducted from your monthly SDCERS pension payment.
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Reimbursements for privately secured healthcare premiums and Medicare premiums will continue to be paid through your monthly SDCERS pension payment.
- Continue to update your contact information via your SDCERS Member Portal – any changes made through the Member Portal will be reflected in City Retiree Health Services’ files as well.
- If you have an Option C trust account, continue to submit reimbursement requests through your Option C trust administrator.
What Will Change
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Starting January 1, 2025, all new reimbursement requests and sponsored healthcare, dental, and vision plan enrollments and disenrollments will be processed through City Retiree Health Services.
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Also beginning in January 2025, eligible retirees may begin applying for Medicare Part A reimbursements, retroactive to January 1, 2024.
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If you are currently paying $174.70 per month for your Medicare Part B premium, additional verification is no longer required. However, if your current monthly Part B premium is different (e.g., due to IRMAA or low-income subsidy), then you must send verification documentation to City Retiree Health Services.
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Beginning November 1, 2024, you can visit City Retiree Health Services’ website to review your retiree healthcare benefit information. You will not be able to register your account until you have received a letter from City Retiree Health Services with additional registration information and instructions.
In the coming weeks, you will receive a letter from City Retiree Health Services outlining these changes and providing contact information. Please be sure to open any letters you receive from City Retiree Health Services, as they will contain important information about your retiree healthcare benefits and plans.
We understand that transitions such as this can be stressful and you may have questions or concerns. We want to reassure you that SDCERS is working closely with City Retiree Health Services to ensure a smooth transition of your retiree health benefits administration. To stay up to date about this transition, visit the City Retiree Health page – this page will be updated periodically as we receive updates from City Retiree Health Services.
If you wish to speak to an SDCERS representative over the phone, please be advised that SDCERS anticipates callers will experience increased hold times between October and December. Therefore, we encourage you to utilize the Contact Us page on our website or send inquiries directly to health@sdcers.org rather than calling the main line. Electronic inquiries will generally be answered within three business days. Thank you in advance for your patience!