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SFHSS reports high participation for new eBenefits and flags Trio HMO migration
Summary
The San Francisco Health Service System reported that its first eBenefits self‑service rollout met service goals, saw increased calls and in‑person help, and showed net disenrollments from the Trio HMO as members migrated to other plans.
Mitchell Griggs, Chief Operating Officer for the San Francisco Health Service System, told the board that the system’s first year of eBenefits — an online self‑service enrollment tool — met customer service targets and produced strong member engagement.
Griggs said the system answered calls within 28 seconds on average, handled about 12,000 inbound calls (a roughly 5 percent increase over the prior year) and saw a 22 percent rise in in‑person assistance, including off‑site events. "This is people being able to log in through a computer and do their enrollments instead of papers they've been doing for the past decades," Griggs said.
Why it matters: The eBenefits rollout aims to reduce paperwork and speed enrollments while preserving access for members who prefer paper. Griggs told commissioners about an initial pilot that made roughly 13,253 members eligible for self‑service; about 24 percent of those logged in and 20 percent made a change.
Key details: Griggs reported a net 426 disenrollments from the Trio HMO, largely reflecting members auto‑enrolled in 2017 who moved back to Access Plus. He said the gross movement out of Trio was larger (close to 800) but was offset by members moving into Trio from Kaiser and City Plan. Griggs said staff are working with Blue Shield on clearer communications so members understand Trio’s provider network and cost implications.
Other benefits: The system added Vision Premier, which Griggs said increased enrollment by about 3,800 members, and roughly 1,000 members enrolled in voluntary benefits (notably LegalShield and supplemental term life). Griggs also summarized planned improvements for next year, including broader rollout of eBenefits beyond departments on PeopleSoft, better integration with voluntary‑benefit platforms and an improved process for uploading verification documents.
Board reaction and next steps: Commissioners praised the outreach and operational improvements and asked for demographic and migration detail at the February demographics report. Griggs said a fuller migration and demographic analysis is expected in February and that communication efforts will be expanded before the next open enrollment cycle.
