Urgent Call To Action: Tell City and union bosses to — Get Out of Our Pockets! End Retiree Copays, Pass Intro 1096
Join this letter/email campaign by NYC retirees and active workers seeking to end the erosion of our benefits.
We are witnessing the systematic erosion of the healthcare benefits of NYC retirees and active city workers while costs are being transferred to us — at a time that the cost of living is skyrocketing.
A recent decision made by the Mayor, The City of New York and the union leaders with the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) to impose copays on city retirees, many of whom are living on low, fixed incomes is just one example of this attack on our healthcare and pockets.
This cost transfer to us all is a result of the 2014 and 2018 City and MLC healthcare agreements.
These are the same agreements that seek to force NYC retirees into inferior, predatory Medicare Advantage to achieve "cost savings" while threatening our Traditional Medicare.
The decision to impose these onerous copays had been halted due to a temporary injunction as a result of litigation brought by NYC retirees. However, a more recent court decision allows them to be imposed beginning January 1, 2025 — even as the court case has not been resolved, yet.
NYC's municipal retirees, who spent their careers tirelessly serving New York City, should not be burdened with additional costs that could significantly impact their quality of life.
There is a solution. We need the City and union leaders to reverse these retiree copays, now, and the City Council must pass Intro 1096 to guarantee this doesn't happen again.
The City Council has been ignoring Intro 1096 which would prevent the diminution of our benefits IN RETIREMENT. What the unions are doing is liquidating the benefits of retirees, both union and non-union, to finance their contracts.
Intro 1096 does not interfere with collective bargaining. Even the union's MLC lawyer said so, but it would pressure the City to pay for active worker healthcare if they were also paying for retirees.
The MLC leadership doesn't want to say it out loud, but if it doesn't have access to liquidate retiree benefits, they will have to PAY or give up something under these agreements.
They are pitting active workers against retirees.
This should not be a zero sum, game. Lives are at stake.
We call on our elected officials and union leaders to: GET OUT OF OUR POCKETS.
Here is a template you can use, or we can send the letters/email through the Action Network, automatically.
Please email the leaders of the MLC — Michael Mulgrew [mmulgrew.uft.org], Henry Garrido [hgarrido@dc37.net] and Harry Nespoli [pres831secy@usa-sbf.com]
Also, email members of City Council.
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the recent decision made by the Mayor, The City of New York and the union leaders with the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) to impose copays on city retirees, many of whom are living on low, fixed incomes.
The decision to impose these onerous copays had been halted due to a temporary injunction as a result of litigation brought by NYC retirees. However, a more recent court decision to allow them to be imposed beginning January 1, 2025 — even as the court case has not been resolved, yet.
These municipal retirees, who spent their careers tirelessly serving New York City, should not be burdened with additional costs that could significantly impact their quality of life.
I urge you to reconsider this unfair policy and reverse the decision, keeping in mind the following five key reasons:
1. Fixed Incomes Cannot Absorb Additional Costs, especially Multiple, Frequent Co-pays -
Many retirees rely solely on their pensions and Social Security benefits, both of which are typically modest at best. Some retirees’ pensions are less than 20k a year and this would have major implications for them.
Introducing healthcare copays, which they did not have to pay for historically as retirees, will create an undue financial hardship. This leaves retirees to choose between essential healthcare services and other basic needs, such as food or housing in a city that is experiencing high costs of living.
Elderly retirees and the disabled often have various health issues, and/or life-threatening health conditions that demand multiple trips to doctors, medical providers and facilities, on a weekly basis.
This could mean monthly co-payments totals could easily exceed the total of a monthly car payment.
2. Health Security Should Be a Promise Kept, Not a Burden -
City retirees have earned their benefits after decades of service, and their promised health security should be a cornerstone of their retirement. The decision to impose copays undermines that promise and leaves retirees vulnerable to the rising costs of healthcare, which they can no longer afford due to fixed incomes.
3. Rising Healthcare Costs Are Already a Major Concern -
Healthcare costs continue to increase across the nation, and retirees are especially susceptible to these rising expenses. Copays further exacerbate this problem, forcing many retirees to delay or forgo necessary medical care, which can lead to worsened health outcomes and increased overall healthcare costs in the long term.
Further, it even discourages preventive care. Preventative care, which can lead to better overall health, fewer serious illnesses, and lower long term health care costs for the City.
All of this, also has an untold potential consequences on the social-emotional, mental health and general well-being of our retirees.
4. A Threat to Public Trust and City Employee Morale -
Retirees who have given decades of service to New York City have done so with the understanding that their benefits would be secure in retirement. This abrupt policy change may erode trust in the city’s commitment to its current workers, potentially impacting morale among current employees and making it harder to attract and retain dedicated and talented public servants.
5. The Ethical Obligation to Protect Vulnerable Populations -
Retirees are among the most vulnerable members of our community. For many, retirement is a time to rest after years of hard work, not a time to struggle financially. It is essential that we uphold our moral and ethical duty to care for our aging workforce, especially those on fixed incomes who cannot absorb the shock of sudden additional costs.
I strongly urge you to reverse this policy and explore alternative solutions that would ensure our city retirees continue to receive the healthcare benefits they have earned and deserve, without the added financial burden.
Two alternatives include:
The City and union leaders in the MLC can simply decide to reverse this decision they made together. Ultimately, they should stop negotiating city contracts on the backs of retiree benefits.
Pass Intro 1096 - This bill would amend the Administrative Code to preserve health care choice for retirees from city service and not force retirees into Medicare Advantage. The bill provides that the City must offer Medicare-eligible City retirees and their Medicare-eligible dependents at least one Medigap plan with benefits equivalent to or better than those available to City retirees and their dependents as of December 31, 2021.
Forcing copays onto retirees funded the active workers - on the backs of retirees. When low income retirees can't pay them, they will be unable to seek medical care or go into medical debt. Some living in continuing care residential communities will not have coverage in an MA plan, and will be forced to leave the residence or pay the full cost of health care. They made these decisions and didn't care about the harm they were imposing.
It is critical that we honor our commitments to those who have devoted their lives to public service.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue. I look forward to your swift action to restore the health benefits that retirees have come to rely on.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
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END RETIREE COPAYS NOW!
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