The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association
SDPEBA is a member-governed partnership of San Diego public-sector unions and associations that negotiates and administers health, dental, vision, legal, supplemental, pet, identity, wellness, and purchasing benefits for City and County of San Diego employees and retirees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association does
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association (SDPEBA) is a membership-based benefit association organized as a partnership of six unions and associations — AFSCME 127, MEA, REA, RFPA, SDCPOA, and SDPOA — that negotiates and administers employee benefit programs for public employees of the City of San Diego and the County of San Diego, including active employees and retirees. Its core offering is not a single technology product but a curated portfolio of benefit programs: Sharp Health Plan (Classic, Select, Saver tiers for active employees; Medicare and Non-Medicare plans for retirees) as the exclusive sponsored health carrier, MetLife Dental HMO and PPO, VSP Vision, MetLife Legal Plans, Aflac supplemental insurance (accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, life), Nationwide and MetLife Pet Insurance, Aura identity protection, the Best Health wellness program, and Purchasing Power payroll-deduction purchasing.
SDPEBA's underlying technology is a web-based member portal (portal.sdpeba.org) paired with a 24/7 self-service support site (support.sdpeba.org), enabling online enrollment, benefits management, and inquiry submission. Member acquisition occurs through the participating unions and associations, with annual Open Enrollment periods (October–November) supplemented by onsite benefit fairs at City and County workplaces and targeted communications such as monthly newsletters. The organization advocates directly with insurance providers on behalf of members for claims support, contract compliance, and issue resolution.
Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the operating model implies administrative fees and partnership economics with carriers, with no external investors, no parent company, and no disclosed funding. SDPEBA is a private, member-governed entity headquartered at 9150 Chesapeake Dr., Suite #220, San Diego, CA, operating exclusively within San Diego County.
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association
- Legal name
- The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association
- Website
- https://sdpeba.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SDPEBA is a member-governed partnership of San Diego public-sector unions and associations that negotiates and administers health, dental, vision, legal, supplemental, pet, identity, wellness, and purchasing benefits for City and County of San Diego employees and retirees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Employee Benefits Administration
- NAICS
- Health and Welfare Funds (525120), Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Accident & Health Insurance (6321)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Association & PEO Group Health Plans (AHP/PEO-Sponsored) (FSAIAFAH)
Keywords
Where The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Administration: SDPEBA provides benefit administration services to member employees of participating unions and associations. Revenue appears to be generated through administrative fees and partnerships with insurance providers who pay for access to the member base.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | MetLife Legal Plans - Standard coverage for legal services |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | MetLife Legal Plans Plus Parents - Extended coverage including up to 8 additional family members |
| Freemium | Monthly | Best Health Wellness Program |
| Subscription | Annual | VSP Vision Plan |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Aflac Plans |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SDPEBA is a partnership of unions and associations that administers and negotiates employee benefits on behalf of San Diego public employees. It bundles members into a single purchasing group to offer health insurance (Sharp Health Plan), dental (MetLife HMO/PPO), vision (VSP), supplemental insurance (Aflac), legal services (MetLife Legal Plans), pet insurance (Nationwide, MetLife), identity protection (Aura), wellness programs (Best Health), and purchasing programs (Purchasing Power), with enrollment support, case management, and direct advocacy with carriers.
Product overview
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association (SDPEBA) is a partnership of unions and associations that provides employee benefits administration for San Diego public employees. Rather than a single technology product, SDPEBA offers a portfolio of benefit programs including health insurance (Sharp Health Plan with Classic, Select, and Saver tiers for active employees; Medicare and Non-Medicare plans for retirees), dental insurance (MetLife HMO and PPO), vision insurance (VSP), supplemental insurance products (Aflac accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and life insurance), pet insurance (Nationwide and MetLife), identity protection (Aura), legal services (MetLife Legal Plans), a wellness program (Best Health), and a purchasing power program. SDPEBA serves both active and retired City and County of San Diego employees through enrollment support, case management, and provider review services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sharp Health Plan - Classic Plan
Quantifiable outcome
- Sharp Health Plan is the highest member-rated health plan in California for four consecutive years
Companies that use The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Sharp Health PlancoreSharp Health Plan is SDPEBA's primary health insurance partner, offering Classic, Select, Saver, and Medicare Advantage plans. Sharp is the only commercial not-for-profit health plan in San Diego, offering plans exclusively through SDPEBA to City and County employees. For four consecutive years, Sharp has been the highest member-rated health plan in California.
- MetLife DentalcoreMetLife provides both HMO and PPO dental plans to SDPEBA members. The HMO plan is available to California residents with over 400 procedures covered at set co-payments. The PPO plan offers nationwide coverage with freedom to choose any dentist.
- MetLife Legal PlanscoreMetLife Legal Plans provides group legal services including will writing, identity theft protection, and general legal representation. Plan costs $14.54 per pay period for standard coverage or $15.46 for Plus Parents coverage.
- VSP VisioncoreVSP is SDPEBA's vision carrier with over 55 years of experience. Offers a two-pair plan with $170+ allowance per pair for frames or contacts. Network includes 44,000 access points nationwide with most Americans within four miles of a VSP doctor.
- AflaccoreAflac provides supplemental insurance including Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, and Life Insurance plans. Claims-based plans pay cash benefits directly to members for covered events regardless of other insurance.
- Nationwide Pet InsurancesecondaryNationwide offers comprehensive pet insurance covering accidents, illnesses, and preventive care. Available to SDPEBA members with discounts for multiple pets (5-15% based on pet count).
