Sag Aftra

What Sag Aftra does

SAG-AFTRA Plans is a nonprofit, multiemployer employee benefit organization that administers collectively bargained health and retirement programs for approximately 160,000 SAG-AFTRA union members — actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists, and other entertainment industry professionals. The organization is structured as two distinct trust arrangements: the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan (formed in 2016 through the merger of the legacy SAG and AFTRA health plans) and the SAG-Producers Pension Plan (in continuous operation since 1961), supplemented by a Senior Performers Health Reimbursement Account. Governance rests with a 36-member Board of Trustees split evenly between 18 Union Trustees and 18 Producer Trustees, with the Plans operating under ERISA and Department of Labor oversight.

The product portfolio is built around defined-benefit pension administration and multi-line health plan administration. The Health Plan delivers medical and behavioral health coverage through Anthem, pharmacy benefits through CVS Caremark, surgical care coordination through Transcarent, palliative care through a partnership with the Motion Picture & Television Fund, and Medicare navigation through Via Benefits. The Pension Plan offers a Regular Pension at age 65, a subsidized Early Retirement Pension at age 55, Disability Pension benefits, and multiple survivor payment options. Member-facing technology consists of the Benefits Manager web portal (pension estimates, earnings history, 1099-R access, document download) and a Contributions Manager portal used by signatory producers to remit mandated employer contributions. The Plans are headquartered at 3601 West Olive Avenue in Burbank, California, with a secondary office in the same complex.

Funding flows from signatory producers to the Plans under collective bargaining agreements; the Health Plan processes earnings reports and disburses contributions to the Health Plan, the SAG-Producers Pension Plan, and the AFTRA Retirement Fund (which remains a separately operated entity). There are no commercial prices, no equity ownership, no parent company, and no public financial disclosures. The Plans are not an investable commercial entity but a collectively bargained trust that exists to deliver health and retirement security to entertainment industry professionals with episodic, contract-based employment.

Name

Sag Aftra

Legal name

SAG-AFTRA Health Plan and SAG-Producers Pension Plan

Website

https://sagaftraplans.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SAG-AFTRA Plans is a nonprofit multiemployer trust that administers collectively bargained health and defined-benefit pension programs for approximately 160,000 SAG-AFTRA entertainment industry union members, operating from Burbank, California under a 36-trustee board.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Employer Union Benefits Administration

NAICS

Health and Welfare Funds (525120), Pension Funds (525110), Health and Welfare Funds (52512), Pension Funds (52511), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251)

SIC

Hospital & Medical Service Plans (6324), Life Insurance (6311)

akta.pro primary industry

Eligibility, Enrollment & Benefits Administration (HLAEALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Benefits Administration & Enrollment Support (BPAAAIAB), Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAA), Benefits Administration (BPACAPAC), Flexible Benefits Administration (FSA/HSA/HRA) (HLAEALAK), Association & PEO Group Health Plans (AHP/PEO-Sponsored) (FSAIAFAH), Benefits Administration & Total Rewards Outsourcing (BPACAKAE), Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA/ICHRA/QSEHRA) Administration (HLAEAAAG)

Keywords

• Multiemployer pension plans
• Health benefits administration
• Entertainment industry benefits
• Retirement benefit plans
• Union member benefits

Headquarters

HQ city

Burbank

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Employer/Producer Contributions: Contributions are made by signatory producers to the SAG-Producers Pension Plan on behalf of actors for work performed under collective bargaining agreements between SAG-AFTRA and employers. The SAG-AFTRA Health Plan processes earnings reports and sends paid contributions to the Health Plan, Pension Plan, and AFTRA Retirement Fund as mandated in employer agreements.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SAG-AFTRA Plans administers the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan and the SAG-Producers Pension Plan, providing health care and retirement benefits to approximately 160,000 eligible entertainment industry professionals (actors, singers, dancers, announcers, voiceover artists, and other media professionals) and their dependents. Benefits are funded by mandatory contributions from signatory producers remitted under collective bargaining agreements; eligibility is based on covered earnings and pension credits earned through work under SAG-AFTRA contracts.

