Open Enrollment for Members

2020 Open Enrollment starts September 21 and ends October 16. Changes made during Open Enrollment will take effect January 1, 2021. During Open Enrollment, you can:

Change your CalPERS health plan
Add eligible dependents
Remove dependents
Cancel your existing CalPERS health coverage
Enroll in a CalPERS health plan if you don't currently have coverage

If you aren't making changes to your coverage, no action is needed.

Are you a Retiree?

Visit our Open Enrollment for Retirees web page to get open enrollment information specific to our retired members. Active members can explore their options below.

Discover Your Options

Log in to your myCalPERS account to explore your health plan options. myCalPERS allows you to access customized health information and has tools and resources to help you with your Open Enrollment decisions. myCalPERS also provides you with secure 24/7 access to view:

Specific health benefit changes that may impact you in the coming year.
Your current 2020 monthly premium and 2021 monthly premium if you do not change your health plan.
2021 health plans and monthly premiums available based on your health eligibility ZIP code.
Which health plans your doctors or specialists participate in (Basic plans only).
Your enrolled dependents.
All CalPERS Open Enrollment information.
Your 2020 Health Plan Statement.

View this video to learn how to navigate your myCalPERS account during Open Enrollment. We'll show you where to find customized information, search and compare health plans, and complete the prepopulated Health Benefits Enrollment Form (HBD-12). Note, you must follow your employer's instructions on how to make changes during Open Enrollment. In this demonstration we show you how to e-sign and e-mail the HBD-12 form; however, your employer may want you to follow a different process.

2021 Changes to Plans and/or Regions

We realize changes to health plans may impact your decision during Open Enrollment. Listed below are the health plan changes for 2021. To view all 2021 health plans and rates, visit Plans & Rates.

Search for your primary care doctor and specialist using the Search Health Plans tool in myCalPERS to see which plans they participate in. Medicare members will need to contact the plans directly, as they do today, to verify their doctor is included in their Medicare plan. Keep in mind that information shown in the tool is subject to change. Therefore, before making any plan changes, check with your health plan or your doctor’s office to ensure your doctor is available in your plan.

View 2021 Changes to Plans and/or Regions

Plan Name	Impacts
Anthem Blue Cross Select Medicare Preferred	Anthem Select Medicare Preferred is expanding its service area from Monterey County only, to 22 additional counties: Alameda Contra Costa El Dorado Fresno Imperial Kern Los Angeles Merced Nevada Orange Placer Riverside Sacramento San Bernardino San Francisco San Joaquin Santa Clara Santa Cruz Stanislaus Tulare Ventura Yolo
Anthem Blue Cross Traditional HMO (Basic)	10.38% premium increase for Public Agencies and Schools in Region 1 11.88% premium increase for Public Agencies and Schools in Region 2
Blue Shield Trio	Blue Shield Trio is expanding its service area to include 3 additional counties: Santa Barbara San Luis Obispo Ventura
Health Net SmartCare	11.96% premium increase for Public Agencies and Schools in Region 1.
Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage Plan	New supplemental benefits: Post-hospital discharge meal delivery Post-hospital discharge transportation Routine transportation to medical care
PERSCare (Basic)	12.32% premium increase for State and California State Universities 14.26% premium increase for Public Agencies and Schools in Region 1 13.08% premium increase for Public Agencies and Schools in Region 2 11.27% premium increase for Public Agencies and Schools in Region 3
PERSCare Out of State (Basic)	14.29% premium increase for Out of State.
Sharp Direct Advantage	New Sharp Medicare Advantage plan will be available in San Diego County. Dental benefits will be an option, for an additional fee ($12), to contracting agency members.
UnitedHealthcare HMO (Basic)	UC Davis will no longer be available to UnitedHealthcare HMO Basic members. UC Davis is available through the following plans: Anthem Select Anthem Select Medicare Preferred Blue Shield Access+ PERS Select PERS Choice PERSCare UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage	New supplemental benefits: Post-hospital discharge meal delivery Post-hospital discharge transportation Non-skilled in-home care

