Members
June 18, 2026
Healthcare Eligibility and Managing Gaps
- Healthcare-eligibility minimums are pegged to one-hour network episodic television script fees. In order to qualify for health care, you will need to meet this threshold, currently $47,460 (as of July 1, 2026). In July 2027, the earnings threshold to qualify for coverage will increase to 110% of the one-hour network primetime story and teleplay minimum, or $53,773, and thereafter will continue to increase with MBA minimums on May 2 of each year.
- It’s important to communicate with your reps about what you need to earn to meet or exceed this threshold when they are negotiating your deals. Some at-scale feature deals (i.e. a treatment, rewrite, or polish) may not be enough to meet the threshold.
- Once you have established eligibility, it is important to be aware of your personal earnings cycle (the period in which you must meet the Eligibility Earning requirement to continue uninterrupted coverage). To check the status of your cycle, please visit myplans.wgaplans.org nd click on “Coverage.” Also keep in mind that contribution payments are attributable to the quarter when your compensation is earned and paid or due not necessarily when the check gets cut. That is, if the company pays you late, the contributions will be posted to the quarter when the compensation was due, not when you were paid. Knowing these details will help you understand what is needed to maintain your coverage.
- There’s a “points” system for the Extended Coverage Program (ECP). If you lose eligibility because you haven’t earned sufficient compensation within an earnings cycle, and you have accumulated at least 10 points, you will automatically be placed in the ECP. Certain changes to this program were made under the 2026 MBA; as of January 1, 2027, you may earn up to two points for each year of employer-paid Health Fund coverage earned. Additionally, you may accumulate up to a maximum of fifty (50) points, or up to five years of coverage, depending on your health plan.
Starting January 1, 2027, the first Extended Coverage Point will be earned at $200,000 in annual earnings, and the second once earnings reach the compensation cap for screen, which will be $325,000 on January 1, 2027, and will increase along with the negotiated increases up to the screen caps. Extended Coverage under the Anthem PPO plan will use 4 points per quarter, while Extended Coverage under the new Centivo plan option will use 2.5 points per quarter.
| Extended Coverage Program (ECP) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Beginning January 1, 2027 | ||
| ECP Point Spending | 2.5 points per quarter for Anthem PPO | 4 points per quarter for Anthem PPO, 2.5 points per quarter for Centivo | |
| ECP Point Accrual | Per 12 months of coverage: 1 credit, 2nd credit for $125K annual earners, 3rd credit for $250K annual earners | Per 12 months of coverage: 1 credit for $200K annual earners, 2nd credit at negotiated screen cap ($325,000 as of Jan 1, 2027, $375,000 as of Jan 1, 2028, $400,000 as of Jan 1, 2029) | |
- For more info or to check on the status of your points go to myplans.wgaplans.org and click on “Coverage.” For more information about health plan changes under the 2026 MBA, including changes to the ECP and the new Centivo plan option, please visit the Health Fund Changes FAQ.
Spec Sales
- Spec sales only generate pension and health contributions if accompanied by a paid writing step of at least a rewrite or polish. An option payment or a spec sale without a step means the writer gets zero contributions, even if the movie gets made. A second step—i.e., a rewrite—is required under the 2026 MBA when a writer is hired for a first draft screenplay where the compensation is 225% of minimum or less. This gain, first achieved in 2023, also ensures that the company makes pension and health contributions on the rewrite and the purchase price up to the project cap. If you are selling a spec script above 225% of minimum, make sure you are also employed to do a rewrite!
Project Caps
- Please remember, there is a cap on the contributions you can receive on a theatrical project. Under the 2026 MBA, you can receive contributions on up to $225,000 of earnings for pension and $325,000 for health per project. The Health Fund contribution cap on screen projects will increase to $375,000 as of May 2, 2027, and to $400,000 as of May 2, 2028. After you reach the Health Fund contribution cap, you will not receive additional health-care contributions on that project. So, if you are on one project that lasts for a while, you could lose earned health coverage despite being employed.
- For writing teams, under gains made in the 2023 MBA, each team member will receive pension and health contributions up to the relevant cap as though they were a single writer, rather than splitting the applicable cap.
- It’s critical that you and your reps push hard to hit the Health Fund contribution threshold especially if you’re going to be working on a single project for a while. If you earn $250,000 in your earnings cycle, you will also qualify for an Excess Earnings Extension (known as "The $250K Extension") in health coverage. If you earn at least $250,000 for writing in one four-quarter earnings cycle but don’t earn what you need for the next cycle, you will get earned coverage for the next year.
- If you are part of a writing team, each of you individually will need to earn at least $125,000 in one four-quarter earnings cycle and one or both of you must not earn enough in your next personal earnings cycle to be eligible for the Excess Earnings Extension. This extension is not automatic, so if you believe you qualify, contact the Fund or call (818) 846-1015 ext. 605.
Employer Compliance
Check with the Pension Plan and Health Fund to make sure the Signatory company employing you is remitting pension and health contributions in the correct amounts and in the proper time period. Although it is the employer’s responsibility to remit the payments, and the Fund performs regular audits, you can also check on the status of your contributions by going to myplans.wgaplans.org and reviewing your work history under the Eligibility section. If you spot a discrepancy, please click on the Discrepancy Report form and provide the necessary information and documents so the Fund can contact your employer.