From LARFPA President Jim Mateer:

The Board of Directors of the LA Retired Fire & Police Association wants to notify the membership of a critical issue coming before the Los Angeles Fire & Police Pension Commission (LAFPP). Item number 7 on the agenda asks for approval to seek requests for proposal to take over the administration of our medical, dental, and vision insurance.

This issue is critical to the membership. It is so important we are asking all our members to monitor the LAFPP Board meeting on June 16, 2022. The meeting begins at 0830 hours. Everyone can call into the meeting and listen in. The phone number is (669) 900-9128. The meeting ID is 865-1241-3181. You can listen to the meeting and make public comments at the beginning of the meeting. We encourage everyone to participate. 

Since 1975 the Los Angeles Police Relief Association (LAPRA) and the Los Angeles Fireman’s Relief Association (LAFRA) have administered the medical, dental, and vision plans for retired members of the LAFPP. LAFPP provides monthly subsidies. The Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) and the United Firefighters Los Angeles City (UFLAC) also offer plans.

Beginning about ten years ago, the LAFPP Board has approved several reviews from outside medical actuarial companies to determine if the subsidized plans were efficient and cost-competitive with plans offered by outside vendors and health care insurers. In every review, our plans have been found to be efficient and cost-effective by the outside auditor. Every couple of years, we go through this process, and it appears that the ultimate goal of the LAFPP is to take over the administration of all retiree medical and dental plans. Undoubtedly, this whole issue is driven by the desire to cut costs and would result in lower-quality plans and coverage.

A good analogy would be the retired members of the LAFPP have medical and dental plans that run with the efficiency of UPS and FedEx. Any plan administered by LAFPP or a third party would be like the US Postal Service.

We need everyone to get involved, monitor the meeting, and let your opinion be heard by the LAFPP Commissioners. Everyone can call into the meeting and listen in. The phone number is (669) 900-9128. The meeting ID is 865-1241-3181. You can listen to the meeting and make public comments at the beginning of the meeting.

The quality and cost of your medical and dental plans in the future are at stake. Make no mistake about it. This issue is important.