2011 City of Tacoma
Retiree healthcare at a Glance

Retirees may choose to remain on City of Tacoma’s medical and dental plans during the Retirement Application Process:

Medical: Regence BlueShield PPO (Preferred) or Regence BlueShield POS (Selections) Health Plans are available to City of Tacoma retirees. During our annual open enrollment period, retirees may switch plans and add eligible dependents. Below are some benefit highlights of each plan:

Regence PPO
(100/90/60/20) / Regence POS
(100/60/15)
Monthly Premium / $1,134 / $1,241
Office Visit Co-pay / $20 / $15
Deductible / $100 In-network/
$300 Out-of-network / None
Out-of-pocket maximum / $1,000 Individual/
$3,000 Family / $2,500 Individual/
$5,000 Family
Hospital Coinsurance / 90% In-network
60% Out-of-network / 100% In-network
60% Out-of-network
Rx Co-pay / $5 Generic
$25 Brand
$50 Non-formulary
Mail Order: 3x retail / $5 Generic
$25 Brand
$50 Non-formulary
Mail Order: 3x retail

Dental: The City of Tacoma currently offers Washington Dental Service (WDS) and Willamette Dental. Retirees are always eligible to enroll in Willamette’s dental plan at the time of retirement or during open enrollment; however they may choose the WDS plan only at the time of retirement. Below are some benefit highlights of each plan:

WDS / Willamette
Monthly Premium / Retiree only: $75.20
Retiree plus spouse: $141.18
Retiree plus children: $101.28
Retiree plus spouse and children:167.27 / Retiree only: $78.30
Retiree plus spouse or one child: 151.18
Retiree plus family: $212.55
Office Visit Co-pay / None / $10 co-pay for regular office visits
Deductible / $50 Individual/$150 Family / None
Annual Benefit Maximum / $2,000 per person / None
Diagnostic & Preventive Care / 70%-100% incentive level program / 100%
Basic Services / 80% / 100%
Major Services / 50% / 100%
Orthodontia / Not covered / Pre-Ortho: $150
$1,800 deductible

City of Tacoma Human Resources Benefits Staff Contacts:

Shannon Irwin 253-591-5823,

Joe Nienalt (TPU) 253-779-7067,

Sandra Spellmeyer 253-591-5419,

City of Tacoma Benefits Manager

Becky Lee 253-591-5116,

Alternative Health Care Resources:

Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) http://www.insurance.wa.gov/shiba

This site from the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner teaches you how to understand your health care coverage options and rights, find affordable health care coverage, and evaluate and compare health insurance plans.

WSHIBA – Pierce County phone number: (253) 596-0918
Pierce County residents can call this number, leave a message, and will receive a call back within several days. WSHIBA representative will provide information on insurance specific to individual’s situation.

Washington Basic Health
http://www.basichealth.hca.wa.gov
Basic Health is a State of Washington sponsored program providing low-cost health care coverage through private health plans. Eligibility is income based.

Medicare
http://www.medicare.gov

Social Security
http://www.ssa.gov