Retiree health is a benefit employers rarely offer, but UC has chosen to maintain it as part of its employment package. About half of current faculty and staff will be affected by new eligibility rules for retiree health benefits that went into effect July 1, 2013. These rules were approved by the Regents in December 2010 as part of a series of reforms to address the $14.5 billion unfunded liability in the retiree health program and to help sustain the long-term viability of the program.
The Regents also approved a new pension tier for employees hired or re-hired July 1, 2013, and later. The new pension tier does not apply to current employees unless they leave employment and return at a later date.
To help employees understand the changes to retiree health, Gary Schlimgen, Executive Director of Retirement Programs & Services, Office of the President, answers some of the most commonly asked questions.
- Is a member of the UC Retirement Plan (UCRP)
- Is enrolled in or eligible to be enrolled in UC benefits on the day he/she retires
- Is age 50 or older with 10 years or more of UCRP service credit at retirement
What’s changing is the formula for determining how much of UC’s contribution to the health premium a retiring employee will get. Beginning July 1, 2013, the formula is changing for all new employees and for about half of our current employees.
Under the revised rules, if you retire at age:
50 – 55: you can enroll in UC-sponsored health insurance for retirees but UC will not be contributing toward the cost of coverage. Access to our retiree health plan at a group rate is still a valuable benefit, with comprehensive coverage at a reasonable cost.
56 and older: you will receive a portion of UC’s contribution to retiree health based on your age and years of service at retirement. The percentage ranges from a minimum of 5 percent at age 56 with 10 years of service to 100 percent at age 65 with 20 or more years of service. There is a chart (see Related Information) that outlines the percentage
- will have less than 5 years of UCRP service credit as of June 30, 2013
- have five or more years of UCRP service and whose age plus years of service credit is less than 50 on June 30, 2013. Age is measured in whole years. For example, someone who is 37 years old with 10.5 years of service would be under the new rules, as their age plus service does not equal 50.
At the same time, we wanted to protect employees who are already close to retirement age. There was concern that employees close to retiring would not have enough time to adjust their planning for higher medical premium costs, so the President recommended, and the Regents approved, grandfathering them under the current rules.
I can understand the disappointment for those employees who do not meet the age-plus-service-credit criteria. They will still be eligible for retiree health with the current minimum of 10 years of service and at least age 50, but the amount of the UC contribution will be different. The retiree health eligibility rules have changed before, with the last time being in 1990 when graduated eligibility was established.
UC has been reducing the contribution since 2010, so current retirees have already felt the impact of changes to the retiree health program.
Back in 2009, UC President Mark G. Yudof appointed a Post-Employment Benefits Task Force to develop recommendations for sustainable post-employment benefits. The task force, which included senior leaders, faculty, staff and retirees from around the system, conducted extensive consultation that included surveys, town halls at campuses and web chats. President Yudof continued the consultation process before finalizing recommendations that had the support of the Academic Senate, the Staff Advisors to the Regents and the Council of UC Staff Assemblies. He then brought those recommendations to the Board of Regents, which approved the measures in December 2010.
At UC, we know retiree health benefits are very important, and we have no plans to eliminate these benefits. But we need to modify them in order to ensure they remain financially sustainable. Also, as national health-care reform becomes more fully implemented, it’s likely there will be additional changes in the future.