Brad Lander is not registering the Aetna contract
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2023
Chloe Chik, (646) 761-2914
cchik@comptroller.nyc.gov
press@comptroller.nyc.gov
Comptroller Lander Declines to Register Medicare Advantage Contract Pending Litigation
New York, NY – The Comptroller’s Office declined to register the City’s contract with Aetna to transfer City retirees to a Medicare Advantage program for their health care coverage. A pending lawsuit, brought on behalf of retirees, questions the City’s authority to enter into such an agreement.
Comptroller Brad Lander issued the following statement:
“The Comptroller’s Bureau of Contract Administration carefully reviewed the City’s contract with Aetna and returned the contract to the Office of Labor Relations without registering it. Pending litigation calls into question the legality of this procurement and constrains us from fulfilling our Charter mandated responsibility to confirm that procurement rules were followed, sufficient funds are available, and the City has the necessary authority to enter into the contract.
“As a matter of public policy, beyond the scope of our office’s specific Charter responsibility for contract registration, I am seriously concerned about the privatization of Medicare plans, overbilling by insurance companies, and barriers to care under Medicare Advantage.
“I appreciate the work of the Municipal Labor Council and the Office of Labor Relations to negotiate improvements to the Aetna contract to address some of the concerns raised by retirees. However, the broader Medicare Advantage trends are worrisome. Recent investigations identified extensive allegations of fraud, abuse, overbilling, and denials of medically necessary care at 9 of the top 10 Medicare Advantage plans, including CVS Health, which owns Aetna.
“As health care activist Ady Barkan wrote last month, noting that half of Medicare enrollees nationwide have been transferred from traditional Medicare to private Medicare Advantage plans: ‘Once corporations privatize every inch of the public provision of health care, we may never get Medicare back.’”
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JD2718 
We will fight for our healthcare till we die from Medicare Disadvantage Atena plan.
As a retired NYC high school teacher who enthusiastically voted for Mr. Lander, I applaud his decision and appreciate his concise and entirely accurate statement. Unlike some of the less-than-trustworthy (un)representatives I have had the misfortune of having voted for, in this case I don’t have the slightest sense of buyer’s remorse. Thank you, Mr. Lander!
Bravo to Comptroller Lander for his brave, intelligent stand.
Kudos to Comptroller Brad Lander for being honest about all of the fraud issues surrounding MA and raising the issue about privatization of Medicare by large businesses.
Dear Controller Brad Lander
Thanks for taking your position on Atena and Senior Care is greatly appreciated.
Respectfully,
Meredith Brown, CSA Retiree
When I was notified about this Medicare advantage plus plan. I immediately contacted all my doctors offices to see if they accepted this plan. They all said NO. I have Diabetes and I’m undergoing antibody treatment at a cancer treatment facility
I’m retired from the NYC Board of Education after 40 years of service. We retirees can’t lose existing medical.