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THIS MONTH’S HOT TOPICS

Approval of New Health Plan Rates for 2020

On July 16, 2019, the Board of Supervisors in their regular Board meeting passed agenda items 21 & 23 without any discussion on a 5-0 vote.  These agenda items were the approval of the Health Plan Rates for retirees for 2020. 

Click here for the retiree PPO rates

Click here for the retiree HMO rates

2020 Open Enrollment Message from the County of Orange

The Open Enrollment for the 2020 health plan year will be from October 25 through November 15, 2019. Your Open Enrollment package should arrive at your home mailing address just before Open Enrollment and will contain your 2020 health plans rates and options. If you have moved, please report your new address to the Benefits Center at 1-800-858-7266.

The Open Enrollment meeting on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at Mile Square Park will be hosted by REAOC and attended by Employee Benefits and representatives from the Retiree Health Plans for Non-Medicare and Medicare Retirees

Based on attendance this will be the only live Open Enrollment presentation for Non-Medicare retirees and we will be introducing recorded webinars

The schedule for remaining Medicare retiree live presentations will be in your OE package.

Some important things to be aware of while you await your OE package:

Changes to the Sharewell Retiree Health Plan

Beginning January 1, 2020, OptumRx will be the prescription claims administrator for the Sharewell Retiree Health Plan. Effective 1/1/20, this change will result in utilization management programs being added and a change in the list of covered medications (formulary). These changes are designed to provide members with clinically appropriate medication(s) while saving you and the plan money.

2020 Premium Rates for County Retiree Health Plans

Some plans will be experiencing significant increases for 2020. The retiree health plan increases will be addressed by the County in the upcoming Retiree Newsletter that will be delivered to your home address mid-October.

For more information about these changes you can attend an Open Enrollment Presentation. Additional communications with important details about these changes will be mailed later this year. Be sure to open and carefully read all the information mailed to you by Employee Benefits and OptumRx in the weeks and months ahead so you have all the information you need on resources and deadlines, especially if you want to consider changing plans.

The Benefits Center call center representatives will be ready to answer your detailed questions once Open Enrollment begins on October 25, 2019. Please hold your questions until that date so staff can be trained and provided all the details needed.

OCEA’S Annual Health Fair

OCEA’s annual Health Fair and Farmers Market, presented by OCEA Health & Welfare Trust, will return from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019, at OCEA. It’s a great opportunity to learn about healthy living choices from experts and vendors at dozens of booths.  REAOC will also have a table at the fair; please stop by and see us too!

The Health Fair takes place during open enrollment so OCEA members can obtain in-person assistance with their dental, vision, and disability supplemental coverage options. County medical insurance representatives will also be at the Health Fair to answer your health plan questions.

Stay healthy with OCEA and take advantage of free blood pressure, glucose and bone density screenings and much more. Click here for the event flyer and check out a more complete list of offerings. This includes our Holistic Lifestyle area featuring things like herbal remedies, acupuncture, and vitamin B-12 shots ($15).

Flu shots! Don’t forget to bring your Blue Shield, Kaiser or Cigna health insurance cards to get a FREE flu shot.

OCEA’s Farmers Market also returns providing free bags of produce. A healthy lunch will be served, along with corn on the cob and  zucchini off the OCEA Hot Dog Wagon.

We’ll see you on Sept. 10!

You can make a difference by being a Court Appointed Special Advocate!

There are approximately 443,000 children who are currently in the foster care system in the United States and approximately 23,000 youth emancipating (aging out) out of the foster care system every year. Only 58% of these youth are graduating with a high school diploma. Within a year 1 in 5 will be homeless and by the age of 24, less than half are employed. 74% of the prison population is made up of former foster youth. However, when a youth is assigned a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), the graduation rate increases from 58% to 92%.

On any given day there are over 3,100 children in the foster care system within Orange County. More than 2,300 of those children are living in out-of-home care; group home, foster home or with an extended family member. CASA-OC currently has over 500 matches between a trained and supervised CASA volunteer and a youth in the foster care system. CASA-OC currently has over 200 youth on a waiting list and is in need of more volunteers who are willing to step up to the plate to mentor and advocate for these vulnerable children and fight for their best interest.  

Learn more at casaoc.org on how you can make a difference by being the difference.  

