Retired NYC employees sue to block new ‘inferior’ Medicare coverage

Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
15,592
I saw this on another site.....worth looking into......QUOTE....Thursday July 14, 2022
NO NEW INFO STATUS QUO APPEAL SET FOR SEPTEMBER
Note: Anecdotal evidence is indicating that all of the hoopla surrounding the City’s new MAP plan and the Alliance’s court mandated outreach to doctors, have created some unintended consequences. Also, the confusion regarding co-pays, deductibles, etc, has added to the problem. The main culprit has been the improper usage of the Medicare ABN (Advance Beneficiary Notice) form. Doctors are increasingly asking patients to sign a blank ABN form to “keep on file”. This is a Medicare no-no and is akin to signing a blank check. The form is self explanatory and is designed to be used in specific cases and NEVER to be signed by a patient if it is blank.
Orthopedists lead the pack for this problem far and away.
B5CEEF6D-C675-41B8-B534-A93F0E713C27.png (531.33KiB)
PROTECT OUR HARD-EARNED BENEFITS........UNQUOTE.
 
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
15,592

9a8b7d26801%2Ff39dab50-6bf1-4931-ac75-1b0b0aab4af7.png
RETIRED LIEUTENANTS ASSOCIATION NYPD

the latest on the Medicare lawsuit from the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees sent yesterday

______________________________________________________________________

Good morning Retirees!

Our fundraising continues. Thank you to EVERYONE contributing to the fight! Our cases are coming up in fall and we hope to have a date soon. The City has been negotiating with Aetna to take over where Anthem left off. That should not come as a surprise as they were the other finalist in the proposal for the Medicare Advantage Plan.

We still have not been informed as to what their proposal will be like. They are refusing to answer those questions, and state that they may know or may never know. A Recent story on AETNA for retirees and EMPLOYEES has surfaced. Retirees there are being put into a AETNA Medicare Advantage plan. The ONLY plan for about 140,000 retirees. And listen, they even say the EMPLOYEES have issues with their plan too! Do their complaints sound familiar? Share this with your friends still in service with the City. They should know.

https://www.wcia.com/news/target3/1109169/

These plans should remain an option and not forced on you. But know the model, the City is also warning us, they will seek to autoenroll us into this one too and are seeking a premium once again. In order for them to get away with the premium, they will have to win their appeal. We will keep you posted.

YOUTUBE VIDEOS (from the Friday night Facebook Lives)
August 12
August 19
******************​

Your friends, and retirees in SOLIDARITY...​

The NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees​

**************​

Donations are Needed! It is summer, copays, inflation, etc, but we need to keep donations coming in to fund our fall litigation!​

TO DONATE TO THE LEGAL FUND​

Donation Instructions to Support Our Class Action Suit Against the City To Protect Our Retiree Healthcare:​

We worked decades for our benefits! Let’s make sure the City and the MLC don’t take them away!​

A suggested $25 Donation* will help start the fight to keep our current benefits. Give more if you can, and/or often! If you cannot meet the minimum suggested donation, we appreciate whatever you can give towards this fight for our benefits. We also added the option to make your donation recurring (monthly) as was requested.​

The fundraiser group is incorporated as a Non-Profit. ALL proceeds go to fund the organization and its legal challenge. Volunteer retirees are running this effort. Our 501C3 is pending.​

TO DONATE, HERE ARE 4 SIMPLE WAYS!​

1.Zelle using email NYCOrgofpublicserviceretirees@gmail.com

2. Make your check out to:​

NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees PO Box 941​

Venice, FL 34284 (our treasurer lives in FL)​

3. Or click on this Paypal link:​

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=Q4VWJEYVJ9HTW&Z3&fbclid=IwAR0pEOc51x9xhc-CBb8vqAIkX97Bgg1Z02f1r9gQh9S3dOsVmAdob5jBbw8

4. We Now Accept Donations via VENMO

VENMO is a Phone App or can be used on a PC or Tablet
You can download and install the Phone App from the Android Play Store or Apple App Store. There may be fees involved using this method.