Things You need to Know

It's important to review the details of your health enrollment and understand how health benefit changes may impact you and your dependents. Your myCalPERS account provides resources to help you review health plan changes and compare costs so you can make an informed decision about your health care coverage. To make the best decision for you and your dependents, you should:

Review your Health Plan Summary in myCalPERS.
Verify the health enrollment information about you and your dependents is accurate.
Review your plan, your cost, and your network.
Will your plan still be available next year, or is there a better option for you? If you change networks, will you still have access to your preferred doctors and/or hospitals? To confirm doctor and network availability, contact your current or prospective health plan. The Search Health Plans tool in myCalPERS can help you determine if a doctor accepts your CalPERS Basic health plan, but it is not able to tell you if that doctor is accepting new patients. If you are searching for a new doctor, call that doctor to confirm availability. While CalPERS provides a variety of health plans, only you can decide which is best for you and your family.

Use the tools and resources below to compare coverage, services, and costs.

Your Plan, Your Cost, Your Network

myCalPERS — Log in and use the Search Health Plans tool to find the best health plan option tailored to you and your dependents. You can compare monthly premiums, find plans your doctors participate in, and compare benefits and costs for each plan.
Plans & Rates — Compare 2021 health plan options, find Evidence of Coverage and Summary of Benefits publications, access provider websites, and research networks of doctors and covered services.
2020-21 Open Enrollment Newsletter (PDF) — Review 2021 health program highlights, notable health plan changes, and important health reminders.
Eligibility & Enrollment — Learn about the CalPERS Health Program, including eligibility requirements and general enrollment information.
2021 Health Benefit Summary (PDF) — Compare covered services, co-payments, and benefits for each CalPERS health plan.
California Health Care Quality Report Cards — Find information on the quality of health care and how patients rate their experience from specific providers.
Medical Board of California — Learn how the state is protecting health care consumers and access to quality medical care.

Changing Your Health Plan Anchor

It's important to review next year's health plan information, as aspects of your coverage may change.

You may use your previous health plan through December 31, 2020 only. Your new health plan takes effect January 1, 2021.

If you change your health plan, you'll receive new ID cards from your new provider.

Note: Without a qualifying event, you may not change your health plan outside of Open Enrollment. Your medical group no longer contracting with your health plan isn't a qualifying event.

To make Open Enrollment health plan changes, contact your personnel specialist or health benefits officer in human resources for required forms and documentation. Refer to Your Guide to Choosing a Health Plan (PDF) for factors to consider when changing your health plan.

Dental & Vision

Open Enrollment for State of California- and California State University (CSU)-sponsored dental and vision plans is September 21 to October 16. If you're a public agency or school employee, contact your personnel office regarding your dental and vision benefits.

To make Open Enrollment dental and vision plan changes, state members contact your personnel specialist or health benefits officer in human resources. CSU members contact your campus benefits officer.

Active Member dental and vision contact information.

Health Premium Adjustments

Review your pay warrant to ensure the correct health plan premium deduction was made for 2021.

If your January warrant doesn't show the new premium deduction, you should see the premium payment adjustment in a subsequent pay period.

If you don't see the correct deduction applied in your February warrant, contact your personnel specialist or health benefits officer in human resources.

2020 Legislation Update

Senate Bill 30 was approved by the Governor on July 30, 2019. This bill amends the Family Code definition of domestic partner effective January 1, 2020.

This amendment eliminates the requirement that at least one of the opposite-sex domestic partners be 62 years of age or older to enter into a domestic partnership. The Secretary of State started registering these Declarations of Domestic Partnerships effective January 1, 2020.

Entering into a domestic partnership is a qualifying event to add the domestic partner and domestic partner's children.

Requests must be received within 60 days from the registration date to become effective the 1st of the month following the date of the request. However, enrolling a domestic partner is not a qualifying event to change health plans.