Here's a fun one: San Francisco is sitting on roughly $240 million in healthcare funds that belong to workers — and if those workers don't act before May 21, 2026 at 5pm, the city sweeps every last dollar into the General Fund to plug its budget deficit.
You read that right. The city mandated that employers set aside money for employee healthcare through something called an SF MRA (Medical Reimbursement Account). Then it made the system so obscure that over 135,000 workers never even set up their accounts. And now the city gets to keep the cash. Convenient.
If you've worked in San Francisco at any point since 2008 — restaurants, retail, tech, hospitality, really any employer with 20+ workers — there may be money sitting in one of these accounts with your name on it. One local found out her husband had been accumulating funds for years without knowing: "He had no idea his company had to put the money they would have paid for his health benefit into this account. He had 30k in there. It was maybe one of the best days of my life." Another SF resident discovered $2,000 just by checking.
This isn't a scam. It's a city program. You can verify through SF.gov's own documentation.
Here's what to do:
- Search your name at the SF MRA Funds Finder — you'll need your name, date of birth, and last four of your SSN.
- If you have funds, enroll immediately. Even just enrolling resets your three-year inactivity clock.
- Use the money. It covers doctor visits, prescriptions, dental, vision, even sunscreen and first aid supplies.
- Or just call SF City Option customer service at 877-772-0415 — even a phone call resets the clock.
One important note: public employees (City and County of SF, UCSF, federal workers, Cal State) are not covered under this program. This is for private-sector workers.
Also worth knowing: there's a $3.15/month maintenance fee quietly draining your balance whether you use it or not. So the longer you wait, the less you get.
Look, we understand the city has a budget hole. But raiding a quarter-billion dollars from workers — many of them in lower-wage service jobs who were never properly informed the accounts existed — is not fiscal responsibility. It's a windfall built on bureaucratic negligence. The least you can do is not let them take your share.
Tell your coworkers. Tell your friends who used to bartend in the Mission. Tell anyone who ever bussed tables in North Beach. That money is theirs — for now.