Our ID is: @NYCRetirees

If you are on this list, it is because you subscribed to hear what we are doing as an organization that represents all NYC Municipal workers in protecting their Health benefits in retirement. Currently, we have a FACEBOOK page located here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/888622578669131

If you are not on FACEBOOK, we will be updating you here. And Check our website for FAQ www.nycretirees.orgThank you for signing up for our newsletter and pass this to a friend to sign up too!

contact.com%2Fletters%2Fimages%2F1101116784221%2FS.gif

 
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
15,592
9a8b7d26801%2Ff39dab50-6bf1-4931-ac75-1b0b0aab4af7.png
RETIRED LIEUTENANTS ASSOCIATION NYPD

Adams and Unions Strike Deal on Shift to Cost-Cutting Medicare Plan​


The mayor and major city unions plan to press the City Council to clear a path for a privatized Medicare plan for retired city workers.​

BY SAM MELLINS, NEW YORK FOCUS September 8, 2022

At a meeting Thursday morning, the administration of Mayor Eric Adams and major unions representing municipal employees agreed on a proposal to clear the way for their long-held goal of switching retired city workers to cost-saving private Medicare Advantage plans.

The insurance shift, first reported by New York Focus more than a year ago, would likely save the city hundreds of millions of dollars a year and help pay for current workers’ benefits — but many retirees fear that it could decrease their access to health care.

At the meeting, union leaders agreed to a proposal from the administration to make a joint request to the City Council, asking it to amend city law to allow the city to charge retirees for their current health care plans. That would remove a legal roadblock that has held the switch up in court and led the insurer that had won the contract to administer the plan to back out in July.

“It wasn’t all wildly enthusiastic votes, and people were expressing qualms. But the difficulty is we’re not quite sure what else to do, because there is a financial problem here,” said Robert Croghan, chair of the executive board of the Organization of Staff Analysts, a union representing city office workers across numerous agencies. Croghan estimated that 85% of the dozens of union representatives present voted in favor of the proposal.

Oren Barzilay, president of Local 2507, a union representing fire department employees, told New York Focus that he voted against the proposal. “The law gives us protection in terms of having our current health benefits,” he said. “Why would you open up that Pandora’s box not knowing what could happen?”

The city projects that the shift to Medicare Advantage will save $600 million annually, which would go to a fund controlled by city unions that is used to pay for current city employees’ health insurance and other benefits. Without that additional cash, the benefits that the fund provides could be at risk.

The city and union leaders have claimed that retired city workers would receive the same quality of care under a Medicare Advantage plan as they currently receive under Senior Care, the free insurance plan that the city provides to most retirees. But many retirees have raised concerns that a Medicare Advantage plan would provide less coverage and carry greater out-of-pocket costs than Senior Care.

The city had planned to incentivize retirees to switch to Medicare Advantage by requiring them to pay $191 a month to maintain their coverage under Senior Care. In a March decision on a lawsuit filed by retirees to stop the switch, state Supreme Court Judge Lyle Frank ruled the city can’t force retirees to pay for their current care.

Frank’s ruling threatened the viability of the switch as a cost-cutting device. By April, over 65,000 retirees had opted out of the Medicare Advantage plan — more than one out of every five retired employees.
The proposed legislation, endorsed by the mayor’s Office of Labor Relations and the unions’ Municipal Labor Committee, would change the text of the law that Frank based his ruling on to allow the city to force retirees to pay to maintain their current coverage.

The proposal is detailed in a letter from Labor Relations Commissioner Renee Campion to Harry Nespoli, chair of the Municipal Labor Committee, a coalition of city workers’ unions. The legislative change “would help ensure the parties have the necessary flexibility to obtain quality and affordable health insurance coverage for covered individuals,” the letter states. The letter also says that at least one plan for retirees would remain premium-free, as Senior Care currently is.

Frank’s ruling allowed the city to eliminate Senior Care entirely, but the city hasn’t given any indication that it is considering that step.
The Adams administration is appealing Frank’s ruling. But if the City Council adopts the Office of Labor Relation’s proposed legal change, then getting the ruling overturned might be unnecessary.

