First, using Trump-like campaign language is not productive, my views are my own.
Dick has fought for a Medicare for All plan for decades, no state has adopted a similar plan.
The plan will cost billions and funding the plan is a baseline issue.
I asked what I thought was a simple question: what would the plan cost a teacher? With dense alghoryms and Artificial Intelligence I’m sure someone can produce a formula: punch in age, gender, family size and income and receive an estimate. Dick seems reluctant.
Will higher income folks, like teachers subsidize lower income folks? I have no idea.
And, contracts don’t address every item, they do address issues agreed upon by both sides, management and labor, and, contracts contain a dispute resolution process ending in binding arbitration. Dick says the plan puts items into law, if the plan administrators veer away what is the remedy? Going to court? A binding arbitration process is far quicker and more sensible.
I suggest an FAQ: select a stratified, random sample of end users, collect questions, test the answers, in other words build a constituency for the law.
The hesitancy is disturbing.
We vote to accept or reject our contracts, we’re asked to accept a dramatic change in our healthcare based on trust.
The NYHA will cost billions LESS than New Yorkers now spend on health coverage and care. NYC teachers will pay ZERO payroll tax -- that's spelled out in the bill. Under the current system, who knows what NYC teachers or retirees will have to pay -- or give up in wages -- in their next contract, or what benefit restrictions they'll face.
You are missing a lot info info here. There are other states trying to pass similar plans. It's a quick google to find that info.
The math has been done and NYHA will save us billions. Look up the RAND and UMASS reports.
Teachers pay zero because the city must continue to their current contribution which is 100%.
Read this in the bill.
95-98% pay less than the do currently. Only the richest NYers will see a slight increase. Again, check the RAND and UMASS reports for this.
There is no plan administrator but a board made up of 31 and 3 of these seats are for labor unions.
I am not sure what contracts you are referring to in your response. UFT contracts? Like the one that negotiated away traditional medicare and other millions in savings that will come from actives? That appendix was not shown to folks before we voted in 2018.
Read the bill before you write a piece on it. Come to the upcoming town hall, date TBD, but it will be early September.
Exploding health care and drug costs and the fantastic resistance of the municipal retirees to foot the bill have made it impossible to continue business as usual. It is very shortsighted for union leaders and retirees to think they can simply kick the can down the road or shift the burden of increased costs onto working members or those not yet on the job. A solution that cuts out the profiteers and health insurance bureaucrats is the way to go. Make health care the right of all. Solidarity used to be the credo of the labor movement. I hope that UFT members will also see the benefits of improved healthcare for all as directly affecting the students and families. Just consider the impact of untreated conditions on learning and working conditions?
NYHA would save retirees from Medicare Advantage. No private insurance would operate in New York. It would lock in current benefits (traditions Medicare) and that would be guaranteed by law. No more suing the city and fighting for quality healthcare. I am so thankful for the retirees and all the actives who fought to save us from MA so far.
There will be a virtual town hall on NYHA in mid September, details to come. You can ask Gottfried directly.
The NYHA specified creating a plan within a plan that the NYS public service retirees would be automatically forced into. This plan, although not called Medicare Advantage and not a private insurance plan, was slated to be funded using the same earmarked funds that Medicare Advantage plans suck out of traditional Medicare. NYHA would be creating a separate plan just for NYS public service retirees in order to get their hands on this federal money. NYHA would be undermining the funding of traditional Medicare in this way, while once again using the cohort that obtains their in retirement health benefits through a government entity. It may not be Medicare Advantage but it would be paid for by the same funding stream. Do you have confidence in NYS for anything, let alone taking care of your health care needs? The Capitol Building steps have been broken for a decade, look at the roads across the state and you’re willing to rely on NYS for the creation and administration of the NYHA?
We should and will draw down maximum federal funds from Medicare and Medicaid. Of course! But regardless, no New Yorker will face premiums, deductibles, copays, restricted provider networks, etc. etc. No Medicare enrollee or retiree will lose any right or benefit they now have. The governor and legislators will have a personal interest in making sure that the plan that covers them and their families will be as good as can be -- and 20 million of us will get to be in the same plan. Are you saying you have confidence in the for-profit insurance corporations that run our health coverage today?
