Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Medical Rates topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
San Francisco health board delays votes on major medical‑plan rate increases after public outcry over proposed Kaiser copay hikes
Summary
After hours of public comment from nurses, union leaders and city employees, the San Francisco Health Service Board voted unanimously to defer decisions on non‑Medicare medical plan renewals — including Kaiser, Blue Shield and UnitedHealthcare — and removed proposed Kaiser copay increases from consideration for the next meeting.
The San Francisco Health Service Board on Tuesday postponed final votes on proposed 2021 rate and benefit changes for the city’s major medical plans after a sustained wave of public comment and concerns from board members.
Executive Director Abby Yant opened the virtual session with a summary of operational changes since March, and the meeting moved into an actuarial overview of non‑Medicare renewals from Mike Clark of Aon. Clark explained that, on a status‑quo basis, Kaiser’s proposed renewal would be roughly a 5.8% premium increase, Blue Shield’s AccessPlus would rise about 3.6% (Trio about 6.3%), and UnitedHealthcare’s City Plan would show an aggregate increase near 9%.
The actuarial presentation prompted dozens of callers — primarily city frontline workers, nurses and union representatives — who urged commissioners not to approve premium or copay increases during the COVID‑19 pandemic. SEIU and other unions warned that proposed Kaiser design changes would raise hospital and outpatient copays and risk additional financial strain on essential workers. "This is the worst possible time for you to be raising the rates and raising copays," said Meg Bridal, a registered nurse at San Francisco General Hospital.
Several commissioners raised procedural and policy concerns during the discussion. Commissioner Wilfredo Lim and Supervisor Dean Preston questioned whether a one‑year utilization spike justified design changes that would shift costs to members, noting outpatient utilization trends and benchmarking data. "Doubling hospitalization copays right now is not something I can support," Supervisor Preston said, citing the pandemic’s ongoing strain on city workers.
Faced with heavy public opposition and outstanding technical questions requiring insurer responses, the board moved and then voted unanimously to continue the Kaiser item to a later meeting — explicitly removing proposed copay increases from consideration at the next hearing. Commissioners said they wanted direct responses from carriers, more time to confer with labor leaders and clearer data on Kaiser’s utilization and PPE practices before acting.
The board’s decision affects the timing of other medical‑plan approvals: commissioners said they will reconvene the non‑Medicare renewals together (Kaiser, Blue Shield and UnitedHealthcare) at the next meeting so the public and board can review consistent answers and cross‑plan comparisons. The board did not adopt any final rate changes at Tuesday’s session and will revisit the matter after follow‑up briefings and additional public input.