“It’s an end run around the court decision, in a sense,” Croghan said.
The unresolved Medicare Advantage situation is likely to be a significant sticking point in upcoming contract negotiations between the unions and the city, City & State reported on Wednesday. If the unions think that their health care costs are likely to go up, they may ask for larger raises, which would cost billions of dollars. That could be an ask that the city is reluctant to grant, especially since current projections show it is already likely to face multi-billion-dollar budget gaps in upcoming years.

Croghan predicted that the City Council will approve the proposed change.

“It’s something that Adams wants, and now the Municipal Labor Committee says they want it too. Why would the City Council not go along with it?” he said.

Barzilay said that public opposition to the plan, which has been vocal in the past, could present an obstacle.

“There’ll be people testifying for it, and people testifying against it. It’s just a matter of who’s more persuasive to the City Council,” he said.
contact.com%2Fletters%2Fimages%2F1101116784221%2FS.gif

-e64a-86c4-2f2c-5a000a01a100&sig=T1wcaCMyl3bPWYsu6.png 2FCPE%2FSocialIcons%2Fcircles%2FcircleGray_Twitter.png mreqid=5213ad1e-e64a-86c4-2f2c-5a000a01a100&sig=ny.png
Retired Lieutenants Association NYPD | 266-19 Hillside Avenue, Floral Park, NY 11004​
Sent by rlanypd@gmail.com powered by​
 
Joined
Nov 2, 2020
Messages
994
Nothing more than the same double talk. We'll get taken one way or another. Ah yes, "New York, New York, It's A Wonderful Town."
 

Bulldog

Bulldog
Joined
Apr 16, 2008
Messages
2,286
They'll be sorry if they get an Advantage plan! They sound great upfront but when you get down to the nitty-gritty there are some huge trade-offs. Why do you think insurance companies are pushing them so hard?
 
Joined
Nov 2, 2020
Messages
994
My opinion is that the City and the unions could care less about the retirees and will do what's ever good for them while touting to us how they saved everyone money. You were used and abused for 20, 25, 30 or more years and now your a has been. It's disgusting to say the least which I just did. Sorry for the rant my friends but I've had it with all of the b.s. being spewed by the aforementioned.
 
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
15,592

FROM A POSTER ON ANOTHER SITE....QUOTE..

City Council members’ email addresses:
council.nyc.gov/districts/

UPDATE: SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2022
There were 2 videos posted yesterday on the Organization’s Facebook site which unfortunately seems to be the only way we can communicate (aside from forums such as these). They usually cannot be uploaded anywhere until they are posted and cleared on Youtube. In the meantime, here is a synopsis of both:
1- Maryanne Pizzitola testified in front of the City Council in a 2 minute presentation in which she outlined the entire unfolding situation. This was NOT the formal committee which will eventually hear and rule on the City and MLC plan to strip our benefits by amending Admin Code §12-126.
2- The Friday night normal video presentation by the Organization was abbreviated due to technical difficulties. Nothing new- outside of all which occurred this week -came up.

Our focus now MUST be 100% “flooding the zone” of City Council members with correspondence. WE ARE FIGHTING THE CITY AND OUR FORMER UNIONS WHICH HAVE COLLABORATED IN THIS SCHEME TO CHANGE THE LAW TO STRIP US OF OUR BENEFITS. Please take a moment to email as much as you can to all that you can. You do not have to be a City resident. The link for City Council email addresses is posted above.

UNQUOTE.
 
