Reccsf Retired Employees of the City and County of San Francisco

Reccsf Retired Employees of the City and County of San Francisco The Retired Employees of the City and County of San Francisco (RECCSF) monitors the ongoing status of our Benefits

UC Medical and Blue Shield have settled not long ago! It is so soon that there are no formal letters yet, but it is DONE...
07/08/2025

UC Medical and Blue Shield have settled not long ago! It is so soon that there are no formal letters yet, but it is DONE!

We will keep our medical care!

Blue Shield negotiations with UC Medical has been extended to August 9th.Supervisors Dorsey and Melgar will present the ...
07/07/2025

Blue Shield negotiations with UC Medical has been extended to August 9th.

Supervisors Dorsey and Melgar will present the resolution below to SF Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 for a voteFILE NO. RESOLUTION NO.
Supervisor Dorsey, Melgar

[Urging University of California Health and Blue Shield of California to resolve dispute
regarding reimbursement for medical services and treatment]

Resolution urging University of California Health and Blue Shield of California to
resolve dispute regarding reimbursement for medical services and treatment.
WHEREAS, University of California Health (UCSF Health) and Blue Shield of California
(Blue Shield) began renegotiating their insurance contracts on June 11, 2025; and

WHEREAS, The two parties have agreed to extend their current contract by 30 days to
August 9, 2025; and

WHEREAS, The University of California San Francisco’s hospitals and medical
institutions treat more than two and a half million outpatients a year and 41,000 inpatients,many of whom are insured by Blue Shield of California; and

WHEREAS, One Medical, which is an affiliate of UCSF Health, provides primary care
to many San Franciscans, including some insured by Blue Shield; and

WHEREAS, This dispute disproportionately jeopardizes the healthcare of elderly San
Franciscans and Californians, some 35,000 of whom receive Blue Shield insurance through the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and rely on UCSF Health for medical treatment; and

WHEREAS, Blue Shield provides medical insurance to approximately 5,000 City
employees and retirees; and

WHEREAS, Many San Francisco Health Service System (SFHSS) members chose
Blue Shield because of the relationship with UCSF Health, and that termination of its
relationship with UCSF Health in the middle of a coverage period may pose unprecedented challenges and hardships; and
WHEREAS, Many SFHSS members receive healthcare at UCSF Health and its affiliates, and their access to medical services hinges upon the continuation of UCSF Health’s contract with Blue Shield of California; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Board of Supervisors urges UCSF Health and Blue Shield to
resolve their dispute by renewing their contract, thereby continuing to preserve members’ ability to access crucial healthcare services; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Board of Supervisors urges, in the event that no
long-term resolution between Blue Shield and UCSF Health is possible, that the parties at minimum commit to preserve existing services for the remainder of the plan year, and provide certainty of future benefits for the 2026 plan year in time for Open Enrollment; and, be
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Board of Supervisors hereby directs the Clerk of the
Board to send a copy of this resolution to Interim CEO and President of Blue Shield of
President and CEO of UCSF Health Suresh Gunasekaran.California Mike Stuart, CEO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Kim A. Keck, and President and CEO of UCSF Health Suresh Gunasekaran.

Thank you to all members who reached out to the mayor and Board of Supervisors about your outrage over potentially losin...
06/27/2025

Thank you to all members who reached out to the mayor and Board of Supervisors about your outrage over potentially losing UCSF as an in-network provider under Blue Shield!

Here is the City's response:
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/san-francisco-blue-shield-ucsf-health-dispute-20396357.php

https://sfcityattorney.org/2025/06/27/city-attorney-chiu-and-supervisor-dorsey-urge-blue-shield-to-keep-ucsf-in-network/

https://sfcityattorney.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Final-Letter-to-Blue-Shield-re-UC-Health-6.26.25.pdf

Here is a letter from RECCSF to the Mayor and each member of the Board of Supervisors.June 26, 2025The Honorable Daniel ...
06/27/2025

Here is a letter from RECCSF to the Mayor and each member of the Board of Supervisors.

June 26, 2025

The Honorable Daniel Lurie
Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco
City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 200
San Francisco, CA 94102

The Honorable members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
City Hall, 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Place, Room 244
San Francisco, CA 94102

Dear Honorable Mayor Lurie and Honorable members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors:

The Retired Employees of the City and County of San Francisco is a membership organization that monitors retirement benefits for retired city employees.

Our members are distressed and outraged that Blue Shield of California will not continue to retain UCSF Medical Center as part of the in-network choice for medical treatment.

Barely six months into Blue Shield’s contract with the city, Blue Shield is fundamentally changing the services provided to members. Members were promised by several city representatives that the switch from United Health Care to Blue Shield would result in no changes to members’ care. Not being able to access UCSF Medical Center as an in-network provider fundamentally changes that contract. It is a “bait and switch.” Blue Shield bids low and then, a few months later, informs us that UC is no longer providing the services that our members need. Are contracts worth nothing here?

