The retiree opposition to any new Medicare Advantage Plan was successful in the NYS Supreme Court and Appellate Court, and City Medicare eligible retirees’ health care must remain the same. Furthermore, as per the Court’s docket, since the issuance of the Decision and Order, neither party has sought leave to appeal this ruling to the Court of Appeals, and the time to do so has expired. Therefore, the Decision and Order is the current state of the law regarding this issue. The entire Court decision is posted on the DEA website.
The DEA received several phone calls from concerned members asking whether the new Medicare Advantage plan would change other aspects of their DEA health benefits, such as dental, optical, or prescription drug coverage. The answer is no. Whether a member chooses to utilize the new Medicare Advantage plan, or whether he/she opts out of the plan, it does not affect any of the DEA covered benefits, such as dental, optical, or prescription drug coverage which remains the same. Details about all our retiree health benefits, including our hearing aid voucher and body scanning programs, can be found on the health benefits sections of the DEA website.
The only change that has occurred regarding GHI Senior Care is that the temporary injunction imposed by Judge Frank regarding Senior Care copays was lifted. This means that effective January 1st, 2025, the City has instructed GHI to once again collect $15 copays for Senior Care services after the Medicare annual deductible ($233) and GHI deductible ($50) is satisfied.
