Because the City Council has scheduled a hearing on January 9 that impacts all of us, THE RETIREE CHAPTER MEETING SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 9 HAS BEEN CANCELLED. Instead, we are asking you to take actions immediately to keep our premium-free SeniorCare.
- Sign up to testify and/or attend the January 9 Public Hearing of the Civil Service and Labor Committee https://psc-cuny.org/calendar/hearing-to-protect-our-healthcare/
- Call your City Council Member https://psc-cuny.org/issues/tell-the-nyc-council-to-protect-our-healthcare/
- Sign an updated Act Now letter https://psc-cuny.org/issues/act-now-to-protect-our-health-insurance/
The City Council’s hearings on January 9 will consider the proposal to amend New York City Administrative Code 12-126 to create different classes of recipients of NYC health care benefits. Ostensibly, this is to provide us retirees the choice of paying extra to keep our current SeniorCare Medicare supplemental policy, rather than being forced into an inferior Medicare Advantage plan as our only option. The change will result in a two-tiered system—with retirees who can afford it paying $200 per month per person to continue their current plan, and those who can’t being enrolled in the inferior private plan. [For background see the Retirees’ webpage What’s Happening to Our Healthcare.]
Moving retirees to a Medicare Advantage plan in order to save $600 million/year will NOT solve the problem of increasing health insurance costs for city workers and retirees; the MA move is a very short-term fix for what is a huge long-term problem.
The PSC has put forward a proposal for an alternative to resolving this issue that takes a longer-term view while protecting vulnerable retirees from the many dangers of Medicare Advantage plans. You can read it here: https://psc-cuny.org/news-events/psc-cuny-proposal-for-nyc-employee-health-benefits-program/
The proposal is 2+ pages but boils down to a few key steps that the Adams administration and the City Council can take: (a) Redirect funds the City holds in reserve to keep the MLC Stabilization Fund solvent for three years, (b) Create a stakeholders commission charged with finding a path to control health care spending, with hospital pricing as a priority, and (c) Develop a sustainable mechanism for funding City health insurance.
We are also asking you to contact members of the Civil Service and Labor Committee, especially if you are a constituent. You can use the talking points found here:
- Carmen De La Rosa (chair) – Legislative Office: 212-788-7053 District Office: 917-521-2616 [email protected]
- Erik Bottcher – District Office: 212-564-7757 [email protected]
- Tiffany Caban – Legislative Office: 212-788-6963 District Office: 718-274-4500 [email protected]
- Eric Dinowitz – Legislative Office: (212) 788-7080 District Office: (718) 549-7300 [email protected]
- Oswald Feliz – Legislative Office:212-788-6966 District Office: 718-842-8100 [email protected]
- Kamillah Hanks – Legislative Office: 212-788-6972 District Office: 718-556-7370 [email protected]
- Rita Joseph – Legislative Office: 212-788-7352 District Office:718-287-8762 [email protected]
- Julie Menin – Legislative Office: 212-788-6865 [email protected]
- Francisco Moya – Legislative Office: 212-788-6862 District Office: 718-651-1917 [email protected]
- Sandy Nurse – Legislative Office: 212-788-7284 District Office: 718-642-8664 [email protected]
In addition, we are looking for people to phone bank on Friday to increase turnout for Monday’s hearing:Phonebank for Monday’s Hearing
This Friday 12 – 3 PM on Zoom
Register HERE
Help us turnout our fellow chapter members in large numbers!
We will get training over Zoom & phone bank together
For the latest Emergency Actions check: https://psc-cuny.org/issues/protect-our-healthcare/
In solidarity and struggle,
Anne Friedman, Chapter Chair
Diane Menna, Chapter Vice Chair
Bonnie Nelson, Chapter Secretary
Published: January 4, 2023