Definitely do not have confidence in private for profit plans. I do not have confidence in NYS either. Name one thing that NYS does well other than tax its what is left of the
middle class residents. Please cite one example of a New York State initiative that is outstanding in its field.
Your plan undermines traditional Medicare by obtaining funding from that source. Just as Medicare Advantage plans are destroying traditional Medicare, your NYHA will do the same. It should be funded by tax on wealthy New Yorkers or other sources not Medicare. And what is your plan if that federal source dries up? Please read the CA proposal, as it is comprehensive, detailed and not based on faith in officials to do the right thing.
That's not true. Every New Yorker will be on the same plan, the New York Health Plan. There are no other options. Retired or active, union or not, there is only one plan.
The funding stream is what the government already contributes to Medicare and Medicaid recipients plus the payroll tax, from which public sector are exempt from bc the city will continue to contribute 100%. However, if we cannot get the waiver to obtain the federal funding, it is still financially viable. More here: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2424.html
If you are public sector and you move out of state you remain on exactly what you have now.
And yes, I have confidence. NY already does this successfully for Medicare recipients. It is was shitty, the retirees wouldn't have fought to stay on it.
Hold it, what does NYS do for Medicare recipients? Medicare is a federal plan. The only thing that NYS does for Medicare recipients is make sure they’re not blocked from a medigap plan by a pre existing condition. Other than that, NYS ensures that traditional Medicare recipients with a supplementary medigap plan pay the highest rates in the country for it. NY metro region has the highest rate in the entire USA. We can thank NYS for approving that high cost. We can thank NYS for not taking care of the roads so that it’s horrible to drive most anywhere other than the Hamptons. How can we have confidence in NYS to get healthcare right when it can’t do most anything properly. Personally I prefer to go to providers in MA, as every single one of them I have experience with is more professional, welcoming and patient oriented than any facility I’ve gone to in NYS. So I do not want a plan that will lock me into seeing a doctor in NYS.
Every single doctor in NYS would be in network. Doctors fron NYU to small town doctors in rural NY. Some out-of-state doctors would be covered if a specific specialist or treatment was required.
@kate conners You completely ignore that I stated I prefer to continue with my providers in MA. I do not want to see doctors from NYU to small town practitioners in rural NY. The NYHA would create a two tiered system, NYS public service retirees would be forced into the plan that would draw down funding from traditional Medicare . As Richard Gottfried stated above, "We should and will draw down maximum federal funds from Medicare and Medicaid. " and he refused to respond to questions in this regard during a lengthy meeting with him several years ago, this is one of the major failings of the NYHA. It is a proposal that builds the plane while in the air, that specifically states it relies on good faith efforts as it’s foundation. Again, read the CalCare California Proposition 186, and compare it to the plan for NY. CalCare is a seriously thought out plan that does not rely on the good will of elected officials with spit and a prayer. Sad that once again, NY demonstrates that it is incapable of standing out from the crowd for anything other than mediocrity.
The California public health plan that has not yet become reality is a far better written and more specifically laid out proposal. NYHA sounds like spit and a prayer, or as the saying goes building the plane midair. There are too many unanswered questions, too many blanks that haven’t been filled in. Dick Gottfried couldn’t answer these questions when pressed in a small private meeting a few years ago. What ever happened to the Medicare Advantage plan that NYHA was going to create and automatically force all NYS a public service retirees into? Is this still part of NYHA as a means to obtain additional funding from the Federal government that would otherwise be unavailable? Once again let’s ride on the backs of the public service retirees. Most anyone voicing support for the NYHA hasn’t taken the time to read the fine print, all the way to the end. Read it, then let’s come back and talk.
No, there will no be Medicare Advantage plan under NYHA as your are referencing. There are no private insurance companies involved. This will in fact save the retirees from the fate of a privately managed MA.
I have read the bill and understand it well. It has evolved and has only gotten better and better, especially for public sector workers.
From what I know of it, the bill to prohibit reducing the health benefits of public employee retirees -- whether through Medicare or otherwise -- is a good idea. Just as we bar cutting the pensions of vested retirees. (And BTW, while I respect our state senators, I was an Assembly Member.)
Thank you but his voice in opposition to forcing NYC retirees would be compelling. It would be heard by Mayor Adams, Speaker Adams of the City Council and New York State legislators.
