Retirees

The Retirees Chapter membership includes retired NYC Managers as well as Managers who have left City service.

The Retirees Chapter meets twice a year. Meetings provide an opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues, to learn about upcoming changes to City benefits and activities of the MEA. The Chapter provides members an opportunity to stay involved with MEA.

We would love to hear from you! Let us know what you’ve been up to so we can share with your MEA friends and colleagues. Please send your news to us at info[at]nycmea.org

Federal Report on Medicare Advantage Plan. (April 28) Some Medicare Advantage Organization Denials of Prior Authorization Requests Raise Concerns About Beneficiary Access to Medically Necessary Care. Article can be found here. Story from The New York Times by Reed Abelson.

MAP. (Feb 23)  Story from New York Daily News by Marcia Biederman. Article can be found here.

Retirees Chapter Director’s Report. February 2022
NYC Medicare Advantage Plus, Chapter meeting and updates, membership update. Read full report here.

Medicare Advantage Meeting
The September 22, 2021 meeting included representative from Empire and OLR. Video from the program is available until October 31.

Medicare Advantage (July 19, 2021) to offer improved benefits to retirees as of Jan. 1, 2022. Story from The Chief by Richard Steier. Article can be found here.


Be Heard! Take Action! (July 16, 2021)  Contact Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. Go here.

Unions approve $22.5M deal to privatize retired city workers’ insurance. (July 15, 2021).  Story from Crain’s Business by Maya Kaufman. Article can be found here.


Privatized Medicare Advantage for Retirees. (July 14, 2021) . Story from The Chief by Richard Steier. July 14,. Article can be found here.


Letter of Action from COMRO regarding MLC Medicare can be found here. (June 9, 2021)


New York City Retirees Fight to Defend Their Medicare Benefits by Merry Tucker. (June 3, 2021).  For the full article on LaborNotes, click here.


Call To Action (May 18, 2021)  The NYC Managerial Employees Association supports the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) Retirees Chapter call for a Moratorium on any agreement between New York City and the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) to move retiree healthcare coverage from traditional Medicare to Medicare Advantage and asks that the PSC bring the moratorium call to the MLC.

Any reduction in services or increase in cost is unacceptable. Any plan approved by the City and MLC must ensure that it allows retirees to retain our current doctors and have access to any Medicare doctor at no additional cost to us and without requiring prior approval by the plan.


Retired City Workers Recoil at Coming Cost-Saving Medicare Shift by Sam Mellins, on The City.  (April 23, 2021).  For full article on The City, click here.


Letter of response from OLR regarding MLC Medicare can be found here. (March 31, 2021)


Notice to our MEA Retirees Chapter
on
potential Medicare coverage change
updated March 23, 2021

Stu Eber, President of Council of Municipal Retiree Organizations of New York City (COMRO), along with the officers of COMRO, recently sent an open letter to Mayor de Blasio and the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC).

The letter addressed concerns over the City’s current negotiation with MLC to shift medical coverage for retirees on Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan. The goal is to lower the City’s medical insurance costs for 200,000 retired employees and avoid layoffs for in service employees. The understanding is that an RFP was issued, and several providers responded. The City is now negotiating with two of them, Aetna and Emblem Health, and the plan is to select one provider by the end of March. The contract would go into effect on July 1, beginning of the City’s fiscal year.

What we know at the moment:

  • can stay with your current doctor, if providers accept the new plan
  • new insurance cards and numbers will be provided to those currently on Medicare
  • unsure of coverage changes, if any

As soon as we receive information about the new provider and how the program will work, we will set up a Zoom meeting with members of the Retiree Chapter as well as post information on MEA website Retirees page.


Make Your Voice Heard
Sign the Petition


 

The last meeting was held on November 17, 2022.

Stay tuned for the next meeting.

Medicare Part B (April 5, 2022) standard reimbursement for Medicare Part B of $148.50 /month will be issued sometime during the month of April. If you receive your pension via direct deposit, you will see a deposit on your bank statement. If you receive your pension via paper check, you will receive your Medicare Part B reimbursement via paper check. If you already submitted your Medicare Part A & B card to the Health Benefits Program, this payment is automatic and you will receive it annually. Visit the OLR website if you have any questions.

(update 4/15) if you have direct deposit, be sure to check your bank account. The City started making deposits on April 14. Checks will take a few more days.


IRMAA (April 5, 2022) IRMAA application is available on the OLR website. For those who are eligible, IRMAA 2021 reimbursement will be issued in October 2022. Applications will be available from the OLR website in May.

Use this link to submit your documents.

Be sure to have all your documents ready by using the check list below:

  • IRMMA application
  • SSA-1099
  • SSA Notice of Medicare Part B premium award letter
  • this form can also be used for 2019 and 2020 reimbursements

Social Security COLA (Oct 13, 2021)
The 5.9 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 64 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2022. Read more about this on the SSN website here.


NYC Health Benefits Program (HBP) for Retirees website, of the NYC Office of Labor Relations provides information for:

  • Medicare Part B
  • IRMAA
  • Choosing a Plan / Plan Coverage
  • Enrollment / Plan Comparisons
  • Contact the HBP

This is the link for the NYC Health Benefit Plan Program.


The Management Benefits Fund page provides information about the supplemental benefits to non-unionized personnel of the City of New York, which includes all managerial, confidential, and original jurisdiction employees and retirees. Your membership in the Management Benefits Fund (“Fund”) entitles you and your eligible dependents access to various MBF Benefits Programs. All MBF benefits, with the exception of Group Universal Life Insurance, are fully paid for the Fund.

This is the link to the Management Benefit Fund (MBF).

 

None at the moment.

Meet your Retirees Chapter Team

Adrienne A. Leaf
Chapter Director
adrienne155@gmail.com

Sam Borkow
Membership
samsbistro@aol.com

Candida Carcana
Programs

Lisa Yee
Recording Secretary