LATEST HEALTHCARE CONCESSION

This year's health savings focus on HIP. I think this is it as far as this giveback goes.

Dear James,

I am writing to inform you about upcoming changes to HIP’s HMO health benefit plan negotiated by the city and the Municipal Labor Committee, the umbrella group of municipal labor unions of which the UFT is a member. These changes, which take effect on July 1, affect HIP subscribers who are in service as well as those who are retired but not yet eligible for Medicare. These changes to the HIP HMO health benefit plan, in addition to the changes that took effect a year ago for both GHI and HIP subscribers, fulfill the unions’ obligation as part of the last round of collective bargaining to achieve health care savings.

We are proud that public school educators and all other New York City municipal employees will continue to have access to health coverage without an annual premium. You will be able to continue to see your primary care doctor with no copay if the doctor is from the HIP Preferred network and with a $10 copay if the doctor is not from the HIP Preferred network. You will also continue to be able to access free of charge all preventive health care such as routine physicals, vaccinations, colonoscopies and mammograms. Birth control medicines and prenatal vitamins will also still be available at no cost.

One of the most expensive forms of care is hospital-based emergency room visits, which should only be used in a genuine emergency. The cost to the health plan for a visit to the ER is several times that of a visit to a doctor’s office. Our data show that some members are over-utilizing hospital emergency rooms. To discourage the use of ERs when a doctor’s visit would suffice, the copay for hospital-based emergency-room visits for HIP subscribers will increase from $50 to $150.  If you are admitted to the hospital, you won’t pay this fee. You will only pay your hospital fee.

Please be aware that you can see a doctor at short notice at a participating Urgent Care Center for a $50 copay. You can treat a non-emergency on weekends, after office hours or whenever your doctor is away without going to the emergency room. Sign in to the [emblemhealth.com/findadoctor]Find a Doctor page on the EmblemHealth website to find an urgent care center in the HIP HMO network that is conveniently located for you.  

EmblemHealth will send you a new health benefits ID card. You can start using it on July 1.

If you have any questions, call EmblemHeath at 1-800-447-8255 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can also visit the EmblemHealth website for NYC employees or the website of the City of New York Office of Labor Relations for more information.

On a final note, EmblemHealth and the other New York City health plans will now cover members for medicines used to treat substance-use disorders. This includes medicines usually prescribed for opioid addiction and dependence. These medicines, along with counseling and behavioral therapies, can successfully treat these disorders and help with recovery. Visit or contact your health plan for a list of covered opioid medicines and the copays.

Sincerely,

Arthur Pepper
UFT Welfare Fund Executive Director