Active Employees, Soon to be Retired and Retirees:
The City of New York, Mayor Adams, and the Municipal Labor Committee (representing 102 public service unions) have targeted City retirees to replenish funds for the Health Insurance Stabilization Fund. They are doing this by altering their promised traditional Medicare coverage and Medigap Plans by outsourcing them to Aetna in a profit-driven and privately-managed Medicare Advantage Plan
Mayor Adams signed the contract with Aetna on March 30, 2023.
It is imperative that more than one premium free health plan be offered to City of NY retirees. The Adams administration is exercising the “Nuclear Option” by eliminating all choice of plans for retirees. Active employees under and over 55 years of age need to be aware that the City has recently issued an RFP for employee health care that seeks a 10% cost savings effective January 1, 2024. The City came after the retirees and now has its sights on active employees. There is a strong likelihood that the choice of plans for active employees will be reduced or eliminated. Don’t be complacent; the writing is on the wall despite what the labor unions tell their members.
The time is now to protect retirees like the City Council said they wanted to. Retirees were promised a choice of premium free healthcare and what is happening is a breach of contract. Retirees gave up wages for the promise of choices of premium free healthcare. The current unions are negotiating for the now and aren’t thinking about their current members’ futures and what that means. The Aetna Medicare Advantage plan puts the decision of a retired workers’ health in the hands of an insurance company and NOT a medical professional. NYC should live up to its promise.
You can send letters to the City Council, Comptroller Brad Lander and Mayor Adams. It is very simple to do. Just click on the links below. All you have to do is enter your name, email address and mailing address. The text is already written for you. Of course, you can also edit and write your own words too.
City Council:
We are asking the City Council to support the proposed bill currently sitting in the Legislative Office of the City Council that has been there since December. The Council legislated Admin Code 12-126 and all amendments were championed by the City Council to protect retirees. The time to act is NOW!
LINK
NYC Comptroller Brad Lander:
Write this letter to NYC Comptroller Brad Lander telling him to reject the Aetna’s Medicare Advantage Plan that will hurt us.
LINK
NYC Mayor Eric Adams:
Write to the mayor and tell him to honor the City’s promise to retirees while still saving the City hundreds of millions in health care costs.
LINK