CalPERS Long Term Care Lawsuit Update

This is an update as to the class action lawsuit against CalPERS pertaining to the 85% premium increase it announced in 2013 and implemented in 2015 and 2016 for its Long-Term Care Insurance.  The 85% premium increase was targeted only at members who had purchased long-term care insurance from 1995-2004 (LTC1 and LTC2), and who had also purchased inflation protection and/or lifetime benefits.

The trial judge, the Hon. William Highberger, divided the trial into three phases.  Phase 1 was a court trial as to the legal issue of contract interpretation of the Evidence of Coverage.  The Phase 1 court trial took place on June 10-11, 2019. Phase 2 was scheduled to be a jury trial on CalPERS’ statute of limitations defense where CalPERS claimed the suit should have been brought years earlier based on prior premium increases.  Phase 3 is a jury trial involving whether CalPERS breached the contract, and the monetary damages to be awarded to the class.  If CalPERS had prevailed entirely on its defenses in either Phase 1 or Phase 2, the case would not proceed to the Phase 3 jury trial.        

On July 1, 2019,  the trial judge issued a tentative statement of decision pertaining to Phase 1 and Phase 2.  As to Phase 1, the trial judge addressed issues of the interpretation of the Evidence of Coverage, and the permissible reasons and prohibitions in which CalPERS could increase premiums.  The trial judge, after hearing and considering evidence in Phase 1, found that while CalPERS had a general right to increase premiums on a class-wide basis, it was prohibited to do so “as a result of” the inflation protection benefit. The court found that a jury should determine whether all or part of the 85% increase was “as a result of” inflation protection and therefore CalPERS’ breached the contract.  If a jury determines CalPERS breached the contract, the jury will determine the amount of damages to the class for all or a portion of the 85% premium increase that was as a result of the compounding 5% annual benefit increases which CalPERS would be required to provide from the promised inflation protection benefit.  CalPERS therefore did not prevail on its inflation protection defense.

As to Phase 2, the trial judge ruled against CalPERS as a matter of law on its defense that the suit should have been brought based on prior premium increases.  This meant that a jury trial on that issue was not required for Phase 2. The trial judge found that since the only damages being sought in the class action suit was based on  the 85% premium increase that was first announced in 2013 and implemented in 2015 and 2016, as a matter of law the case could not have been filed years earlier based on the previous premium increases.

The trial judge has strongly encouraged the parties go to a mediation to try to resolve the matter. The parties have agreed to mediation on September 4, 2019 and October 7, 2019 before the Hon. Layn Phillips (ret.), who is a former U.S. Attorney and Federal Judge from Oklahoma with a highly regarded mediation practice in Orange County, California and New York City. The Court has presently scheduled the jury trial on Phase 3 to begin on October 30, 2019 should the matter not settle.

The website to learn more about this lawsuit is: http://www.calpersclassactionlawsuit.com/

When your contact information has changed

If you move, get a new or change your e-mail address or telephone or if you have a name change, there are actions that are necessary so that you continue to receive your benefits, newsletters, e-mails, etc.

If any of the above pertains to you, you need to notify REAOC, the Orange County Employees’ Retirement System (OCERS) and the County of Orange Employee Benefits Center with the new information.

To contact REAOC – call (714) 840-3995 or click here to e-mail with the new/changed information.

To contact OCERS – call (714) 558-6200 or click here to go to their website and sign-into “MyOCERS” to update your information.

To contact the County of Orange Employee Benefits Center – call (800) 858-7266 or click here to go to the benefits website.

REAOC Informer Newsletter

Click here to read the latest Informer newsletter.

NEWS WEEK OF AUGUST 5, 2019

Ethnic studies time bomb explodes

According to this story by columnist Dan Walters at CalMatters the pending state ethnic studies curriculum contains language “advocating the indoctrination of teenagers into believing that everyone who isn’t white and male is an oppressed victim”.  Walters says the curriculum has become increasingly controversial and that it has to be approved by the State Senate, having already been approved by the State Assembly. (More)

CalMatters 8-11-2019

California’s costly pension profligacy

The Orange County Register ran an editorial on August 11 with this title. Predictably it blasts its belief that rising pension costs are resulting in reduced public services, and that it will get worst.   Your Editor attempted to find an electronic link to this Editorial but was unable to come up with one. However, a similar editorial was found in the Daily Bulletin newspaper on August 14.  (More)  Then, an Editorial of The Register dated August 13 with the same headline title was found on a web site called News Locker. (More)

