Thank you for your ongoing donations. They are greatly appreciated as they help offset our operating expenses, allowing us to continue our work serving you. CLICK HERE to donate today!
San Francisco Health Service System
SFHSS MEMBER FOCUS GROUPS has been formed to address your health plan options for 2021 and beyond. These groups will be looking at experiences with the health delivery system. What’s working and not working. They will hear from members perspective. The team has developed a thorough outreach plan that is designed to hear many different experiences. While they are primarily targeting Active and Early Retire member input, Medicare beneficiaries are welcome to attend to contribute their recent experience with the Non-Medicare plans. The Medicare -eligible benefits are not being discussed during these focus groups. If interested email, hssfocusgroups@sfgov.org
On the other front: the rates and benefits package were passed by the Board of Supervisors. October is coming and that is open enrollment month and you should be receiving information shortly. Also, RECCSF is offering its Annual Health Fair on Oct.9 At this Fair there will be open enrollment information, along with the respective vendors. Free senior flu shots for retirees, spouses, domestic partners and dependents. Bring Health Card and I.D. card. It all at the Scottish Rite Temple at 2850-19th/Sloat.
SFERS Retirement Board
For the month of August SFERS earned a positive return of 0.27%, even as Public Equity returned -1.70%. For the first two months of fiscal year 2019-20 SFERS has edged out a positive return of 0.57%, even though public equity has returned -1.35%. The real good news is SFERS trust ranks in the top 4% across each of the past 1, 3, 5, and 10 years.
The current U.S. expansion is now the longest on record. The current expansion has not been a strong one, but that might be due to the aging of the country and more people on government benefit programs, meaning we should not expect the U.S. economy to grow at the rate it did several generations ago.
Through all this SFERS has grown substantially. In July 2014 SFERS assets was valued at $19.3 billion and as of August 2019, SFERS assets have grown to 26.5 billion, an increase of 38% in five years.
Protect Our Benefits Board
POB commissioned Tulchin research, a very reliable and wildly quoted research firm, to conduct a citywide survey to gauge public opinion toward a proposed ballot measure to restore the Supplemental COLA retirement benefits to the pre-1996 retirees. The results were very encouraging as a majority of the respondents strongly support such a measure.
We are currently in the process of gathering support with City Hall, BOS, Unions, public interest groups and anybody that is willing to listen us. It takes copious amounts of time, paperwork and research and with your help and support we hope to have this issue on the ballot for Nov. 2020. The time is imperative for all the correct facts to be decimated. We will keep you updated.
Remember more than ever, ‘UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL”
Your continuing contributions and support are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. Please mail them to Protect Our Benefits Trust, P.O. 210250, San Francisco, Ca. 94121-0250 or CLICK HERE to donate today!
From the Executive Board of Protect Our Benefits
Protect Our Benefits is an organization whose goals are to enhance the dignity and quality of life of all San Francisco City and County retirees and preserve their health and retirement benefits. The opinions are those of the writer.