One of those consequences is apparently getting your healthcare and retirement benefits stripped away without a membership vote. - Nick Bacon, repost from http://newaction.org
These unions especially UFT and DC37 and my own COBA are complete sellouts who didn't just forfeit our Healthcare through Senior Care, but our actual health. These presidents do very well financially themselves, and when they retire have no problem paying large medigap plans, but most of us, especially those who live out of NEW YORK are completely screwed out of Traditional Medicare. If we stick with this new Aetna dis Advantage PPO, most of our present physicians don't accept any Advantage plans. So we have zero choice but to opt out and pay higher fees with supplement plans and we forgot it Medicare reimbursement.
The City says it needs 600M to continue SeniorCare, haven’t seen anyone dispute- if the purposed Aetna plan is defeated what are the options, “tax the rich” is popular, not exactly a realistic option, I would like to see a menu of options and/or viable alternatives
Yep, 600M - the magic number. The same amount Mulgrew traded away in healthcare givebacks in the last contract, and without our informed consent, go figure. Almost makes you think this was his plan all along.
Peter, there are lots of options. For one thing, we have a union. A union can organize for things or it can accept what the City hands them and disorganize members into acquiescence. Through Mulgrew, we chose the latter option.
Various persons have suggested options - blue ribbon commissions, some version of the NY Health Act, etc. Ultimately, yes, if we want a continuation of anything close to the benefits we fought for and won mostly in the 60s, we'll probably need to return to something closer to a pre-neoliberal tax structure. Anything else is probably a bandaid.
One thing is for sure, our union should NOT be championing neoliberal policies like privatizing Medicare.
Also, the OLR told then Mayor DeBlasio that the 600 million benchmarks from 2018-21 were satisfied in a written letter. If this is true, then MAP is for the present contract period despite Mulgrew saying that healthcare savings didn’t have anything to do with the present round of bargaining.
Of course, he and MLC won’t admit that he owes 600 million a year in perpetuity?
Of that 600 millions the city is willing to pay Aetna $15 per enrollee per month in order to waive the prior authorizations. If all 250,000 retirees are rolled over, the city pays $450,000 a year to Aetna, eating away at the imagined 600 million. Unbelievable! Are kick backs like this even legal???
These unions especially UFT and DC37 and my own COBA are complete sellouts who didn't just forfeit our Healthcare through Senior Care, but our actual health. These presidents do very well financially themselves, and when they retire have no problem paying large medigap plans, but most of us, especially those who live out of NEW YORK are completely screwed out of Traditional Medicare. If we stick with this new Aetna dis Advantage PPO, most of our present physicians don't accept any Advantage plans. So we have zero choice but to opt out and pay higher fees with supplement plans and we forgot it Medicare reimbursement.
Another egregious fact is the Mr. Mulgrew is BOTH the UFT presidents AND an executive vice-chair of the MLC. Blatant conflict of interest!!
The City says it needs 600M to continue SeniorCare, haven’t seen anyone dispute- if the purposed Aetna plan is defeated what are the options, “tax the rich” is popular, not exactly a realistic option, I would like to see a menu of options and/or viable alternatives
Yep, 600M - the magic number. The same amount Mulgrew traded away in healthcare givebacks in the last contract, and without our informed consent, go figure. Almost makes you think this was his plan all along.
Peter, there are lots of options. For one thing, we have a union. A union can organize for things or it can accept what the City hands them and disorganize members into acquiescence. Through Mulgrew, we chose the latter option.
Various persons have suggested options - blue ribbon commissions, some version of the NY Health Act, etc. Ultimately, yes, if we want a continuation of anything close to the benefits we fought for and won mostly in the 60s, we'll probably need to return to something closer to a pre-neoliberal tax structure. Anything else is probably a bandaid.
One thing is for sure, our union should NOT be championing neoliberal policies like privatizing Medicare.
There is a menu of 8 options in the 2018 healthcare agreement alone. And a clause saying they could develop their own. Read the agreement.
Groups such as the NYC Retirees also offered options at the City Council hearing.
Also, the OLR told then Mayor DeBlasio that the 600 million benchmarks from 2018-21 were satisfied in a written letter. If this is true, then MAP is for the present contract period despite Mulgrew saying that healthcare savings didn’t have anything to do with the present round of bargaining.
Of course, he and MLC won’t admit that he owes 600 million a year in perpetuity?
Of that 600 millions the city is willing to pay Aetna $15 per enrollee per month in order to waive the prior authorizations. If all 250,000 retirees are rolled over, the city pays $450,000 a year to Aetna, eating away at the imagined 600 million. Unbelievable! Are kick backs like this even legal???