Currently, Blue Shield informs us that there is no change to our health care. After all, our plan is a PPO. What is a PPO? Well, we are told that we can go to any doctor, and it won’t cost more. This is disingenuous at best, and cruel.

You must read the fine print here. Doctors must agree to the Blue Shield payment plan or, we were told, the member must pay upfront for medical services and then get reimbursed. We all know that reimbursement won’t be at 100%. How many of our retirees can afford paying upfront for medical services, especially if you need heart surgery or a knee replacement?

One of the reasons that we gotand keptcity jobs is that retirees would have the benefit of group medical insurance when we reach our retiree phase of life.

Now, you might ask if there are other doctors that can treat us. Often the best treatment depends upon a relationship with one’s doctor; one who knows your history. Some members have gone to the same doctor for years and are now being asked to change doctors and locations.

Also, UCSF has well-developed medical specialties that Sutter Health California Pacific Medical Center does not. I absolutely would want to be treated by a multiple myeloma oncologist at UCSF who is a part of a myeloma department; a department that CPMC consults with. There are major differences in care between the two medical providers and among individual doctors.

Members need the choice to have the care that we deserve after working so many years for the city, and often at lower pay than in the private sector.

Also, the city uses health care coverage as a recruitment and retention tool.

We ask that Mayor Lurie and the Board of Supervisors hold Blue Shield of California accountable and provide needed medical services for members by continuing to offer the University of California Medical Center as an in-network provider.

Sincerely yours,

John “Skee” Tostanoski
President
The Retired Employees of the City and County of San Francisco

You can help as UCSF and Blue Shield continue to negotiate over whether or not UCSF will be offered as an in-network pro...
06/25/2025

You can help as UCSF and Blue Shield continue to negotiate over whether or not UCSF will be offered as an in-network provider under Blue Shield.

Please call or email Mayor Daniel Lurie and if you live in the City, call or email your supervisor about how upset you are about losing your doctors and other providers. If you live outside the City, call or email Matt Dorsey from District 6 who is the Board of Supervisors representative on the Health Service Board. Contact information is listed below.

Let these folks know if you are receiving specialized care or are having surgery soon and how that will be disrupted by losing UCSF as an in-network provider. Also, if all members must use the Sutter Health Network (California Pacific Medical Center), how are members going to be affected from providers who are already overloaded with patients? Where in the line do we fall? What is to happen to our relationships built over the years with our care providers? UCSF also provides speciality care in San Francisco that other SF providers do not offer or THEY consult with UCSF about treatment. We worked for the City because there is and was a promise of health care when were active and especially when we retired! The City promised us that with the change from United Health Care to Blue Shield that there would be no changes to our health care and yet six month later, we are faced with stressful and upsetting changes.

Mayor Daniel Lurie
415/554-6153
[email protected]

District 1
Connie Chan
415/554-7410
[email protected]

District 2
Stephen Sherrill
415/554-7752
[email protected]

District 3
Danny Sauter
415/554-7450
[email protected]

District 4
Joel Engardio
415/554-7460
[email protected]

District 5
Bilal Mahmood
415/55407630
[email protected]

District 6
Matt Dorsey
415/554-7970
[email protected]

District 7
Myrna Melgar
415/554-6516
[email protected]

District 8
Rafael Mandelman
415/554-6968
[email protected]

District 9
Jackie Fielder
415/554-5144
[email protected]

District 10
Shamann Walton
415/554-7670
[email protected]

District 11
Chyanne Chen
415/554-6975
[email protected]

Here is a letter from HSS to Supervisor Melgar about UCSF possibly becoming an out-of-network provided under Blue Shield...
06/25/2025

Here is a letter from HSS to Supervisor Melgar about UCSF possibly becoming an out-of-network provided under Blue Shield sent on June23rd.

Dear Supervisor, Melgar:

We are writing to inform you of a developing healthcare access issue that we believe has already resulted in inquiries to your office from stakeholders, including labor and union representatives. Please let me know if you have any questions.

The University of California (UC) Health System may terminate its contract with Blue Shield of California, effective July 9, 2025. This would impact approximately 4,600 employees, retirees and their dependents enrolled in Blue Shield of California health plans through the San Francisco Health Service System (SFHSS) – including UCSF (San Francisco) Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals in Oakland, seen as critical to our members and widely relied upon for their geographic proximity and clinical reputation.

While SFHSS does not intervene in negotiations between insurance carriers and healthcare providers, we are actively engaged with Blue Shield, a City-contracted health plan partner, to advocate for our members and ensure their continued access to care. Although mid-year contract negotiations between health plans and provider systems are a routine part of the healthcare landscape, and an agreement is often reached before members experience any disruption, the potential loss of these UC facilities poses a unique risk due to the scale and importance of these facilities to our employee and retiree populations.

