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Budget, Education & City Services
Community Board Five Resolution to support and advocate on behalf of the NYC Municipal Retirees
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, March 14, 2024, the following resolution passed with a vote of 36 in favor; 1 opposed; 1 abstaining; 3 present not entitled to vote:
WHEREAS, Retirees have served the City and are now enjoying the retirement benefits they have earned; and
WHEREAS, The issue of healthcare is extremely important and must be protected for the 250,000 NYC retirees who worked for their healthcare rights; and
WHEREAS, The NYC retirees are being forced into a Medicare Advantage Plan (MAP) with no alternative option provided; and
WHEREAS, This plan threatens retirees’ access to the level of health care they have received in the past in that retirees would be forced into a MAP which may limit their access to medical providers and and require preauthorization decisions which are not required from their current plan; and
WHEREAS, Many of the retirees are on fixed incomes, and
WHEREAS, Medicare Advantage plans may change their coverage and cost-sharing rules annually, potentially leading to unexpected increases in healthcare costs for beneficiaries who rely on these plans; and
WHEREAS, If a retiree on a Medicare Advantage plan needs to purchase a drug that is not available on their plan's formulary (list of covered drugs), they may have to use a substitution or pay out of pocket; and
WHEREAS, NYC Retirees now live across the United States; and
WHEREAS, The availability of healthcare may be limited under MAP depending on the number of in-network providers; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 93% of doctors accept traditional Medicare (Part B), according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making it much less limiting to access care; and.
WHEREAS, The proposed plan would draw millions of dollars away from traditional Medicare into a privatized MAP;
WHEREAS, The proposed plan sets a harmful precedent for the rest of the Nation; and
WHEREAS, The NYC Retirees have testified in various forums, including at the January 11, 2023, NYC Council Civil Service and Labor Committee public hearing, that they have been subjected to unconscionable stress due to this violation of their earned healthcare benefits; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five urges all of its elected officials to publicly support the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees' efforts to maintain the choice of the original Medicare plan and a Medigap plan provided at the time of employees’ hiring, and not force retirees into a private, profit-driven healthcare plan; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, Community Board Five urges our elected officials to uphold the City’s obligations to its retirees, including its obligations set forth in New York Administrative Code §12-126. Consistent with these obligations, the City has for several decades (since 1967) paid the out-of-pocket cost of the GHI Senior Care plan, a Medigap plan which the majority of NYC Retirees have chosen; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, Community Board Five urges the New York City Council to exercise leadership by voting to enact legislation similar to expired Int. 1099-2023.