Access to all of our current providers at the existing
Medicare rates
COMRO Council of Municipal Retiree Organizations of New York City
c/o Professional
Staff Congress/CUNY
OFFICERS: 61
Broadway, 15th Floor
Stuart Eber, President New
York, NY 10006
Armando Mandes First Vice-Chair
Edward Hysyk, Second Vice-Chair
Eileen Moran, Secretary
June 9, 2021
Commissioner Renee Campion Chairperson Harry Nespoli Martin
Scheinman
Office of Labor Relations Municipal Labor
Committee. 322 Main Street
22 Cortland Street
125 Barclay Street, Room 540. Port Washington, NY
New York, NY 10007 New York, NY 10007 11050
Re:
Medicare Advantage Plan
Dear Commissioner Campion, Chairperson Nespoli and
Arbitrator Scheinman:
The Council of Municipal
Retiree Organizations (COMRO) requests that the Municipal Labor Committee and
NYC directly and publicly address the concerns of 200,000 retirees and our
40,000 dependents over the pending proposal to move retiree health care
coverage from Medicare/ Senior Care to Medicare Advantage Passive PPO. Retirees
affected by these proposed changes have not been provided adequate and timely
information nor has there been an opportunity to discuss the vendors’ proposals
in the context of our current plans.
This is the only way the
various union delegate assemblies can make informed decisions about our health
care today and theirs in the future.
The City and the MLC must
provide in writing to all retirees a chart that compares the existing plans to
the proposed plans. The chart must include the following benefits that we
already have. These benefits are
essential to the health and welfare of NYC retirees and their dependents:
1.Access to all of our current providers at the existing
Medicare rates even if they are not part of the vendor’s network and at no
extra cost to us. (Despite assurances that any provider who accepts
traditional Medicare will be reimbursed by the plan, the inverse is not
true. For a variety of reasons, some physicians are unwilling to deal
with any Advantage plans due to the difficulties of billing and
reimbursement as non- physician
REPRESENTING AND ADVOCATING FOR OVER 250,000 NEW YORK CITY
MUNICIPAL RETIREES
Medicare claims are sent to Traditional CMS. Out of Network physicians would have to
submit their claims to the Medicare Advantage Plan)
2.Access to all hospitals and specialty hospitals across the
country that currently accept Medicare. This is particularly relevant to
patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hospital for Special Surgery.
3. No gatekeepers permitted to evaluate our
physician referrals to specialists, surgical procedures from our doctors,
physician orders for CT, MRI, ancillary services and other treatment plans
which are between the retiree and the physician. Retirees must remain in control of their own
health care and not have it dictated by an insurance company that requires
prior authorization for services. We do
not have these barriers now, and we do not want them in the future. Gatekeepers
can delay or deny our necessary health care, interfere with appropriate
treatment options and can cause permanent damage and even death.
4. How the City and the MLC will evaluate the
provisions of the contract and quality of care during the term of the contract.
5. Guarantees of maintaining the current costs
to the retiree.
We look forward to your detailed responses.
Please contact me at (917) 673-4917 or seber93296@aol.com for
further discussion.
Sincerely,
Stuart Eber
Stuart
Eber, President
cc: Armando Mandes
Harry Greenberg
Edward Hysyk
Eileen Moran
REPRESENTING AND ADVOCATING FOR OVER 250,000 NEW YORK CITY MUNICIPAL
RETIREES