Executive Director's October 2023 Message

When I see Halloween decorations going up in my neighborhood, I know it is also Open Enrollment (OE) time for San Francisco Health Service System members. October’s Open Enrollment is the one time a year when you can make changes to your benefit elections for the following year without experiencing a Qualifying Life Event (QLE), such as a marriage or birth of a child.

While most members choose to stick with their current benefits for the following year, this is a great time to reassess your family’s coverage needs. Members should consider each plan’s premium rate, their provider network,  and any plan-specific benefits. I sit down with my husband every year to review our benefits. Although we are both very loyal to our doctors who have cared for us for many years, doctors can move or retire too. We’ll need to know if a new doctor we may want to see is in-network with our current plan or if we need to switch plans.

I recommend you look at everything from your choices for your Medical, Dental, or Vision plans as well as how much you spent out-of-pocket this past year. Consider if you have any anticipated medical needs for 2024, such as a planned pregnancy, new eyeglasses, braces, etc., or any dependent care needs. This will help you confidently budget accordingly for your Flexible Spending Account(s). If you are planning to start any new sport to get your fitness goals in, you may want to look at our Voluntary Benefits for Accident Insurance to see if it makes sense. We have a variety of benefits to meet your needs, so please take the time to review all your options.

October is also Breast Cancer Awareness and Domestic Violence Prevention Month. You can show your support for breast cancer awareness by encouraging the women in your family to get regular mammograms and annual well-women exams. If you think someone you know may be experiencing domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline has great resources to help you identify abuse and ways you can support someone experiencing abuse.

Be well,

Abbie Yant, RN, MA