The issues are not mutually exclusive. He can be for the NYHA and against forcing retirees into Medicare advantage.
And if not a primary resident of MA, then what happens? Does that status restrict where I or any other NYS resident choose to go for medical care? @kate conners Let's be forthright here.
Can you tell me what the tax rate will be Is it on gross or net What income is included. And remember please. There is world beyond NYC with different needs and concerns
I believe everyone should have access to health care however I am happy with what I have paid for it over a 37 year career and don’t want to pay taxes for a single payer. If we must have it let’s make it the same payment for all and not a percentage of income Just outlaw so called non profit hospitals and there is plenty of money for the uninsured or poor
You believe everyone should have access to healthcare, but not actually because you like your health insurance? Whether you like your plan currently or not, NYHA is a better and more comprehensive plan. We lose nothing that we previously bargained for and then gain long-term care, no networks, no private insurance dictating our care, no more thousands out of pocket for dental (our dental plan is awful), no more ever increasing co-pays, etc.
The bill also states that the city must continue to contribute 100% towards our healthcare, so public sector workers would literally pay nothing. No tax, no co-pay, no deductible.
Do you really think someone who makes $30,000 should contribute the same as someone who makes $500,000? The Rand and UMASS studies did the math and 95-98%% of New Yorkers will pay less than what they currently pay for healthcare. Only the richest NYers will see a modest increase, but again, they gain long-term care and all the other perks. I don't know why anyone would be upset about that unless they fundamentally disagree that healthcare is a human right.
And you know how this new untested plan is better how?
I love my insurance and paid in for over 37 years so yes I think it’s fair for a flat rate payment. Despite what people think there is a world outside of New York City and most of those people pay for insurance. Why should they be forced to pay twice
The plan is outlined in the bill. The benefits are superior to what we have now. It also specifically states that we will not lose any benefit we have negotiated thus far.
I also wouldn't say it is untested being we are the ONLY developed nation that does not have a universal healthcare system in place. In addition, we pay more on healthcare with worse heath outcomes in our current system compared to universal, single-payer healthcare.
I understand people are uncomfortable with change or an unknown, but we are in that situation currently . Are you retiring with Medicare Advantage or Traditional Medicare? What will our co-pays increase to? What drugs will be dropped from the formulary? Why can't I find a dentist and why iy my root canal and crown over 1k? Will my doctor always be in-network or is the doctor I want to go to in-network, etc.
We cannot continue the status quo. The objective of private insurance companies is to make profit. We need a system where the objective is the keep people healthy.
I am retired on Medicare with a supplemental. I paid 20 percent of premiums for almost my entire career and now have a pension deduction for my supplemental. I do not wish to deny others but I have paid my whole life for this
With regards to other countries they generally live and eat healthier
How about if your BMI is out of control you pay a supplement much like a drunk driver
Under the NYHA, you won't have to pay for a supplemental plan at all. NYHA means no premium, no deductible, no copay, no restricted provider network, no restricted drug formulary. It includes home care and nursing home care. For Medicare enrollees, the first $50K annual income is exempt from NYHA tax. Whatever % of premium NYC pays, it must pay at least that % of any NYHA payroll tax.
First, using Trump-like campaign language is not productive, my views are my own.
Dick has fought for a Medicare for All plan for decades, no state has adopted a similar plan.
The plan will cost billions and funding the plan is a baseline issue.
I asked what I thought was a simple question: what would the plan cost a teacher? With dense alghoryms and Artificial Intelligence I’m sure someone can produce a formula: punch in age, gender, family size and income and receive an estimate. Dick seems reluctant.
Will higher income folks, like teachers subsidize lower income folks? I have no idea.
And, contracts don’t address every item, they do address issues agreed upon by both sides, management and labor, and, contracts contain a dispute resolution process ending in binding arbitration. Dick says the plan puts items into law, if the plan administrators veer away what is the remedy? Going to court? A binding arbitration process is far quicker and more sensible.
I suggest an FAQ: select a stratified, random sample of end users, collect questions, test the answers, in other words build a constituency for the law.
The hesitancy is disturbing.
We vote to accept or reject our contracts, we’re asked to accept a dramatic change in our healthcare based on trust.
This is too important to trust without verifying.