Last edited:
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
15,592
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Here is an Op-Ed from Steve Cohen, Attorney for the New York City Organization of Public Service
Retirees in today's New York Daily News.​
Save money on health care — but do it fairly
Top poker players look for “tells” — cues that unintentionally signal bluffing. But sometimes the tell itself is a fake, designed to lure an opponent into a trap. That’s what some suspect about labor leader Harry Nespoli’s recent remark that the municipal unions have been “trying to negotiate to lower costs with the city’s hospitals but we’re going nowhere.”
Nespoli is president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association and chairman of the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC), the formidable labor advisory group that has the power to negotiate health insurance contracts on behalf of city employees.
One year ago, the city and MLC tried to force 250,000 retirees onto a Medicare Advantage plan. That would have shifted $600 million in annual insurance costs from the city to the federal budget, but at a significant price. Health-care coverage for the retirees would be much worse, at least according to a recent investigation by the federal Department of Health and Human Services inspector general. The conclusion? Some Medicare Advantage programs imposed prior authorization hurdles that denied and delayed needed care.
An ad hoc group I represent — whom Nespoli dismissed as “rump retirees” — challenged the city and MLC, won in court, and stopped the scheme. Last month, a five-judge panel heard the city’s appeal, and appeared skeptical of its arguments.
In response to the anticipated legal outcome, the city and the MLC are now threatening both retirees’ and active employees’ health-care coverage — unless the City Council changes the statute under which health-care benefits are protected (a law known as Administrative Code 12-126).
This is a high-stakes battle with three competing objectives: How can the city best provide appropriate health insurance for its workforce and retirees? What were workers and retirees promised? And how can the city meet those promises without going broke?
The city spends an estimated $9 billion annually on health insurance for its employees, retirees and their dependents. But that estimate is a bit dodgy, as the city is stingy with facts. Moreover, the MLC and some of the individual unions have been remarkably irresponsible in peddling false information.
The MLC’s desperation is understandable. In 2014, the de Blasio administration and the MLC agreed to pay for $1 billion in teacher raises by raiding the Health Stabilization Fund. It wasn’t illegal but it was unseemly.
In return for those raises, the MLC agreed to find recurring health-care savings to replenish the fund. But they didn’t, as doing so would have meant making hard choices that would have affected current union members — all of whom vote in union elections.
Instead, the MLC came up with the scheme to impose the Medicare Advantage plan on those 250,000 “rump” retirees — whom they no longer represented and who no longer voted in union elections. Apparently, the MLC never expected these seniors and disabled first responders to challenge them in court and win. So, now the city has said to the MLC: Change the law or else.
Unfortunately, the Council is being asked to operate in the dark. They are not getting accurate information from the city or the MLC. For example, Nespoli claims the “money that pays for...health care has run out.” It has not. The city’s budget for FY 2022 is the largest ever at $101.7 billion. And the comptroller’s report for FY 2021 shows the Health Stabilization Fund to have more than $900 million in it. Meanwhile, the Council is being pressured to not even meet with the “rump” retirees who have identified more than $500 million in potential health-care savings.
No one wants to see the city go broke. And no one denies the need to find savings. But it shouldn’t be done on the backs of retirees or based on phony facts.
Fortunately, there is a proven model that can help us chart a better course: a blue-ribbon commission. The Knapp Commission that rooted out police corruption is one example; the Municipal Assistance Corp. that saved the city from bankruptcy, another. Today, the mayor and Council should immediately appoint such a commission to get the real facts and propose solutions. Plus, in acknowledgment of Nespoli’s tell, they should insist that all stakeholders be at the table.
The hospitals have to be there, as do the doctors, the large pharmaceutical companies, the unions, and yes, the “rump” retirees. And it should be chaired by someone who is knowledgeable and respected such as Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, who has served the city and mayors on both sides of the aisle.
There is an old expression: You can have it fast, you can have it great or you can have it cheap; choose two. That is not going to work here. We can’t serve our most vulnerable people well and fairly — and not go broke — unless we move this out of the backroom and into the sunlight.
Cohen is an attorney at Pollock Cohen and represents the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees.
If such a Health Care Cost Commission, as suggested by Mr. Cohen were to be created, would Marrianne Pizzitola be appointed to it? If not, the Commission would immedialtely become suspect.
 
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
15,592
8efa98e0-356c-11eb-bfff-03480d92cbf3.jpg
NYC loses appeal in court battle over Medicare Advantage Plan for retired municipal workers


Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News
Tue, November 22, 2022 at 1:02 PM·4 min read


Mayor Adams’ administration suffered another setback Tuesday in its effort to shift retired city workers into a privatized Medicare plan as a Manhattan appellate court upheld a ruling that deemed a key part of the plan unlawful.

For nearly a year, Adams’ administration has tried to enroll the city’s roughly 250,000 retired workers in a Medicare Advantage Plan, which would allocate as much as $600 million in municipal budget savings each year thanks to federal subsidies and a partnership with a private health insurance provider.