Daily Bulletin 8-14-2019

News Locker 8-14-2019              

OC home buying slows, prices flatten

On August 9 and 12 the Orange County Register ran this story about the current state of residential real estate in Orange County. (Editor’s note:  Last week the Fed cut interest rates by ¼%, with some home mortgages becoming available at about 3% interest according to reports. In my neighborhood the several homes for sale for some time are suddenly selling.  Connection?) (More)

OC Register 8-9-2019

States not yet saving by switch to DC plans

This article in Pensions and Investments says that a study by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) found that four states – Alaska, Kentucky, Michigan and West Virginia that switched new employees to defined contribution-only accounts to deal with pension underfunding and rising costs have yet to save any money. In fact, the article says the NIRS study found that “the changes increased overall costs for the states, did not address existing pension underfunding and led to a loss of retirement security for employees.”  (More)

Pensions and Investments 8-8-2019

Congress considering changes to the way you retire

A CNBC report says that legislation now pending in Congress “could change the way present and future retirees live.”  The article says that legislation is called the Secure Act and “includes a bevy of changes to retirement rules.”  Read the article for more information. (More)

CNBC 8-10-2019

Judge urges CalPERS to settle long term care lawsuit

The Sacramento Bee reports that a Superior Court Judge “issued a tentative ruling last month saying he was inclined to decide CalPERS raised rates for an impermissible reason for a group of about 85,000 policyholders with a unique plan benefit.”  The article says the judge urged CalPERS to settle the case, warning that if the lawsuit goes to a jury a very serious monetary judgment could result. (More)

The Sacramento Bee 8-14-2019

ABOUT OUR LUNCHEONS

WHY
REAOC luncheons are held for the purpose of bringing Orange County retirees together for an afternoon of camaraderie, entertainment, and information. Friends and family are always welcome! Each luncheon features a different theme, with door prizes, and special gifts. As an added bonus, there is a valuable Progressive Drawing. They also serve as a general meeting for the membership.

WHERE

The  Mile Square Park Banquet Facility located at 10401 Warner Ave., Fountain Valley, California, 92708. For directions, call the Mile Square Banquet Facility at (714) 962-5541 or see map below showing where the  Facility is located. Please DO NOT call the Facility to make reservations. Reservations are made by sending in the reservation form in The Informer or by calling the REAOC office at (714) 840-3995.

WHEN

Luncheons are held the 4th Wednesday of January, March, May and September, and on the first Wednesday of December at Noon. To ensure a parking spot please arrive by 11 a.m.  Please carpool if possible as the parking lot at this facility can be quite busy.

Luncheons for 2019 are listed below:

Cost for the luncheon is $17.00 per person. A reservation form is provided in The Informer (on the current Luncheon page), in the “Forms” section of the REAOC web site or you may email the REAOC office of your request (reaoc@reaoc.org).

HEMET CHAPTER LUNCHEONS

Luncheons in Hemet have been traditionally held on the second Tuesday during the months of February, April, June, October and December.   Attendees arrive around 11:30 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in the Fellowship Hall located at 515 E. Kimball Avenue in Hemet and lunch is served between 11:45 and noontime. The cost is $9.50 per person.  The Hemet Chapter would like new members and encourages all REAOC members who live in the area or within driving distance to join them for the luncheons.

REAOC’s Hemet Chapter will hold its next luncheon on Tuesday, October 15th at 11:30 AM at the First Presbyterian Church in the Fellowship Hall located at 515 E.Kimball in Hemet. 

Luncheons for 2019 are listed below:

Below is a map showing the general location of the Mile Square Park Banquet Facility located at 10401 Warner Ave., Fountain Valley, California 92708.

If you need exact directions from your house you can go to MapQuest and click on “driving directions.”

HEALTH PLAN RATES FOR 2020

On July 16, 2019, the Board of Supervisors in their regular Board meeting passed agenda items 21 & 23 without any discussion on a 5-0 vote.  These agenda items were the approval of the Health Plan Rates for retirees for 2020. 

Please click on the links below for the charts provided by the County for the 2020 Health Plan rates:

Click here for the retiree PPO rates

Click here for the retiree HMO rates

HEALTH PLAN RATES FOR 2019

If you have any questions regarding your health plan, please contact the County’s Employee Benefits section at (800) 858-7266.

Please click on the links below for the charts provided by the County for the 2019 Health Plan rates:

2019 Sharewell and Wellwise Health Plan Rates 

2019 HMO and PPO Health Plan Rates

For information about the supplemental insurance including dental and vision coverage, please click on the link below. 

Supplemental Insurance Benefits