You are here

Retiree medical plan

Retiree medical plan

The City of Seattle and/or Seattle Housing Authority reserves the right to revise or delete any or the retiree's medical plans, and plan provisions, including, but not limited to, eligibility and enrollment requirements and procedures.

Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) retirees are eligible to purchase coverage on a self-paid basis under the City's retiree medical plan options if the following conditions are met:

  1. The retiree elects to begin receiving a monthly PERS retirement or disability retirement benefit immediately after leaving SHA employment, or within the period of time while on COBRA.

  2. The retiree is currently enrolled in one of the medical plans for active employees offered by SHA (through the City) at the time of retirement, or maintains continuous coverage under ANY group medical plan after leaving active service. However, the retiree can only return to the City medical coverage if he/she involuntarily loses other group (employer) health plan coverage. See the New Retiree Medical Eligibility Option.

Retirees age 65, and older may enroll in the Medicare supplement programs available to SHA (City plans) employees. (Their dependents may enroll in the under-age 65 plans if they had coverage under one of the City plans at the time of the employee's retirement or death.)

The retiree medical plan options include:

  • Kaiser Permanente Standard (under and over age 65)

  • Kaiser Permanente Deductible (under 65)

  • City of Seattle Traditional (under 65 only)

  • City of Seattle Preventive (under 65 only)

  • United Healthcare (65 and over only)

  • Aetna Medicare (65 and over only)

Retiree and their family members will have the opportunity to change medical plans during open enrollment periods to be conducted upon mutual agreement between the City and the insurance carriers. Open enrollment will generally occur once each year.

New retiree medical eligibility option

Retirees who retired prior to December 1, 2009, and are currently enrolled in a City plan will have a drop/re-enroll option available to them. Effective November 1, 2013, enrollees may drop their City retiree medical coverage. and then have the option of re-enrolling in a City plan at a future date as long as they meet certain conditions as follows:

  • They must maintain continuous coverage under another group medical plan for the entire time they are not enrolled in a City plan. This means a plan offered through another employer, either their own employer, or the employer of their spouse or domestic partner. Individual medical plans -- whether obtained through a broker, insurer, HMO, Medicaid, the State High Risk Pool, Health Insurance Exchanges, or other entities DO NOT qualify as continuous group coverage, and DO NOT meet the requirements for re-enrollment.

  • They may re-enroll in a City plan only if they lose eligibility with the other employer group coverage, such as due to their own, or their spouse's job loss or retirement, or aging-out of coverage (as documented by the Human Resources staff of the other employer).

  • They must re-enroll in a City plan within 31 days of losing their other coverage.

Retirees enrolled in a City-sponsored retiree plan may drop City retiree coverage at any time as long as they have immediate access to another employer medical coverage plan. This new option does NOT provide a re-enrollment opportunity for retirees who dropped City retiree medical coverage prior to November 1, 2013, or for individuals who previously declined, or who were not otherwise eligible for retiree medical coverage.

Other retiree medical insurance options

  • Retirees under age 65 - You may have options available to you through the Washington State Health Insurance Exchange at http://www.wahealthplanfinder.org.

  • Retirees under age 65 and over - (Medicare eligible retirees) – Health Care Reform does NOT change your access to Medicare, or to the Medicare Advantage plans the City offers. While there are NO Medicare options available on the State Health Insurance Exchange, remember that you have access to many other Medicare plans that may be more suitable for you than the City's plan. We encourage you to explore these other options directly with the providers of those plans.

Please contact HR Benefits Administrator (206.615.3328) to request the Retiree Medical enrollment packet.

The following information is for the Retiree Medical Plan: