What is happening with Medicare Advantage in NYC?
New York City is attempting to limit its spending on health benefits by shifting its 245,000 retirees and their dependents from traditional public Medicare to a private Medicare Advantage plan. The NY Metro Chapter of PNHP supports them in their fight to reverse this plan. If carried out, the City’s plan will limit retirees’ choice of physicians and hospitals, impose additional costs on them, limit their access to need care, and vastly increase the hassles involved in finding and receiving care.
The City’s plan is only a temporary palliative. Only progress toward a universal, publicly-funded plan like the New York Health Act, and a Medicare for All program nationally, can truly contain costs and assure everyone the care they need.
Following are links to a set of statements and research notes issued by our Chapter in the course of this fight. We urge you to use them in lending your voice to those who oppose this misguided step backwards.
Resources:
- PNHP statement in opposition to the City's changes here.
- PNHP financial analysis "City’s Plan Will Reduce Retiree Health Care by 24%" here.
- PNHP press release including statements from physicians here.
- PNHP research note on 2-class system presented by proposed plan here.
- PNHP research note on gender disparities in proposed plan here.
- Op-Ed: Reject the cruelty of Medicare Advantage, NYC here.
How to get involved:
- Physicians providing care to people on Traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage plans, please fill out this survey.
- Traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage beneficiaries please fill out this survey.
- Union organizing fill out this form to be placed into a union working group.
- Story sharing let us know your story about why you are against the shift to Medicare Advantage here.
- Call the Mayor and City Council you can use our tool here to be automatically connected.
- Petition to the mayor sign here.
- PSC-CUNY action steps available here.
- For questions about how this shift would impact you individually, please reach out here: [email protected]