More than 45K NYC retirees opt out of city’s new Medicare plan over ‘bait and switch’ concerns
More than 45,000 retired municipal workers have opted to keep their current Medicare coverage for a price instead of enrolling in a free, controversial new plan offered by Mayor Adams’ administration — a situation one ex-city employee described as “a f-----g outrage” on Monday.
The new Medicare Advantage plan, which was first rolled out by former Mayor Bill de Blasio last September, has for months been a source of anxiety for many of the city’s 250,000 retired workers who fear it could dilute their benefits. While retirees are automatically enrolled in the new plan, the city allows those who want to opt-out from it to keep their current Medicare coverage — but at a new $191 monthly fee.
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Despite the financial penalty, 45,646 retirees have declined the Advantage plan in order to maintain their current benefits, according to data provided to the Daily News by City Hall.
The data shows that the rate of opt-out filings picked up significantly after Feb. 6, the day Adams announced he would move ahead with implementing de Blasio’s Advantage plan despite growing concern from retirees.
In the five days after Adams’ announcement, 3,165 retirees submitted opt-out requests, with 925 filings on Feb. 9 alone, the data shows.
Hundreds of angry retirees gathered outside City Hall on Monday morning to protest Adams’ embrace of the Advantage plan and urged him to shift course before April 1, when the program officially takes effect.
Many retirees at the demonstration who spoke with The News said they had already opted out or would do so in coming weeks if Adams doesn’t have a change of heart.
“I‘m probably going to end up having to bite the bullet and eat that money, which is a f-----g outrage, because I’m not going on that plan,” said Susan Metz, 78, a retired Brooklyn public school teacher.
In honor of Monday’s holiday, protesters also signed a life-size Valentine’s Day card addressed to Adams in which they pleaded with him to “not break our hearts” by pushing through the Advantage program.
“Mr. Mayor, if you have a heart, don’t let Medicare Advantage start,” they chanted.
Adams, who missed the protest since he spent the day in Albany, has echoed de Blasio in arguing that the new Medicare plan will save city taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars per year because the federal government subsidizes Advantage programs at a higher rate.
In announcing his support for the Advantage plan earlier this month, Adams said a review by his administration confirmed it will continue to provide free Medicare coverage that’s comparable to what retirees have benefitted from for years.
But Donna Armillas, a 78-year-old retired city schools supervisor, called bull on Adams’ justification and said she’s concerned that she would be denied care under the Advantage plan due to convoluted preauthorization procedures that did not exist under the old coverage.
“It’s absolutely wrong. It is a bait and switch,” said Armillas, who has already filed to keep her old plan at a $191 monthly fee. “I want to be able to choose my doctors. I don’t want to have to go through a process where I have to ask permission to have a procedure.”
Barring a reversal from Adams, some retirees are holding out hope that the Advantage plan could be blocked in court.
The NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, a group of ex-cops, firefighters and other municipal workers, have brought a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court over the issue, mostly focusing on rectifying the city’s bungled rollout of the new plan.
Steve Cohen, a lawyer for the group, has said his client is likely to eventually ask a judge to rescind the plan itself, arguing it violates longstanding city contracts.
Gloria Brannan, a retired teacher who spoke at Monday’s rally, said she hopes the organization promptly escalates its court action.
“If Mayor Adams doesn’t do the right thing, we will get the right result in court,” she said.