The NYHA will cost billions LESS than New Yorkers now spend on health coverage and care. NYC teachers will pay ZERO payroll tax -- that's spelled out in the bill. Under the current system, who knows what NYC teachers or retirees will have to pay -- or give up in wages -- in their next contract, or what benefit restrictions they'll face.
You are missing a lot info info here. There are other states trying to pass similar plans. It's a quick google to find that info.
The math has been done and NYHA will save us billions. Look up the RAND and UMASS reports.
Teachers pay zero because the city must continue to their current contribution which is 100%.
Read this in the bill.
95-98% pay less than the do currently. Only the richest NYers will see a slight increase. Again, check the RAND and UMASS reports for this.
There is no plan administrator but a board made up of 31 and 3 of these seats are for labor unions.
I am not sure what contracts you are referring to in your response. UFT contracts? Like the one that negotiated away traditional medicare and other millions in savings that will come from actives? That appendix was not shown to folks before we voted in 2018.
Read the bill before you write a piece on it. Come to the upcoming town hall, date TBD, but it will be early September.
NYHA bill: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/S7590
Peter you have either:
1. Not read the current version of the NYHA bill.
2. Read it and didn't understand it.
3. Read it but are afraid of change, even when it is to the benefit of all New Yorkers.
Please attend the NYHA town hall in September and educate yourself.
Exploding health care and drug costs and the fantastic resistance of the municipal retirees to foot the bill have made it impossible to continue business as usual. It is very shortsighted for union leaders and retirees to think they can simply kick the can down the road or shift the burden of increased costs onto working members or those not yet on the job. A solution that cuts out the profiteers and health insurance bureaucrats is the way to go. Make health care the right of all. Solidarity used to be the credo of the labor movement. I hope that UFT members will also see the benefits of improved healthcare for all as directly affecting the students and families. Just consider the impact of untreated conditions on learning and working conditions?
Would Senator Gottfried address the Medicare Advantage plan that the City would dump retirees and their dependents into.
NYHA would save retirees from Medicare Advantage. No private insurance would operate in New York. It would lock in current benefits (traditions Medicare) and that would be guaranteed by law. No more suing the city and fighting for quality healthcare. I am so thankful for the retirees and all the actives who fought to save us from MA so far.
There will be a virtual town hall on NYHA in mid September, details to come. You can ask Gottfried directly.
The NYHA specified creating a plan within a plan that the NYS public service retirees would be automatically forced into. This plan, although not called Medicare Advantage and not a private insurance plan, was slated to be funded using the same earmarked funds that Medicare Advantage plans suck out of traditional Medicare. NYHA would be creating a separate plan just for NYS public service retirees in order to get their hands on this federal money. NYHA would be undermining the funding of traditional Medicare in this way, while once again using the cohort that obtains their in retirement health benefits through a government entity. It may not be Medicare Advantage but it would be paid for by the same funding stream. Do you have confidence in NYS for anything, let alone taking care of your health care needs? The Capitol Building steps have been broken for a decade, look at the roads across the state and you’re willing to rely on NYS for the creation and administration of the NYHA?
We should and will draw down maximum federal funds from Medicare and Medicaid. Of course! But regardless, no New Yorker will face premiums, deductibles, copays, restricted provider networks, etc. etc. No Medicare enrollee or retiree will lose any right or benefit they now have. The governor and legislators will have a personal interest in making sure that the plan that covers them and their families will be as good as can be -- and 20 million of us will get to be in the same plan. Are you saying you have confidence in the for-profit insurance corporations that run our health coverage today?
Definitely do not have confidence in private for profit plans. I do not have confidence in NYS either. Name one thing that NYS does well other than tax its what is left of the
middle class residents. Please cite one example of a New York State initiative that is outstanding in its field.
Your plan undermines traditional Medicare by obtaining funding from that source. Just as Medicare Advantage plans are destroying traditional Medicare, your NYHA will do the same. It should be funded by tax on wealthy New Yorkers or other sources not Medicare. And what is your plan if that federal source dries up? Please read the CA proposal, as it is comprehensive, detailed and not based on faith in officials to do the right thing.
That's not true. Every New Yorker will be on the same plan, the New York Health Plan. There are no other options. Retired or active, union or not, there is only one plan.
