Health Plan Updates

On Tuesday, September 1, HealthNet informed SCUSD that it will be phasing out offering insurance coverage to school districts in California. Sac City was reported to be one of only two districts in California that still offered HealthNet.

Open Enrollment Period: 

October 13 starting at 8 a.m. through November 5 by 5 p.m.

Current health plan providers continue through 12/31/2026 (end of this calendar year).

Changes effective: January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2027

Virtual and In Person Support Meetings

Retirees: 10 am – 12pm – Retiree Town Hall Flyer

Active Educators: 2 – 5pm – Active Employee Town Hall Flyer

Virtual Meetings

• October 13
• October 20
• October 27
• November 3
• November 10 (if needed)

In-Person Meetings at Serna

• October 15
• October 22
• October 29
• November 5

At the SCTA Office:

• October 9 (SCTA Benefits Fair)
• still unconfirmed **10/14 at SCTA office Retiree Meeting, 1 – 2pm

Active Educators and Retirees UNDER 65

For Kaiser enrollees, there are virtually no changes. Click here to see a side-by-side comparison of the current Kaiser plan to the proposed VEBA Kaiser plan. The two notable differences are: 1) the Emergency Room visit co-pay is increased from $75 to $100; and 2) the VEBA Kaiser plan includes a $5000 hearing aid allowance, whereas the current plan provided no hearing aid allowance.

For HealthNet enrollees, the most significant proposed change is that the one option of HealthNet is now broken up into two options, driven mostly by which plan includes which doctors’ group and health system. For those who prefer Sutter and UC Davis, the plan from United Healthcare includes those networks. For those who prefer Dignity/Mercy, the plan from Western Health Advantage includes those networks. A chart regarding which doctors’ group is included in which network can be found here.

United Healthcare: A side-by-side comparison of the current HealthNet level of benefits versus the United Health Care plan can be found here. The VEBA plans increase the Emergency Room co-payment from $75 to $100, but includes a $5000 hearing aid allowance and through a combination of the medical and prescription drug out-of-pocket maximums, lowers the overall out-of-pocket maximum costs. Through VEBA’s Express Scripts pharmacy program generic medications can be obtained for as little as $5 at participating pharmacies like Costco, Safeway, Walmart and others.

Western Health Advantage: A side-by-side comparison of the current HealthNet level of benefits versus the Western Health Advantage plan can be found here. The Western Health Advantage plan reduces the office visit co-payment from $15 to $10 per visit. The VEBA plans increase the Emergency Room co-payment from $75 to $100, but includes a $5000 hearing aid allowance and through a combination of the medical and prescription drug out-of-pocket maximums, lowers the overall out-of-pocket maximum costs. Through VEBA’s Express Scripts pharmacy program generic medications can be obtained for as little as $5 at participating pharmacies like Costco, Safeway, Walmart and others.

Out of HMO Network Areas: There will also be a United Healthcare PPO option for employees who live outside of the Western Health Advantage or United Healthcare HMO service areas. A plan summery will be forthcoming.

Retiree 65+ Health Benefits

Benefits for retirees will also be changing. Retirees who are 65-years of age or less, will follow the same change processes of active employees (see above).

For post-65 Retirees, the transition out of HealthNet into an Anthem PPO includes the expansion into a broader national network that expands health plan availability. A side-by-side of the retiree health plans can be found here.

For Post-65 Retirees with Kaiser, benefits are expected to remain the same.

Note: Retirees receiving the lifetime benefits through SCUSD are reminded to always keep their contact information updated with the Benefits Office. And remember to keep this information in your important documents file and also relay this information to children and/or anyone who may become a future caretaker. SCUSD must always be able to contact the retiree/caretaker in the event there is an issue and also to send the annual open enrollment mailers. If you are a retiree and have not been receiving open enrollment communications annually you should contact the SCUSD Benefits Office to update your information right away.

We also recommend keeping your information on file with SCTA as we also maintain our own retiree records, including an email list for reasons such as this.

There are no changes to the Vision or Dental Plans.

Please check this page for updates:

Last Update: 10.06.2026 at 11 p.m.