In anticipation of that possibility, SFHSS is taking immediate and proactive steps to minimize impact and uphold our fiduciary and operational responsibilities. We have made it clear to Blue Shield that our priorities include both protecting our members’ access to high-quality and affordable care and maintaining the sustainability and affordability of our health benefit plans.
Should the contract not be renewed by July 9, we expect full ex*****on of our member support strategy by Blue Shield, including:
• communicating with all affected HMO, PPO and Medicare plan participants,
• enacting continuity of care planning for members with surgeries or procedures scheduled after July 9 (primary care physician and emergency room access will not be impacted if the contract is not renewed), and
• educating and supporting impacted members through any transition in care to nearby in-network Blue Shield providers (such as Saint Francis, Saint Mary's, or Chinese Hospital).

We continue to work closely with Blue Shield to minimize disruption and ensure timely and transparent communication with our members over the next three weeks.
Should the contract not be renewed, SFHSS expects the full cooperation of Blue Shield with swift ex*****on of our continuity of care planning, along with continued reporting and responsive coordination.

While we remain hopeful that Blue Shield and UC Health will reach a resolution that preserves continuity of care, we are preparing for all outcomes. SFHSS is committed to transparency and advocacy on behalf of public employees and retirees we serve.

Should your office receive inquiries, please know that SFHSS will continue to lead on this issue and is available to provide additional information, guidance, or direct support to your team as needed.

Rey Guillen
Executive Director
San Francisco Health Service System

1145 Market St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
[email protected]
Office 628-652-4705

Have you received a letter from Blue Shield stating that UCSF Medical Center is leaving the Blue Shield Medicare (PPO) n...
06/17/2025

Have you received a letter from Blue Shield stating that UCSF Medical Center is leaving the Blue Shield Medicare (PPO) network?

Today POB, RECCSF, and CARA are working with the City Hall and Blue Shield to understand what this means for members.

We were PROMISED that there would be no changes in our health care when the City switched from United Health Care to Blue Shield!

When I have some accurate information, I will post it here and discuss any next steps that members should take. Meanwhile you should call Blue Shield to get them to clarify what the changes mean to you and let us know how you are affected. You can direct message RECCSF if you do not what to create a public post.

Problems accessing your health care with Blue Shield? Have you received rejection notices for care you thought was cover...
05/16/2025

Problems accessing your health care with Blue Shield?

Have you received rejection notices for care you thought was covered?

Do you have questions about your coverage?

Blue Shield is starting a monthly meeting about your benefits. It's directly after the monthly RECCSF meeting on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 @ 1:00 pm.

Link is here: https://t.e2ma.net/click/13y3ng/hcc8ru0b/t1ru3q
Password: SFHSS2025

Join by phone: +1-650-479-3208. Access code is 2662 143 9373. Password is 734 772 02

This month Blue Shield will discuss chiropractic and acupuncture benefits.

Come to ask any general plan questions that you have.

RECCSF supports Gus Vallejo for the Health Services Board.He is a recent retiree that will work to safeguard our health ...
05/09/2025

RECCSF supports Gus Vallejo for the Health Services Board.

He is a recent retiree that will work to safeguard our health benefits by working to maintain the quality of our health care, advocating for improvements to the plans, and by listening and acting on members' concerns.

His 25-year career as a Principal Business Systems Analyst for the City retirement system and his varied leadership positions with IFPTE Local 21 gives him the tools to represent the interests of active and retired members.

He is endorsed by:
IFPTE Local 21
San Francisco Firefighters Local 798
Protect our Benefits (POB)
Retired Employees of the City & County of SF(RECCSF)
Retired Firefighters & Spouses of SFFD
Al Casciato - Retiree Health Care Trust Fund Commissioner
Claire Zvanski- Health Services Board Commissioner
Fred Sanchez- POB President
John 'Skee' Toastanoski - RECCSF President
Lois Scott, Past Local 21 President
Larry Barsetti, Executive Secretary of Veteran Police Officers
Association (VPOA)

RECCSF has endorsed Gus Vallejo for the vacant spot on the Health Service Board.Gus Vallejo, if elected, will be the onl...
05/08/2025

RECCSF has endorsed Gus Vallejo for the vacant spot on the Health Service Board.

Gus Vallejo, if elected, will be the only retiree representative on the Health Service Board. As a City employee, he was a business system analyst for the retirement system. He was a member and officer of IFPTE Local 21. He is an experienced labor activist who knows City politics well and will protect and support retiree interests.

When you receive your ballot please vote! Ballots from the Department of Elections were mailed on May 6th to eligible active and retired members.

Voting ends on May 30th and the Department of Elections counts the vote and announces the result on June 3rd.

SF Retirement Board approves a supplemental COLA Retirees will receive an increase of 0.50%. This raise is effective Ju...
01/16/2025

SF Retirement Board approves a supplemental COLA

Retirees will receive an increase of 0.50%.

This raise is effective July 1, 2024. Retirees will receive a retroactive payment, included with your month payment, on February 28, 2025. Your March payment will reflect the actual monthly amount.

Here's a link to the announcement: https://mysfers.org/retirement-board-approves-supplemental-cola-effective-july-1-2024/

This is a link to SFERS general COLA provisions: https://mysfers.org/retired-members/cola/

Address

3915 Irving Street
San Francisco, CA
94122

Telephone

+14156815949

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