Product overview

SAG-AFTRA Plans is a union benefits organization offering a portfolio of health and retirement benefit programs to entertainment industry professionals. The core offerings consist of two major benefit plans: the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan (providing medical, behavioral health, pharmacy, and specialized care benefits) and the SAG-Producers Pension Plan (providing retirement income benefits). These core products are supported by add-on modules including the Senior Performers HRA for senior performer health expense reimbursement, the Benefits Manager online portal for self-service account management, and the Contributions Manager for employer earnings reporting. The organization also offers supplementary programs such as the Palliative Care Program through MPTF, Medicare guidance via Via Benefits, and surgical care coordination through Transcarent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAG-AFTRA Health Plan Primary health insurance plan providing medical, behavioral health, pharmacy (CVS Caremark), infertility, and surgical (Transcarent) care benefits to eligible SAG-AFTRA participants and their dependents. Includes Anthem network access.
• SAG-Producers Pension Plan Multiemployer defined benefit pension plan providing guaranteed monthly lifetime retirement income to eligible entertainment industry professionals. Offers Regular Pension at age 65, subsidized Early Retirement Pension at age 55, Disability Pension for totally disabled participants, pre-retirement death benefits, terminal illness benefits, and multiple payment options (Five-Year Certain, Ten-Year Certain, Joint and Survivor).
• Senior Performers Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) Health reimbursement account for senior performers that reimburses eligible medical expenses not covered by other plans, with reimbursements generally excludable from taxable income. Supports Medicare-eligible participants in selecting and navigating Medicare coverage options.
• Contributions Manager Employer-facing web portal for signatory producers to submit earnings reports, manage mandated contributions to the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan and SAG-Producers Pension Plan, and process employer payments specified in collective bargaining agreements.
• Benefits Manager
• Palliative Care Program MPTF-administered palliative care benefit providing symptom management, emotional and spiritual support, interdisciplinary team care, assessments, supportive counseling, community resources, and caregiver support for seriously ill SAG-AFTRA Health Plan participants and their dependents, delivered via video and telephone conferencing.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAG-AFTRA Health Plan partners with MPTF to provide Palliative Care benefits through MPTF's award-winning program. The benefit supports seriously ill participants and their dependents by providing interdisciplinary team support, assessments, counseling, caregiver support, and community resources through video and telephone conferencing.
• AnthemcoreTechnology or IntegrationAnthem provides medical and behavioral health benefits administration for SAG-AFTRA Health Plan participants. Members access care through Anthem's network providers and can use Anthem's Sydney Health App for benefits management.
• CVS CaremarkcoreTechnology or IntegrationCVS Caremark provides pharmacy benefit management services for SAG-AFTRA Health Plan, handling prescription drug coverage for participants.
• Entertainment Community Fund (formerly Actors Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Entertainment Community Fund is a national human services organization that helps performing arts and entertainment professionals with programs and services. They are referenced as a resource for SAG-AFTRA members seeking additional support.
• AFTRA Retirement FundminorOthersAFTRA Retirement Fund remains a separate, independently operated entity from SAG-Producers Pension Plan. The merger of SAG and AFTRA health plans did not affect the AFTRA Retirement Fund.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans (MPIPHP): MPIPHP administers the IATSE-affiliated multiemployer pension and health plans for motion picture and entertainment industry workers, making it the closest functional analog to SAG-AFTRA's Health and Pension Plans in both product offering and target population.
• Writers Guild of America Health Fund & Pension Plan: WGA Health & Pension Plans provide health and retirement benefits to writers under WGA collective bargaining agreements, mirroring SAG-AFTRA Plans' union-negotiated, multiemployer defined benefit structure for entertainment professionals.
• Directors Guild of America - Producer Pension Plan: DGA's Producer Pension and Health Plans provide multiemployer defined benefit pensions and health benefits to directors and their teams, operating under a virtually identical trust-governed, collectively bargained model serving entertainment industry members.
• Actors' Equity Association Health & Pension Funds: Actors' Equity administers health and pension benefits for stage performers under collective bargaining, making it a directly comparable union-negotiated benefits organization for performing arts professionals, though smaller in scale.
• AFTRA Retirement Fund: The AFTRA Retirement Fund is the historical AFTRA-side pension plan that remained independent after the SAG/AFTRA merger; it is directly comparable as a multiemployer defined benefit plan for the same membership population.

Emerging players

• Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield: Anthem is the underlying medical and behavioral health administrator for SAG-AFTRA's Health Plan and serves as both a critical vendor and a structural peer in commercial employer-sponsored health administration.
• CVS Caremark: CVS Caremark provides pharmacy benefit management to SAG-AFTRA Plans; as one of the largest PBMs in the US, it is a structural peer in health benefit plan administration though at vastly different scale.

Broad incumbents

• Mercer (Marsh McLennan): Mercer is a major global benefits administration and consulting firm serving multiemployer and large employer health/welfare plans; it is comparable as a broad incumbent in the same benefits administration space.
• Central States Pension Fund (Teamsters): Central States is a large multiemployer defined benefit pension fund for Teamster members; it is comparable to SAG-AFTRA's Pension Plan as a structurally similar multiemployer DB plan, though at much larger scale.

Others

• Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund): Entertainment Community Fund is a strategic partner that delivers social services and wellness programs to the same SAG-AFTRA membership; it is a thematically adjacent nonprofit that supports the Plan's holistic member value proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sag Aftra