A marathon Metropolis Council listening to Monday heard hours of testimony on a controversial plan that might permit a whole bunch of hundreds of municipal retirees to pay to maintain their present medical health insurance plan, moderately than switching to a non-public supplier as deliberate.
It’s a finances battle that goes again years. Each choices would save town cash, however hundreds of retirees oppose them each — saying they’ll be left with greater prices and fewer choices.
Evelyn Jones Wealthy spent practically 30 years educating hundreds of scholars — first as a trainer in a Queens center faculty earlier than then working her approach as much as be a principal — and retired as a dean at Hunter School in 1992.
“I didn’t go to work for the New York Metropolis Board of Training as a result of I wished to be a rich lady,” stated Jones Wealthy.
What You Want To Know
- A whole bunch of municipal retirees testified in opposition to the Medicare Benefit Plan in a marathon Metropolis Council listening to Monday
- 1000’s of retirees oppose switching to the personal medical health insurance plan
- In addition they oppose paying a month-to-month payment to maintain their present, conventional Medicare plans
- Town will save $600 million yearly by switching to the personal Medicare Benefit plan
However the assurance of a free, strong healthcare plan into her retirement years was a consolation — one thing that’s now at risk.
At the moment, Jones Wealthy has a standard Medicare plan often called Senior Care. Town dietary supplements these advantages, making it free.
However the Joint Well being Insurance coverage Premium Stabilization Fund, which pays for the plan, is working out of cash.
Again in 2018, a collective bargaining settlement between the de Blasio administration and the Municipal Labor Committee — which represents greater than 100 metropolis unions — agreed to chop prices. The plan is to modify retirees to a privately run Medicare Benefit plan backed by the federal authorities and is estimated to save lots of town $600 million {dollars} yearly.
That’s one thing finances watchdogs help.
“The result’s that over time as healthcare prices have grown, these prices have grown and have gotten kind of a big a part of town’s annual spending,” stated Ana Champeny, vp for analysis with the Residents Funds Fee.
However opponents say Medicare Benefit will depart them with fewer in-network choices.
Beneath one proposal, retirees may hold their present Senior Care plan at a price of practically $200 a month.
“For many people on small pensions, we will’t afford to pay up,” stated Marianne Pizzitola, the president of the New York Metropolis Group of Public Service Retirees.
The New York Metropolis Group of Public Service Retirees sued town to cease the plan.
Final yr, a state decide dominated of their favor saying town constitution prevents charging retirees for his or her insurance coverage.
On Monday, Pizzitola and a whole bunch of retirees signed as much as testify at a Metropolis Council listening to to contemplate altering town constitution so retirees may pay to maintain their insurance coverage
“I’d have by no means thought I must struggle — to retain one thing I already earned and paid for,” stated Pizzitola.
If the Metropolis Council doesn’t change the constitution, it’s probably town will remove Senior Care all collectively.
“I’m saying to you very properly that we’ll go to the barricades to guard what was promised to us and what we earned,” stated Jones Wealthy.
A Metropolis Corridor spokesperson responded to the criticism by saying Medicare Benefit would permit town to proceed to offer high-quality free protection for retirees.
That’s regardless of a federal report discovering Medicare Benefit can lead to denials and delays for medical providers.
Retirees promised to maintain combating in court docket.