Fix Retiree Benefits thanks Marianne Pizzitola and the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees (NYCOPSR) for the Refund of $53 Million in Copays to NYC Municipal Retirees. The refunds are for co-pays that retirees were unlawfully charged by EmblemHealth GHI Senior Care for medical visits between January 1, 2022 through January 31, 2023. The legal settlement was agreed to by New York City and EmblemHealth. Here is a link to the actual court settlement documents:
We remember that this same litigation prevented the City and EmblemHealth from charging retirees co-pays in 2023 and 2024, until the City negotiated a new contract with EmblemHealth that included the new $15 copays. NYCOPSR’s litigation against EmblemHealth saved retirees an additional $106 million (according to EmblemHealth’s own records).
It was The NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees (NYCOPSR) that stopped the City from forcing retirees to pay for Senior Care; thus making it possible for us to keep our traditional Medicare. The City itself has valued that savings to Medicare retirees at $600 million per year.
Geof Sorkin, the UFT Welfare Fund Executive Director, recently sent out an email to UFT retirees announcing the copay settlement. In that email, he referred to a “recent class action settlement with the city and EmblemHealth,” leaving out who brought the class action lawsuit and who successfully fought on behalf of retirees.
Mr. Sorkin then had the audacity to tell us that the UFT will provide information on how the refund process will work and what documentation we will need for reimbursement. UFT leadership is now taking some credit for the co-pay refunds, when it was UFT leadership who agreed to the imposition of the copays in the first place, as UFT President Mulgrew has publicly acknowledged.
Let us be clear: Michael Mulgrew and UFT leadership had nothing to do with this recent victory in court. This was all the work of Marianne Pizzitola and NYCOPSR. When NYCOPSR posts the procedures for retirees to receive their co-pay refunds, Fix Retiree Benefits will share that information with you.
If Mr. Sorkin wants to imply that the UFT is on the side of retirees in the copay case, here are some questions for him and UFT leadership:
How much did the UFT contribute to the cost of bringing the successful class action lawsuit?
Did the UFT submit an amicus brief in support of the class action case?
Does the UFT still support the coercive copays for medical visits for UFT retirees?
When Marianne and NYCOPSR announced the copay settlement on the steps of City Hall, members of Fix Retiree Benefits were there in support.
Photo by Joe Maniscalco, Workbites
NYCOPSR is still at work on litigation and legislation to protect the health care promised to retirees. Fix Retiree Benefits will soon share information on a new bill about to be introduced in the New York City Council that would amend the New York City Municipal Code to guarantee municipal retirees a paid choice of traditional Medicare with a Medigap policy, and roll back the Medigap copays.
Stay tuned for news on the City Council bill.
In the meantime, we encourage you to contribute to help pay the costs of the ongoing litigation and legislation to protect our traditional Medicare:
https://www.nycretirees.org/donate-subscribe
Fix Retiree Benefits is proud to stand with Marianne Pizzitola and the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees (NYCOPSR) to ensure retirees receive the affordable, high-quality healthcare that was promised to us in retirement.