Paying for Coverage

Skip to main content
Home

Sign in to My LACERA

  1. About LACERA

    About LACERA

    City of Los Angeles skyline
    Our mission is to produce, protect, and provide the promised benefits to our members.
    1. Who We Are

      1. News
      2. Careers
      3. Business Opportunities
      4. Contact Us
    2. Leadership

      1. Board of Retirement
      2. Board of Investments
      3. Board Meetings
      4. Executive Team
      5. Divisions
    3. Accountability

      1. Retirement Law
      2. Governing Documents
      3. Investments
      4. Annual Reports
      5. Public Records
  2. Active Members

    Active Members

    A busy crowd walking by buildings.
    Our defined benefit plans were created to provide you with financial security.
      1. General Plans

      2. Plans A/B/C
      3. Plan D
      4. Plan E
      5. Plan G
      6. Safety Plans

      7. Plans A/B
      8. Plan C
    1. Active Service

      1. Contributions
      2. Service Credit
      3. Compensation
      4. Reciprocity
      5. Terminating Service
      6. Felony Forfeiture
      7. Pre-Retirement Divorce
      8. Disability Retirement
    2. Retirement Planning

      1. Benefit Estimates
      2. Steps to Prepare
      3. Ready to Retire
      4. Workshops
      5. Retirement Options
      6. Beneficiaries
      7. Power of Attorney
  3. Retirees and Families

    Retirees and Families

    View of dock overlooking the water.
    Your monthly allowance is guaranteed, and benefits extend to families and survivors.
    1. Retirement Payments

      1. Cost of Living
      2. Direct Deposit
      3. Tax Requirements
      4. Returning to Work
      5. Divorce
      6. Admin Appeals
    2. Families and Survivors

      1. Benefits Process
      2. Eligible Beneficiaries
      3. Survivor Benefits
      4. Survivor Healthcare
      5. Taxability of Benefits
  4. Retiree Healthcare

    Retiree Healthcare

    The hallway of a hospital.
    We provide comprehensive healthcare plans and resources to keep you healthy in retirement.
    1. Program Basics

      1. Healthcare Eligibility
      2. Paying for Coverage
      3. Manage Your Enrollment
      4. Medicare
      5. COBRA
      6. Healthcare Resources
      7. Healthcare Legislation
    2. Healthcare Plans

      1. Anthem Blue Cross of CA
      2. CIGNA
      3. Kaiser Permanente
      4. SCAN
      5. United Healthcare
      6. Dental/Vision Plans

Program Basics

  1. Healthcare Eligibility
  2. Paying for Coverage
  3. Manage Your Enrollment
  4. Medicare
  5. COBRA
  6. Healthcare Resources
  7. Healthcare Legislation
Begin content

The cost for your healthcare coverage depends on the following factors:

  • Your County subsidy, based on completed years of service credit
  • Your program tier (Tier 1 for those hired through June 30, 2014; Tier 2 for those hired on or after July 1, 2014)
  • Your chosen healthcare plan
  • Your number of enrolled eligible dependents

All retired members are eligible for LACERA-administered retiree healthcare benefits, even if they are not eligible for the County subsidy. In such cases, these retirees are responsible for the full amount of the monthly insurance premiums.

County Contributions Based on Service Credit

The County subsidizes your medical and dental/vision insurance costs once you have 10 years of service credit. The subsidy applies toward enrollment in a LACERA-administered group health plan only, up to the benchmark plan rate. (When used in association with the healthcare premium subsidy, benchmark refers to the cost of a particular healthcare plan. This plan is the measure—the benchmark—to which the premium subsidy is applied.)

  • For members with 10 years of retirement service credit (excluding Additional Retirement Credit (ARC time) and reciprocity; with the exception of LACERS, the County contributes 40% of your healthcare plan premium or 40% of the benchmark plan rate (Anthem Blue Cross Plans I and II for medical and Cigna for dental/vision), whichever is less. See Healthcare Eligibility for more information.
  • For each year of retirement service credit beyond 10 years, the County contributes an additional 4 percent of the benchmark plan rate, up to a maximum of 100 percent for a member with 25 years or more of service credit.
  • Tier 1 members: The County subsidy applies to the member's premium amount, whether single coverage or family coverage
  • Tier 2 members: The County subsidy is based on retiree-only coverage, regardless of whether the retiree includes an eligible dependent(s). If you enroll eligible dependent(s), you will pay the difference on any monthly premium amount that exceeds the retiree-only benchmark amount.

While you may have heard that if you work for 25 years that your retiree healthcare is free, that’s not entirely accurate. The County’s subsidy is up to the benchmark rates only. If your selected group plan’s premium exceeds the benchmark rates, you will are required to pay the difference each month, even if you have 25 years of service.

Your Payment Portion

Your contribution for coverage, if any, is automatically deducted each month from your retirement allowance. The deduction prepays your coverage for the following month. If your pension benefit is insufficient to cover the amount owed, you will be billed by LACERA.

Premium Plan Rate Booklets (Plan Years Run July 1—June 30)

Monthly Premium Rates (California)
Monthly Premium Rates (Out-of-State)

Visit RHC Forms and Publications to download or order a printed booklet.

If your enrollment form is received too late for the first deduction to be made automatically, you’ll either receive a bill from LACERA, or premium deductions will be made from future retirement warrants.

Contact Retiree Healthcare

Operating Hours: M – F, 7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Call

Toll-free
800-786-6464
Local
626-564-6132

Email

Secure/Document Upload
My LACERA
General
healthcare@lacera.com

Fax

General
626-564-6155
Urgent Cases Only
626-564-6799

Mail

LACERA

Attn: Retiree Healthcare
P.O. Box 7060
Pasadena, CA 91109-7060

Mondays and Fridays are our busiest call days; for faster service, call us Tuesday through Thursday.

Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association

Appointment Reservations
LACERA
Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association

Member Service Center

M – F, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. PT

Holiday Schedule

300 N. Lake Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101

Contact Us

Member Services Call Center

M – F, 7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. PT

800-786-6464

Retiree Healthcare

800-786-6464

Business

M – F, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. PT

PO Box 7060
Pasadena, CA 91109-7060

Phone 626-564-6000

Fax 626-564-6155

Translate Language

English Dutch French German Italian Portuguese Russian Spanish
  • ©2023 LACERA, All Rights Reserved
  • Disclaimer & Privacy Statement