Wednesday, July 14, 2021

MLC APPROVES MEDICARE PRIVATIZATION

Learn more about the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus Plan, James.

Over the past few months, the UFT has worked tirelessly with fellow unionists on the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) to address the rising cost of health care while maintaining members’ current benefits and quality of care.

Today, Wednesday July 14, the MLC voted on and approved the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus Plan, which means you and your fellow retirees will continue to benefit from premium-free coverage while maintaining access to all of the same providers and hospitals you currently use. Unlike any other Medicare Advantage program in existence, this new plan not only mirrors and improves on the GHI Senior Care Plan, but also includes aggressive oversight to protect member benefits.

Understanding the details of a health care plan can be a daunting task. That’s why the UFT is here to help you get all the information you need.


Gothamist covered the story.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

The plan will change over time, getting worse and worse. You will not be able to keep your doctors. period.

Anonymous said...

Note the use of the word "mirrors". It should read as "smoke and mirrors."

waitingforsupport said...

Mirrors? Why switch to something that Mirrors the original? Why not Just keep the original. More bulls^it. Sounds like March 2020 all over again: tell em anything, they'll buy it.

Anonymous said...

Exactly how will this save the city money? Something has to change to produce “savings”.

Anonymous said...

De Blasio is looking for $$ to create new jobs, claims he was looking for givebacks from labor unions to pay for it in next round of bargaining contracts. On the backs of working people, create equity employment.
Article in the Post today.

Anonymous said...

A complete sellout and another great victory for the UFT. ha,ha,ha

caprice240k said...

Medicare is going to cover dental,eyeglasses and hearing aides. Will the new medicare advantage plan also cover this? What happens to the the welfare fund coverage

Anonymous said...

Fewer choices, bad service, delayed payments, higher copays, managed care, doctors opting out and reusing to accept Medicare Advantage. How else will NYC city save money?
Mulgrew sold you out again, suckers!

Anonymous said...

Message to Mulgrew: May you rot in hell!!!

caprice240k said...

City Officials said, "Any doctor who accepts traditional Medicare payments is required to accept payments from the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus Program", does anyone know if this is true?

Anonymous said...

The collective crystal balls on this blog run consistently dark. It would be interesting to see how many of the consistently black and dire predictions from this blog come true.

Anonymous said...

Even though I did not re-join, or should I say remain, in the Uft when I retired I am stuck with their lousy traitorous bullshit as usual, just like the vast majority of retirees who continued and continue to pay dues . What do loyal retirees say to this stab in the back? How do they feel about still paying dues? Is there a reason to pay dues to this organization as a retiree, other than the fact that they would prefer us not to - so they don’t have to listen to your complaints? I’m interested in hearing what people have to say. Will there be apologists as usual? Or will people be so upset that they will leave? Or will people just lay down and take it as usual?

Anonymous said...

Great. Those dues really got us far.

Bronx ATR said...

The more I think about this and consider the ramifications, the more apparent it is to me that Uft‘s target market has completely changed from the glorified retiree to the temporary five-year teacher. Michael Bloomberg’s breaking up of the schools has come home to roost in the mind of Michael Mulgrew and he has laid the proverbial egg. Here’s hoping that the retirees throw it in his face next March.

Anonymous said...

July 15th 10:26am

I have soooo wanted to stop paying dues but I would lose my NYSUT Catastrophic Medical Insurance, NYSUT life insurance. Any one of the NYSUT programs would be affected. I've rechecked with both UFT and NYSUT several times. I'm glad I have both especially NOW that they are blatantly showing us that they want us dead by offering this piece of SH^t PPO plan.

Anonymous said...

I’m prepared. Part of my financial planning included the fact, and yes it’s now a fact, that the UFT would eventually screw us on health care and I’d need private supplemental insurance when 65. Not 65 yet but it’s coming. Lesson is save for rainy days because the UFT is the Seattle of unions. Catastrophic insurance is why I stay at this point.

caprice240k said...

https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/12026-Understanding-Medicare-Advantage-Plans.pdf

Anonymous said...

UFT screwed us by reducing the Fixed TDA down from 8.25% to 7%. Here they allow MLC members with ties to health insurance companies to reduce our health coverage. It's no wonder many retirees are stopping union dues and COPE payments. The city provides the Welfare Fund benefits, so why continue paying union dues???

Anonymous said...

It’s a lousy reason to stay in a lousy union, but I respect it as I do every retiree who got out, in spite of the UFT. It’s superficially ironic that as more and more retirees opt out, the catastrophic insurance will most assuredly go the way of the buffalo - which is exactly what the UFT wants in its transition targeting towards teachers as temps. There will be more health care savings to come and more outrages that will see people rushing to leave en masse. If people are considering leaving over this, and they must be, I believe they should consider waiting until at least March, when they can have the opportunity to vote against the turd Mulgrew and his Unity fungi.

Anonymous said...

James are you just letting people vent or are you starting to consider that maybe people, especially retirees now, need to stop paying dues and starve the UFT?

Anonymous said...

Amazing that so many bloggers think that they are smarter than every union president elected by every municipal employee in NY.
There are two sides in negotiations. It was the union side that wanted the best for its members.
City retirees on Medicare can continue to have premium free lifetime health insurance or they can continue traditional Medicare if they think it is better and are willing to pay premiums.
The choice is the members not the employers.
I know I will carefully study the new plan compare it to Medicare and then make my decision.
I will not make my decision based on what a few ill-informed complainers think.

JC said...

The UFT is lying: NO doctor or hospital is obligated to accept any Medicare Advantage Plan!
Also, there is no such thing as a 'special' Medicare Advantage Plan. They ALL limit access to doctors and hospitals for serious health issues!

Anonymous said...

What’s really amazing is that anyone would think labor leader Mulgrew is smart. Yeah I’m arrogant enough to know and say I’m smarter than all of them and so are the other commenters on this blog. Fuck the corrupt UFT.

Anonymous said...

@9:04 do you still pay dues?

Anonymous said...

9 04 a perfect example.
I am sure most people would not vote for such an individual to represent them in serious negotiations.

Anonymous said...

This was a done deal from 2018–which was inevitable and kicked down the road by just about all the MLC unions. Does anyone remember Mulgrew or any union head saying that this would lead to a privatization of healthcare coverage for the nearly 250,000 retired members.?
This sounds like something the so-called union friendly Democrats always say would happen with Republican leadership Just wait to see what happens at the next round of the MLC negotiations with the city.

Also, Mulgrew keeps saying that he doesn’t want to negotiate healthcare with the city (it gets in the way)—especially with the new negotiations in 2022. Just wait till the city starts making demands with healthcare savings with current in-service members during those negotiations—and probably expect a wage freeze and other cost saving measures to avoid lay offs—especially with the ongoing uncertainties of Covid 19 variant that might slow overall recovery in the city.. Also, no one should be holding their breath with any future buy-outs—especially for teachers for next summer.

caprice240k said...

what is the difference between GHI CBP for active employees and GHI medicare advantage for retirees.

Anonymous said...

How do you know?

Anonymous said...

Only union members should be allowed on this blog.