May 31, 2023
A group of municipal retirees sued the City in Manhattan Supreme Court today over its plan to migrate more than 200,000 of them from Original Medicare to a so-called Medicare Advantage scheme operated by Aetna, a for profit insurance company. Medicare Advantage plans are available as an option to Medicare beneficiaries in general, not just these municipal retirees. In this case however, the City is choosing the MA option for the retirees over their strenuous objections. Mayor Adams says it will save money and provide adequate coverage.
The lawsuit seeks a Temporary Restraining Order to stop the planned migration. It also seeks to restore the coverage the Adams administration wants to eliminate, i.e. Original Medicare and a supplemental “Medigap” policy. They claim that’s what the City promised them and that they made decisions, e.g. to work for less than they could earn in the private sector, based on that assurance.
Today the retirees rallied again on Broadway outside of City Hall. The mood was upbeat as the lawsuit was announced. Marianne Pizzitola, President of the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees and Attorney Jake Gardener explained the lawsuit and next steps. If successful, the plan to migrate nearly a quarter million retired municipal workers into a Medicare Advantage plan they didn’t ask for and don’t want will be stopped in its tracks.
DC37 Retiree Michelle Keller; Attorney Jake Gardener; Marianne Pizzitola.
*qphotonyc is a retired NYC public employee.