Changes to Union Retirees’ Healthcare Plans Would Be a Deep Betrayal
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
Many Medicare-eligible New York City retirees live in our community. We devoted years of service to the city working as EMTs, police, fire, sanitation, nurses and educators, often accepting smaller paychecks than what private sector jobs offer due to the promise of continued, excellent health benefits when we retire.
However, we retirees have been in the fight of our lives for the past three years after learning that New York City, along with the Municipal Labor Committee and its current controlling bosses, (Michael Mulgrew from the UFT, Henry Garrido of DC 37 and Harry Nespoli of the sanitation union), were about to change our fully subsidized healthcare. For most of us that would be a switch from traditional Medicare plus supplemental GHI-Senior Care, to an inferior Medicare Advantage Plan without our knowledge or our support.
These private plans often diminish healthcare through networks, prior authorizations, denials and delays at a time in one’s life when more and better healthcare is needed.
Three successful lawsuits by the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees (nycretirees.org) are being appealed by the city, and so the fight against this healthcare conversion continues.
Fortunately, retired UFT members will have the opportunity this May to fight back by taking control of their union chapter. We will be able to vote out the Unity leaders who are responsible for the healthcare changes in the upcoming Retired Teacher Chapter election and replace them with leadership from Retiree Advocate that will truly act in our best interests.
Cynthia Teplitsky
Mahopac
Member of Retiree Advocate UFT Team
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