CUNY faculty and staff may have recently received an alarming letter from Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) about their possible departure from the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Anthem) health network on January 1, 2025. The hospital and the insurer are negotiating rates. The letter is intended to pressure Anthem. New York City Commissioner of Labor Relations Renee Campion sent this follow-up letter setting the record straight to all municipal employees. Among other things, the Campion letter says that such negotiations are a “routine and normal part of the healthcare industry, and typically, these negotiations settle close to the renewal date.”
Campion expresses confidence that a new agreement will be reached. She also clarifies that: 1) state law requires both Anthem and MSK to honor the terms of their contract until at least March 1, 2025; 2) if MSK were to leave the network, there is still an agreement that ensures that all patients who begin treatment before March 1, 2025 will maintain their benefit coverage at MSK for the entire duration of their treatment; and 3) that these negotiations do not apply to retirees in the Senior Care plan.
Published: October 10, 2024 | Last Modified: October 17, 2024