- MetLife Pet InsurancesecondaryMetLife offers customizable pet insurance with reimbursement rates from 50-90%, preventative care add-ons, and deductible options. Covers dogs and cats with no coverage limits.
- AurasecondaryAura provides identity and digital protection including credit monitoring, VPN, dark web monitoring, and $5M identity theft insurance. Family plans cover up to 10 adults and unlimited minors.
- Purchasing PowersecondaryPurchasing Power allows members to purchase computers, electronics, appliances, and vacations using payroll deductions. No credit score requirements, no hidden fees, and no financing charges.
- Best HealthcoreBest Health is Sharp's comprehensive wellness program offered at no cost to City employees. Includes online wellness tools, health coaching, fitness discounts, and monthly raffle prizes up to $100.
- AFSCME 127coreAFSCME Local 127 is a participating union representing City employees who are members of SDPEBA. Also includes AFSCME 127 Retirees chapter.
- MEA (Municipal Employees Association)coreMEA is a key participating association representing City of San Diego employees. MEA bargaining unit members enroll through the SAP system.
- REA (Retired Employees Association)coreREA represents retired City employees and participates in SDPEBA to provide retirement benefits access to its members.
- RFPA (Retired Firefighters Peace Officers Association)secondaryRFPA represents retired firefighters and peace officers who access SDPEBA benefits.
- SDCPOA (San Diego County Peace Officers Association)secondarySDCPOA represents County peace officers who participate in SDPEBA benefit programs.
- SDPOA (San Diego Police Officers Association)coreSDPOA represents San Diego police officers who are members of SDPEBA through its 1912 founding.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ADP TotalSource: PEO division of ADP providing co-employment, benefits administration, and HR outsourcing to SMBs. Operates the same bundled-benefits-purchasing model for member worksites that SDPEBA applies to unionized public employees, with comparable group-purchasing leverage against major carriers.
- CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System): California's statewide public-employee retirement and health benefits purchaser serving roughly 1.5M members. While SDPEBA operates at the municipal level, both function as pooled purchasing entities that negotiate health and pension benefits on behalf of public employees, with similar group-purchasing economics and member-governance structures.
- Aflac: Supplemental insurance carrier (accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, life) that distributes products through SDPEBA. Comparable as the underlying product manufacturer reaching public employees through association distribution channels, and the deepest carrier-partner relationship in SDPEBA's portfolio.
- Paychex: Payroll and HR/benefits administration provider for SMBs. Overlaps with SDPEBA in benefits enrollment, carrier coordination, and payroll-deduction administration, though at SMB scale and without SDPEBA's public-sector focus.
- TriNet: Large PEO that administers benefits, payroll, and HR for SMB employers. Comparable to SDPEBA as a multi-employer benefits aggregator bundling group purchasing power for member employees, though serving private-sector SMBs rather than municipal unions.
- Marsh McLennan (Mercer): Global benefits consulting and brokerage powerhouse advising public-sector and corporate clients on health, welfare, and retirement plan design. Competes for the same benefits-brokerage relationship that SDPEBA holds with the City and County of San Diego, though at enterprise consulting scale.
Direct peers
- PEHP (Public Employees Health Plan): Utah's public-employee health and benefits trust serving state and local government employees and their dependents. Closest non-California structural analog — a publicly-administered, member-funded benefits pool bundling multiple public-sector employers, with the same group-purchasing mandate as SDPEBA.
- LACERS (Los Angeles City Employees' Retirement System): Direct municipal analog administering health and retirement benefits to Los Angeles city employees and retirees. Operates the same association-style model — bundling multiple bargaining units into a single benefits-purchasing entity — making it the closest structural peer to SDPEBA.
- Sharp Health Plan: Exclusive health plan partner of SDPEBA and the only commercial not-for-profit health plan in San Diego. Direct counterparty in the SDPEBA member value proposition — comparable as a regional HMO offering employer-group plans, but operating on the supply side rather than the association-aggregation side.
- San Francisco Health Service System: Administers health benefits to City and County of San Francisco employees, retirees, and dependents. Identical municipal benefits-administration function for public-sector employees in a different California county, with similar carrier-bundling and Open Enrollment mechanics.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association
What does The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association do?
SDPEBA is a partnership of unions and associations that administers and negotiates employee benefits on behalf of San Diego public employees. It bundles members into a single purchasing group to offer health insurance (Sharp Health Plan), dental (MetLife HMO/PPO), vision (VSP), supplemental insurance (Aflac), legal services (MetLife Legal Plans), pet insurance (Nationwide, MetLife), identity protection (Aura), wellness programs (Best Health), and purchasing programs (Purchasing Power), with enrollment support, case management, and direct advocacy with carriers.
Is The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association a public or private company?
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association founded?
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association was founded in 1989. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association based?
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership Administration.
Who are The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ADP TotalSource, CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System), Aflac, Paychex, TriNet and Marsh McLennan (Mercer). Direct peers are PEHP (Public Employees Health Plan), LACERS (Los Angeles City Employees' Retirement System), Sharp Health Plan and San Francisco Health Service System.
Does The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association.
What industry is The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association in?
The San Diego Public Employee Benefit Association's product category is Employee Benefits Administration. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAIAFAH, Association & PEO Group Health Plans (AHP/PEO-Sponsored). Its NAICS code is 525120 and its SIC code is 8600.