A Better Tone

The way Mulgrew talks at retirees – it doesn’t have to be that way. Scroll down for an alternative. Look at how patiently, how honestly the Professional Staff Congress helps its retirees with the difficult decision about whether to go with Aetna, or to choose traditional Medicare. Union leaders can treat members with empathy, and with respect. United Federation of Teacher Retirees should expect the same, should demand the same.

UFT Retirees have been getting messages with a “certain tone” from Mulgrew and from the UFT Retiree Teachers Chapter. Messages about health insurance. When they are selling something, they sell it hard, like they are fresh off a used car lot, bad suits and all. And they are selling Medicare Advantage hard.

They’ve won, for now, Mulgrew and the New York City Office of Labor Relations – they’ve won their fight against retirees. Unless something upends their plans, Medicare retirees will be forced off of traditional Medicare, real Medicare, September 1, 2023. So why are they still selling?

Today retirees are trying to decide if they will allow themselves to be moved into Mulgrew’s Aetna/CVS Medicare Advantage, or pay a fairly large amount to remain in traditional Medicare. The period to decide ends June 30, 2023, in just over a month. Going into Aetna happens automatically, unless the retiree acts.

And it is not an easy decision. There’s the politics of privatized Medicare, for sure. But there’s the money. Buying your own Medigap costs real money. And there’s the drug plan. And the City will stop providing Part B Reimbursements (I think). But there are issues of control of prior authorizations. And of which doctors take which plan. And of the cost of drugs. Not easy. Retirees who are 65 and over, many of them need help.

Help from the UFT? It’s still the hard sell. Why? Why so little respect for members? Why so little sympathy for the difficult choices retired teachers are trying to make?

Is there another way? Yes. Look at the following article from the Professional Staff Congress’s Retiree Newsletter. Here is the full newsletter. Please note – much of what Ms. Greenbaum writes is specific to PSC – we can only hope that the UFT leadership puts out something so clear, so empathetic, so understanding. But while we are hoping, let’s not hold our breath.

GETTING CLOSE TO THE WIRE
Joan Greenbaum, LaGuardia & GC

As we all know by now, June 30 is the last date to waive out of what is called the City of New York’s Aetna Medicare Advantage Plan. Many hope that this date itself will be waived away and/or a lawsuit will stop the implementation of this privatized plan. The PSC voted against the MLC’s approval of Medicare Advantage last summer and has garnered support with a coalition of unions that did so as well. So many of us have fought many battles up to this point and will continue to work with other groups fighting the City’s effort to reduce the benefits we were promised when we retired.

That said, however, as a union representing over 3,000 retiree members (and countless numbers of retirees who may have forgotten to pay retiree dues), we are obliged to review our options. The City will no longer pay for Senior Care (the Emblem supplemental plan to traditional Medicare), and this plan will cease to exist. On September 1 all NYC retirees who are Medicare eligible will be moved to Medicare Advantage, except for those who either “opt out” into the NYC HIP VIP plan (a Medicare Advantage HMO, but only for those who live in NYC and surrounding counties) or waive NYC retiree health coverage so they can continue to be covered by traditional Medicare. Estimated costs for Medigap policies to supplement Medicare, as Senior Care now does, will vary by state and other criteria. Not incidentally, waiving NYC coverage will also mean losing the Medicare Part B (& IRMAA, if applicable) reimbursement we receive annually from NYC.

These decisions are huge. Paying on one’s own for a Medigap policy similar to current Senior Care (Medigap Plan G) in New York City will cost at least $5,363 (including Part B premiums) per person/per year.

And there are other costs to consider, such as the possible loss of our Welfare-Fund benefits–drugs, dental, optical and hearing care, which the union is fighting to prevent. The PSC is still negotiating with CUNY to continue Welfare Fund benefits for those who waive NYC coverage. Clearly the City is spiking the deal to transfer almost all retirees to privatized Medicare Advantage.

Physically and emotionally the costs of these decisions may seem almost unbearable to many of us. For younger retirees who are in good health the situation may seem manageable for the time being. But for 2 those of us who have current health concerns and for the many who are octogenarians and older (we have over 20 members who are centenarians!), these seem like life and death decisions hanging in the balance. Questions that have been raised at our retiree meetings include: Will I be denied a needed procedure by Aetna? Will health benefits be seamless between August and September? What if I am already scheduled for a medical procedure or operation in early September? A drug I need is on a list requiring special approval; what will happen to me? And there are many, many more. These concerns cause anxiety and, for some, sleepless nights. There are no clear-cut answers at this time from Aetna or NYC. If you have specific questions about the coverage that will start on September 1st , call Aetna at 855-648-0389. Problems and questions about the transition should be addressed to the NYC Office of Labor Relations (OLR) 212-306- 7200.

While the PSC website is not a panacea for all that ails us now, you can find basic information there which retirees need to know, some guidance about how to make a decision, links to authoritative information, and answers to some of the many questions that keep coming up. As union representatives learn more details on these important questions, the website will be updated. Please keep it bookmarked for reference and help older members who may not be able to access or understand it. psccuny.org/whats-happening-retireehealthcare/

And talk to your friends and colleagues, particularly those who may be retiring this year and haven’t been given these details. On a personal note, as I write this article, I have not yet decided what I am going to do; I’m at least waiting until I hear if we get to keep Welfare Fund benefits if we waive NYC coverage. We have until June 30th to decide and should make use of that time to learn as much as we can.