CALIFORNIA FREELANCERS

Work in the following job categories counts towards PHBP eligibility:

Executive Producer

Line Producer

Production Supervisor

Assistant Production Supervisor

Production Assistant

Bidding Producer

Only work in a Covered Job Category for a Participating Employer counts towards eligibility.

Click here for a current list of Participating Employers.

All eligible Freelance employees will receive benefits on an annual basis at no cost. These benefits include:

Medical and Prescription Drugs

Vision

Dental

Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance

$25,000 Basic Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment

Employee Assistance Program

Voluntary Benefits are available a la carte to all Freelancers and may be purchased separately and are provided by Anthe. These voluntary benefits include:

Accident

Critical Illness

Hospital Indemnity

Supplemental Life Insurance (Up to $1M in coverage)

Work 100 days per year, including applicable banked days (“day” defined as a minimum of 8 hours, “year” as 12 consecutive months )

— OR —

Earn $35,000 per year (as defined above).

UPDATE: AS OF JANUARY 1, 2026, THE ABOVE ELIGIBILITY RULES WILL BE AMENDED TO 80 WORK DAYS PER YEAR OR $45,000 IN REPORTED INCOME.

Only commercial work in a covered job category for PHBP Participating Employers, for which contributions have been received, counts towards eligibility.

Music videos, TV, Features, webisodes, etc. are NOT included.

Click hereto check your work history.

If you are not currently covered and have a Qualifying Event (the moment you meet one of the eligibility requirements), the month in which you have the Qualifying Event will be the last month of your initial Qualifying Period, which is followed by a 2 month processing period, after which your 12 month Coverage Period will begin. A new 12 month Qualifying Period, in which you must again earn eligibility for a subsequent 12 month Coverage Period, commences on the first day of the month following the Initial Qualifying Period.

Working for a non-participating production company? Encourage them to join and share this link!

Once you qualify for coverage, you will be sent an Eligibility Notice with enrollment instructions and a link to the current Enrollment Guide, also available at the top of this page.

Your 12 month Coverage Period will begin on the First of the month following a two month processing period that starts at the end of the Qualifying Period in which you earned eligibility, including the Initial Qualifying Period as described in the “Eligibility Requirements” section above. A new 12 Month Qualifying Period follows each expiring Qualifying Period, during which you must again earn eligibility for the next subsequent 12 month Coverage Period. There is a two month processing period between each 12 month Qualifying and Coverage Period.

Example: If you are not currently covered and you meet one of the eligibility requirements on April 17, April 30 will be the end of your Initial Qualifying Period. May and June are the processing period months and coverage starts the 1st of the following month, in this case, July 1. April 30 will be the end of your subsequent 12 month Coverage Periods, during which you must again earn eligibility for a subsequent 12 month Coverage Period to begin the following July 1.

All medical plan elections must be made by the effective date of coverage or you will be auto enrolled in the default HMO Plan for your Tier.

If you wish to opt out of coverage, you must actively opt out on the enrollment platform or you will be auto enrolled in the HMO.

If you have renewed eligibility for continued coverage but not at the same tier level, you must elect a new medical plan available to your tier. The HMO will be the default coverage if no eligible plan is selected.

Your annual $300 administrative fee must be paid prior to the commencement of coverage or coverage will be terminated retroactively to the commencement date.

It may take the carrier up to 30 days from your coverage start date to send you your ID cards. See you Enrollment Guide for details.

Anthem Blue Cross can also be reached at 800-759-3030.

Once you have qualified for coverage, your Income Tier will be determined by your total reported earnings in your most recent 12 month Qualifying Period. If you have qualified for the first time, your Tier will be determined by reported income (and days worked, if applicable) at the end of your Initial Qualifying Period.

“Reported Income” is the gross income paid on covered jobs, in covered job categories performed for Participating Employers, on which contributions were received by the Plan.”

TIER 1 – Annual reported Income: Up to $49,999

Available No Cost Medical Coverage: California Classic Platinum HMO -OR- High Deductible Health Plan w/ available tax advantaged Health Savings Account (HSA)

TIER 2 – Annual reported Income: $50,000 - $109,999

Available No Cost Medical Coverage: California Classic Platinum HMO -OR- High Deductible Health Plan w/ tax advantaged Health Savings Account (HSA)

Available ‘Buy up’ Medical Coverage: Classic Plus PPO

TIER 3 – Annual reported Income: $110,000 and above

Available No Cost Medical Coverage: California Classic Platinum HMO -OR- High Deductible Health Plan w/ tax advantaged Health Savings Account (HSA) -OR- Classic Plus PPO

UPDATE: FOR COVERAGE PERIODS COMMENCING ON OR AFTER MARCH 1, 2026, A NEW “BASIC TIER” WILL BE ADDED TO THE ABOVE. BASIC TIER COVERAGE WILL BE FOR THOSE ELIGIBLE FREELANCE EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE EARNED LESS THAN $45,000 AND WORKED BETWEEN 80 - 99 DAYS. AVAILABLE NO COST MEDICAL COVERAGE: CALIFORNIA SILVER SELECT HMO - OR - HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLAN W/ TAX ADVANTAGED HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT (THE HSA PLAN). AVAILABLE BUY UP MEDICAL COVERAGE: CALIFORNIA CLASSIC PLATINUM HMO.