The savings — which Adams has described as a critical hedge against looming city budget deficits — are contingent on the administration being able to levy a $192 monthly penalty on any retiree who opts to stay on their traditional Medicare coverage instead of accepting the Advantage plan.
But Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lyle Frank ruled this past March that the financial penalty ran afoul of a local law called 12-126 that requires the city to provide retirees with premium-free health coverage for life. Adams’ administration appealed the ruling, contending it was complying with the law as long as it offers the Advantage plan for free.

On Tuesday morning, a panel of judges on the Supreme Court’s appellate bench rejected the argument from Adams’ team and ruled Frank’s decision should stand.

“Nothing in the statutory text or history supports (the administration’s) interpretation,” the two-page ruling stated.
The decision marks a victory to NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, a grassroots group of retired EMTs, firefighters, cops and other city workers who have argued that an Advantage plan would water down their health coverage. They’ve pointed to federal studies that show Advantage plans can block beneficiaries from “medically necessary care” while pressing the case that traditional Medicare is more reliable.
The retiree organization filed the lawsuit that prompted Frank’s initial March decision, and Marianne Pizzitola, an ex-FDNY EMT who serves as the group’s president, praised the appellate court for ensuring “justice prevailed in a true David vs. Goliath story.”

“This attack on our most vulnerable population must end,” Pizzitola told the Daily News. “Senior citizens and 9/11 responders are not for sale.”
The appellate setback for Adams may not be the end of the Medicare Advantage saga, though, as his administration has previously said it could implement the cost-saving plan despite an adverse ruling.

The first contingency Adams’ team has said it could opt for would be convincing the City Council to amend 12-126 in such a way that Frank’s ruling would be rendered moot, thereby greenlighting the Advantage plan’s $192 monthly opt-out fee.

Adams spokesman Jonah Allon said the appellate ruling should spur Council members into action on such an amendment.
“We continue to maintain that the city’s position is firmly grounded in law, but today’s decision further underscores the urgency for the City Council to act and approve the administrative code change required to preserve a choice for retirees,” Allon said. “The city is facing serious financial challenges and we need the partnership of the Council to provide this sensible path forward to contain skyrocketing health care costs.”
United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, who serves as vice chair of the Municipal Labor Committee, which supports Adams’ Advantage push, echoed Allon’s sentiment. “The City Council must change the city’s Administrative Code,” Mulgrew said in a statement.
However, a senior Council source said no member of the body had, as of this week, even expressed interest in introducing a bill on the matter. Retirees opposed to Advantage, meantime, have for months flooded Council members’ inboxes with emails urging them not to act on the administration’s request for a 12-126 tweak.

In a letter to the Municipal Labor Committee last month, Renee Campion, Adams’ labor relations commissioner, acknowledged the administration had not secured any support from the Council on the 12-126 proposal.

Campion also wrote that, barring a sudden shift in momentum in the Council, Adams’ administration would likely move ahead with a second option: Instructing an independent arbitrator overseeing the healthcare dispute to implement Medicare Advantage as the only plan available to municipal retirees. It’s unclear how the appellate ruling may impact that proposal.

In her letter, Campion stressed that the administration will try “in any way that we can” to implement Advantage, arguing it’s a critical savings tool at a time when the city is staring down a projected $6 billion budget deficit by 2026.
Pizzitola said she expects the battle to continue.
“The fight continues as we are sure the city and the Municipal Labor Committee will try any tactic to further take away our benefits,” she said.
 
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
15,592
reqid=5213ad1e-e64a-86c4-2f2c-5a001e013a00&sig=cc6.png
RETIRED LIEUTENANTS ASSOCIATION NYPD

we thank the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees who posted these updates regarding their lawsuit. They have now filed a lawsuit against the GHI copayments implemented in January!​


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Employees & Retirees,


Last week, the Appellate Court, First Department found for the retirees, like we thought! We said all along, we were going to win this case because the law is on our side, and we being retirees were very familiar with the statute and collective bargaining.

