PSC Union #actuallydoesthework of informing retirees on healthcare while UFT #doestheworkofpropagandizing

The PSC CUNY union report below is a comprehensive pack of info for retirees on healthcare, unlike the selling job we get from the UFT leadership. They termed the city (and by association, the UFT) response as THE CITY’S “THE DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK” DEFENSE

This was posted on the Retiree Advocate listserve:

Here is a  link from the Professional Staff Congress (PSC.) which is quite informative and inclusive of everything that has happened regarding  Retirees Healthcare. Although it is from the PSC perspective most of the information is pertinent for UFT members.  It's a shame that our own union, the UFT,  has not compiled and shared  similarly comprehensive and balanced  information.

Take a look

https://www.psc-cuny.org/whats-happening-retiree-healthcare

Here's a sample:

What's Happening to Retiree Healthcare

NYC is changing retiree healthcare benefits. Municipal retirees (including CUNY) originally had to decide by October 31. But that deadline has now been extended indefinitely by a court order (see below). For most PSC retirees, once they make a decision, it means one of two options: (1) Moving into a premium free Medicare Advantage plan or (2) Staying in their NYC current plan, but paying a premium for supplemental insurance.

The web page is organized into five parts:

WHAT RETIREES NEED TO KNOW TO MAKE A DECISION | HOW THIS HAPPENED | PSC RESPONSE | ADVOCATING FOR MEMBERS HEALTHCARE | KEY LINKS

JUDGE DELAYS RETIREE HEALTHCARE SWITCH TO APRIL: The City planned to have its Medicare Advantage Plus plan in place on January 1, 2022. In a court order, made public at 5 pm on Tuesday, December 14, Justice Leon E. Frank in effect said NOT SO FAST. He extended his injunction, pushing back implementation of the Medicare Advantage Plus plan to April 1, 2022 and the opt-out date to March 31, 2022.

The order was in response to the lawsuit brought by NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees.

Frank wrote that his “preliminary injunction will remain in effect until” the City and the Medicare Advantage vendor, The Alliance, satisfy "the following conditions:"

1. "The effective date of the Medicare Advantage Plus Plan (the “Advantage Plan”) shall be April 1, 2022, with the opt-out period to end March 31, 2022. However, there will be a continuing opt-out period until June 30, 2022, even while the Advantage Plan is in effect;"
2. "Respondents shall send to all retirees a letter containing a list of the corrections and additions made to the previously sent Enrollment Guide as discussed between the parties, on or before January 7, 2022. The letter must contain information on how a retiree can obtain a corrected Enrollment Guide free of charge, and the specific web addresses where the corrected Enrollment Plan may be seen; and"
3. "Respondents must ensure that there only be one set of deductibles in the calendar year 2022 for all retirees."

In addition, in order to clarify which medical providers accept the MA+ plan, the judge ordered the City to report bi-weekly on “how many medical providers have been contacted personally regarding the plan…[and] how many medical providers in such areas have yet to be personally contacted about the plan, and how and when those additional medical providers will be contacted.”

THE CITY’S “THE DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK” DEFENSE: Judge Frank clearly rejected the City’s contention before his court that it could not send out a new enrollment guide to correct many errors in the original because of “a global paper supply shortage.” He ordered that the City and vendor correct the enrollment guide and provided a three-month window for retirees to evaluate the corrected material and make a choice to opt-in or out.
In sum, then, the judge’s order:

There's a lot more to this comprehensive summary - definitely worth reading

https://www.psc-cuny.org/whats-happening-retiree-healthcare