The funding stream is what the government already contributes to Medicare and Medicaid recipients plus the payroll tax, from which public sector are exempt from bc the city will continue to contribute 100%. However, if we cannot get the waiver to obtain the federal funding, it is still financially viable. More here: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2424.html
If you are public sector and you move out of state you remain on exactly what you have now.
And yes, I have confidence. NY already does this successfully for Medicare recipients. It is was shitty, the retirees wouldn't have fought to stay on it.
Hold it, what does NYS do for Medicare recipients? Medicare is a federal plan. The only thing that NYS does for Medicare recipients is make sure they’re not blocked from a medigap plan by a pre existing condition. Other than that, NYS ensures that traditional Medicare recipients with a supplementary medigap plan pay the highest rates in the country for it. NY metro region has the highest rate in the entire USA. We can thank NYS for approving that high cost. We can thank NYS for not taking care of the roads so that it’s horrible to drive most anywhere other than the Hamptons. How can we have confidence in NYS to get healthcare right when it can’t do most anything properly. Personally I prefer to go to providers in MA, as every single one of them I have experience with is more professional, welcoming and patient oriented than any facility I’ve gone to in NYS. So I do not want a plan that will lock me into seeing a doctor in NYS.
Most of your questions are answered here, check it out: https://www.nyhcampaign.org/howwepayforit-1
Every single doctor in NYS would be in network. Doctors fron NYU to small town doctors in rural NY. Some out-of-state doctors would be covered if a specific specialist or treatment was required.
@kate conners You completely ignore that I stated I prefer to continue with my providers in MA. I do not want to see doctors from NYU to small town practitioners in rural NY. The NYHA would create a two tiered system, NYS public service retirees would be forced into the plan that would draw down funding from traditional Medicare . As Richard Gottfried stated above, "We should and will draw down maximum federal funds from Medicare and Medicaid. " and he refused to respond to questions in this regard during a lengthy meeting with him several years ago, this is one of the major failings of the NYHA. It is a proposal that builds the plane while in the air, that specifically states it relies on good faith efforts as it’s foundation. Again, read the CalCare California Proposition 186, and compare it to the plan for NY. CalCare is a seriously thought out plan that does not rely on the good will of elected officials with spit and a prayer. Sad that once again, NY demonstrates that it is incapable of standing out from the crowd for anything other than mediocrity.
How much will the NY Hearth Law cost retirees?
Nothing.
§5101 10. (a) This subdivision applies to every person who is a retiree of
a public employer, as defined in section two hundred one of the civil service law,
and any person who is a beneficiary of the retiree's public employee retiree
health benefit. Any reference to the retiree shall mean and include any
beneficiary of the retiree. This subdivision does not create or increase any
eligibility for any public employee retiree health benefit that would not otherwise
exist and does not diminish any public employee retiree health benefit.
(b) This paragraph applies to the retiree while he or she is a resident of New
York state. The retiree shall enroll in the program. If, by the end of the
implementation period, the retiree has not enrolled in the program, the
commissioner shall enroll the retiree in the New York Health program. If the
retiree's public employee retiree health benefit includes any service for which
coverage is not offered under the New York Health program, the retiree shall
continue to receive that benefit from the appropriate public employee retiree
health benefit program.
(c) For every retiree, while he or she is not a resident of New York state, the
appropriate public employee retiree health benefit program shall maintain the
retiree's public employee retiree health benefit as if this article had not been
enacted.
The California public health plan that has not yet become reality is a far better written and more specifically laid out proposal. NYHA sounds like spit and a prayer, or as the saying goes building the plane midair. There are too many unanswered questions, too many blanks that haven’t been filled in. Dick Gottfried couldn’t answer these questions when pressed in a small private meeting a few years ago. What ever happened to the Medicare Advantage plan that NYHA was going to create and automatically force all NYS a public service retirees into? Is this still part of NYHA as a means to obtain additional funding from the Federal government that would otherwise be unavailable? Once again let’s ride on the backs of the public service retirees. Most anyone voicing support for the NYHA hasn’t taken the time to read the fine print, all the way to the end. Read it, then let’s come back and talk.
No, there will no be Medicare Advantage plan under NYHA as your are referencing. There are no private insurance companies involved. This will in fact save the retirees from the fate of a privately managed MA.