The Court unanimously agreed with the Supreme Court, that the City must pay the full cost of healthcare up to the HIP HMO rate for EVERY EMPLOYEE, RETIREE and their dependents.

We are retired City union labor. Many of us lobbied these laws, worked in offices where these laws were used over the decades. We know they protect active and retired labor EQUALLY. And have for over 55 years. Its not an "antiquated" or "outdated law." And this retirees group that fought the City and MLC in this case, did what true labor does; organized, rallied, stood in solidarity, got out the word, hired good lawyers, won the support of some of our former unions, rallied, protested, and we won...every. step. of. the. way.

The UFT & DC37 has been distributing emails to active or in-service workers and their retirees telling them to call City Council and demand they change the Code. They don't want you to know you are demanding your own diminishment of healthcare!

To the in service employees, have you researched the history of Administrative Code 12-126? Do you know why it exists and the protections it offers? Do you know if those protections exists anywhere else and why? Have you read either Court decision? Do you know the difference between Traditional Medicare and a managed Medicare advantage plan? If not, stop! And learn before you follow your peers "off a bridge" selling off your current and future health benefits. And tomorrow, thank a retiree for saving your benefits!

The fact is, the Municipal Labor Committee negotiated a bad deal and got themselves in a hole. And they sold off retirees to pay their debt. You will be retired. Are you okay with having your retiree benefit sold off? We warned you all last year if this deal was permitted to go through, they were coming after you (active in-service workers) next. You didn't listen. And today, they are threatening you with premiums and loss of plans and still blaming the retirees litigation to protect what is rightfully theirs and earned pitting employees against retirees.

WE ARE UNION! WE ARE LABOR! WE ARE RETIREES! And we will continue to fight to protect ourselves, and you, if we must! We know the laws we are protected by. Get on board, before the MLC takes your health plan, and narrows the networks for providers you can see, and imposes so many co pays and prior authorizations, you will think you are in an HMO plan in 1980. Every time they agree to a $30 co pay, or you can only use a certain urgent care, or a certain radiology or a certain "network" or prevent you from going to a specific hospital, or requires approval for just about every test of procedure you physician wants, that is a GIVE BACK. They are limiting your access to your own healthcare.

TODAY, Thank a retiree, because they just saved you. Now let's hope the MLC chooses to get on the right side of the law and protect us all like they used to!

COURT DECISION

BREAKING NEWS​

And because we like a good ONE - TWO Punch.... Tonight we filed another lawsuit against the City over the GHI Senior Care Copays and violating the Judge's order.

Read/follow that here!


***************************************************************

Yours in TRUE Solidarity,
The NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees

Please reach out to your City Council member and tell them to protect hard-working New Yorkers who gave their careers to public service and let’s discuss other ways to find health care savings.
KEEP ADMIN CODE 12-126 IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM.

CITY COUNCIL CONTACT PAGE

**************​

Donations are Needed! It is fall, copays, inflation, etc, but we need to keep donations coming in to fund our litigation!​


TO DONATE TO THE LEGAL FUND​

Donation Instructions to Support Our Class Action Suit Against the City To Protect Our Retiree Healthcare:​

We worked decades for our benefits! Let’s make sure the City and the MLC don’t take them away!​

A suggested $25 Donation* will help start the fight to keep our current benefits. Give more if you can, and/or often! If you cannot meet the minimum suggested donation, we appreciate whatever you can give towards this fight for our benefits. We also added the option to make your donation recurring (monthly) as was requested.​

The fundraiser group is incorporated as a Non-Profit. ALL proceeds go to fund the organization and its legal challenge. Volunteer retirees are running this effort. Our 501C3 is pending.​

TO DONATE, HERE ARE 4 SIMPLE WAYS!​

1.Zelle using email NYCOrgofpublicserviceretirees@gmail.com

2. Make your check out to:​

NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees PO Box 941​

Venice, FL 34284 (our treasurer lives in FL)​

3. Or click on this Paypal link:​

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=Q4VWJEYVJ9HTW&Z3&fbclid=IwAR0pEOc51x9xhc-CBb8vqAIkX97Bgg1Z02f1r9gQh9S3dOsVmAdob5jBbw8

4. We Now Accept Donations via VENMO

VENMO is a Phone App or can be used on a PC or Tablet
You can download and install the Phone App from the Android Play Store or Apple App Store. There may be fees involved using this method.