“Salary figures are stated for convenient reference only and eligibility is based on contributions actually received derived from such salary amounts.”

To help you maintain eligibility for coverage, you can bank qualified days worked in excess of those needed to qualify in each Qualifying Period for use in the subsequent qualifying period only. The number of banked days credited towards eligibility will be capped at 50% of the stated eligilit. i.e. 40 days as of 1/01/2026.

All applicable banked days from your immediately preceding 12 month qualification period will be automatically added to your current day count at the conclusion of your qualifying period.

If the sum of your worked days and applicable banked days is equal to or greater than the number of days needed for eligibility (80 days as of 1/01/2026), you qualify for coverage.

Click here to review your work history and Banked Days.

Covered Freelancers can add their dependents:

Dependents (spouse/domestic partner, children, children of spouse/domestic partner, children placed with you for adoption, all under age 26 ) can be added for $250 per month for the 1st Dependent, plus $100 per month for each additional dependent.

Dependents can be added upon initial enrollment or annual renewals only.

Exceptions are made for special “life events”, i.e. birth, marriage, adoption, involuntary termination of a dependents’ prior coverage, etc. Example: a spouse’s current employer provided insurance is terminated by the employer. In this case, the soon-to-be formerly covered dependent can join PHBP without interruption.

If you have a qualifying “life event”, you must notify the Plan Administrator within 30 days or your otherwise eligible dependent could be denied coverage.

Proof of eligibility will be required: the termination notice of prior coverage, marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.

See the Summary Plan Description (SPD) and all Summary of Material Modifications (SMM) in the Documents and Resources section for more information regarding dependent eligibility.

If you are eligible for coverage, your insurance is free.

If you are a Basic Tier or Tier Two participant, you may choose to “buy up” to a different level of coverage. See your enrollment guide for details.

All covered Freelancers must pay a $300 annual administrative fee upon enrollment and with each annual policy renewal. Failure to pay will result in the termination of benefits retroactive to the due date, which is the commencement of the Coverage Period.

The costs of dependent coverage is shown separately..

Ineligible freelancers may be able to continue coverage for a fee with Bridge Coverage or COBRA continuation coverage.

If you do not earn eligibility to renew another 12 month Coverage Period but your actual worked days plus applicable banked are 50 days or more, you can “bridge” the gap between the sum of those days and the 100 days of work needed to re-qualify by making monthly payments equal to $10.18 per each day needed to bridge the gap.

Example: You have 20 days banked from your previous qualifying year and worked 48 days in the current qualifying year, for a total of 68 days. That’s 32 days short of the 100 needed to re-qualify. The Bridge Payment would be 32 days x $10.18 per day, for a total of $325.76 per month.

Bridge coverage will be Tier One coverage only.

UPDATE: EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2026, YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR BRIDGE COVERAGE IF YOUR COMBINED WORKED AND BANKED DAYS ARE 40 DAYS OR MORE. IF YOU WERE ON AN HMO MEDICAL PLAN, YOU WILL BRIDGE ON THE SAME HMO PLAN YOU HAD DURING YOUR RECENTLY CONCLUDED COVERAGE PERIOD. IF YOU WERE ON THE CLASSIC PLUS PPO OR THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HSA PLAN, YOUR BRIDGE PARTICIPATION WILL BE ON THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HSA PLAN. RATES VARY PER PLAN. SEE YOUR ENROLLMENT GUIDE FOR MORE DETAILS.

While participating in the Bridge program, the Participant will pay the full cost of dependent coverage each month.

Bridge participation is on a month by month basis for up to 12 months. If you requalify for regular coverage while on the bridge, the Qualifying Event will trigger a new Initial Qualifying Period as detailed in the “Eligibility Requirements” section above.

Click here to contact the Plan Administrator to set up bridge payments. Bridge payments must be set-up PRIOR to the termination of your current coverage.

If your PHBP coverage is terminated for failure to re-qualify, you will be offered COBRA continuation coverage. If your coverage is terminated for failure to pay your administrative fee, you will not.

COBRA continuation coverage allows your to pay the full cost of your insurance premium plus a small administration fee on a month by month basis for up to 18 months. Your notice of termination of benefits will include your COBRA notice with instruction to enroll. For more information, contact the plan administrator at staff@phbpbenefits.org

References to or concerning Plan rules, terms, conditions and documents, including carrier insurance contracts, are intended as general statements for informational purposes only. Official plan documents, policies and certificates of insurance contain the details, conditions, maximum benefit levels and restrictions on benefits and in all cases the text of such documents shall control. See the “Documents and Resources” section of this website for more details.

For complete eligibility rules, see the Summary Plan Description and accompanying amendments in the Summary of Material Modifications found in the Documents and Resourcessection of this website. No participant (or dependent) is vested in or guaranteed any level or type of insurance coverage  or any earned eligibility all of which may be eliminated, modified or amended by the Trustees in their sole judgment and discretion.

Call BeneSys Administrators at 855-696-2909, ext. 8604 between 8am – 4pm PST.

Email questions to Staff@phbpbenefits.org