I have read the bill and understand it well. It has evolved and has only gotten better and better, especially for public sector workers.
I would be interested in the Town Hall. However, has Senator Gottfried come out for the legislation in the New York legislature to
preserve traditional Medicare and Medicare supplement at no cost to retirees and their dependents?
Senator Gottfried’s voice would be compelling to his former colleagues and the leadership of the public service unions.
From what I know of it, the bill to prohibit reducing the health benefits of public employee retirees -- whether through Medicare or otherwise -- is a good idea. Just as we bar cutting the pensions of vested retirees. (And BTW, while I respect our state senators, I was an Assembly Member.)
Thank you but his voice in opposition to forcing NYC retirees would be compelling. It would be heard by Mayor Adams, Speaker Adams of the City Council and New York State legislators.
The issues are not mutually exclusive. He can be for the NYHA and against forcing retirees into Medicare advantage.
And if not a primary resident of MA, then what happens? Does that status restrict where I or any other NYS resident choose to go for medical care? @kate conners Let's be forthright here.
Can you tell me what the tax rate will be Is it on gross or net What income is included. And remember please. There is world beyond NYC with different needs and concerns
I believe everyone should have access to health care however I am happy with what I have paid for it over a 37 year career and don’t want to pay taxes for a single payer. If we must have it let’s make it the same payment for all and not a percentage of income Just outlaw so called non profit hospitals and there is plenty of money for the uninsured or poor
You believe everyone should have access to healthcare, but not actually because you like your health insurance? Whether you like your plan currently or not, NYHA is a better and more comprehensive plan. We lose nothing that we previously bargained for and then gain long-term care, no networks, no private insurance dictating our care, no more thousands out of pocket for dental (our dental plan is awful), no more ever increasing co-pays, etc.
The bill also states that the city must continue to contribute 100% towards our healthcare, so public sector workers would literally pay nothing. No tax, no co-pay, no deductible.
Do you really think someone who makes $30,000 should contribute the same as someone who makes $500,000? The Rand and UMASS studies did the math and 95-98%% of New Yorkers will pay less than what they currently pay for healthcare. Only the richest NYers will see a modest increase, but again, they gain long-term care and all the other perks. I don't know why anyone would be upset about that unless they fundamentally disagree that healthcare is a human right.
And you know how this new untested plan is better how?
I love my insurance and paid in for over 37 years so yes I think it’s fair for a flat rate payment. Despite what people think there is a world outside of New York City and most of those people pay for insurance. Why should they be forced to pay twice
Saying you love your insurance is like survivors of the Titanic saying they loved having floating wreckage to cling to.
The plan is outlined in the bill. The benefits are superior to what we have now. It also specifically states that we will not lose any benefit we have negotiated thus far.
Bill Here: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/S7590
More of an overview with FAQ: https://www.nyhcampaign.org/
I also wouldn't say it is untested being we are the ONLY developed nation that does not have a universal healthcare system in place. In addition, we pay more on healthcare with worse heath outcomes in our current system compared to universal, single-payer healthcare.
I understand people are uncomfortable with change or an unknown, but we are in that situation currently . Are you retiring with Medicare Advantage or Traditional Medicare? What will our co-pays increase to? What drugs will be dropped from the formulary? Why can't I find a dentist and why iy my root canal and crown over 1k? Will my doctor always be in-network or is the doctor I want to go to in-network, etc.
We cannot continue the status quo. The objective of private insurance companies is to make profit. We need a system where the objective is the keep people healthy.
I am retired on Medicare with a supplemental. I paid 20 percent of premiums for almost my entire career and now have a pension deduction for my supplemental. I do not wish to deny others but I have paid my whole life for this
With regards to other countries they generally live and eat healthier
How about if your BMI is out of control you pay a supplement much like a drunk driver
Under the NYHA, you won't have to pay for a supplemental plan at all. NYHA means no premium, no deductible, no copay, no restricted provider network, no restricted drug formulary. It includes home care and nursing home care. For Medicare enrollees, the first $50K annual income is exempt from NYHA tax. Whatever % of premium NYC pays, it must pay at least that % of any NYHA payroll tax.
So I will get better than what I have now and will not pay a penny for it That includes no tax on my income I would want an opt out provision