Our ID is: @NYCRetirees

If you are on this list, it is because you subscribed to hear what we are doing as an organization that represents all NYC Municipal workers in protecting their Health benefits in retirement. Currently, we have a FACEBOOK page located here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/888622578669131

If you are not on FACEBOOK, we will be updating you here. And Check our website for FAQ www.nycretirees.orgThank you for signing up for our newsletter and pass this to a friend to sign up too!
d1e-e64a-86c4-2f2c-5a001e013a00&sig=BkS2KP6AReoTr5.gif

FCPE%2FSocialIcons%2Fcircles%2FcircleGray_Facebook.png 2FCPE%2FSocialIcons%2Fcircles%2FcircleGray_Twitter.png CPE%2FSocialIcons%2Fcircles%2FcircleGray_Instagram.png
Retired Lieutenants Association NYPD | 266-19 Hillside Avenue, Floral Park, NY 11004​
 
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
15,592
A 12-23-22 update received.....12-23-22 Friday evening video update:
* The feeling is that this will come to a head in January.
* January 19th was referenced repeatedly without specificity (?)
* January 9th is oral arguments in the co-pay suit. Same judge, Lyle Frank.
* The City is really limited in what they can try to pull. The “nuclear option” (one plan only) is repeatedly
referred to. Our attorneys are prepared for anything at any time.
* More and more use of the word “negotiation”. City is very limited.
* City Council not too thrilled with the sham “arbitrator’s decision” as they feel they were duped.
* Our numbers are growing rapidly as many more actives are becoming involved. This is so because
they are now realizing that the City has an active RFP out there meaning that if the Council amends
the code, guess who’s next? (RFP = Request For Proposal). They are shopping around.
* Again, first few weeks in January are critical. Stay tuned and be ready for action.

DONATIONS ARE NEEDED. THESE LAWYERS COST, AS WE ALL KNOW, BUT SO FAR, 100% ON THE RETURN.
 
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
15,592
NO SURPRISE HERE THE post editorial board OFFERS NO SUPPORT TO US !.........

City Council to embrace sanity on cost-saving retiree health plan
By
Post Editorial Board
January 8, 2023 7:20pm
Updated
New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams is now open to permitting the city to offer a cost-saving Medicare Advantage plan to retired municipal workers.Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit
MORE ON:MEDICARE
NYC retirees sue Adams administration for $55M… over $15 health-care copays
Mayor Adams’ nuclear option would save the city billions in retiree healthcare costs
NY Times’ outrageous scaremongering about (fake) entitlement cuts (that we actually need)
Biden insists GOP will cut old-age benefits after Psaki urges midterm distraction
Kudos to Speaker Adrienne Adams, who’s leading the City Council to the obvious compromise on health-care plans for retired city employees.
The courts have ruled that Mayor Eric Adams has the power to simply enroll 250,000 eligible retirees in a high-quality Medicare Advantage plan and save the city $600 million a year, thanks in part to the federal subsidies available for such coverage.
He’d like to give each retiree the option to keep the current city-funded Senior Care Plus plan, albeit at a cost of $191/month to cover the higher price. But the law only allows for one plan; the speaker, in letting Councilwoman Diana Ayala’s bill move ahead, is agreeing to allow for choice.
Not that either woman wants to make retirees pay a dime: They merely recognize that the mayor is determined to move ahead, since the city’s facing huge deficits in coming years and the Medicare Advantage option (embraced by local governments across the nation) is a relatively painless way to save.
We get that some retirees feel robbed (they’ve written us about it!), but the plan they have now was never guaranteed, its costs keep soaring — and the Municipal Labor Committee must sign off on the new Senior Care plan.

Pensions and retiree health-care costs have been eating up ever more of the city budget for decades: Something has to give, and the mayor’s duty is to look out for Gotham as a whole.
Hand it to the speaker for recognizing fiscal (and political) reality and going along with giving retirees a choice.
 
Top