June 17, 2023

It's all about trust, ain't it.

The class-action lawsuit that got filed against the City at the end of May is as yet unresolved.

People still don't like that the Senior Care coverage arrangement, which functioned as a kind of Medigap, is getting axed. They tried suing before. Round 1 slowed down the process a year or two. 

This time, the UFT swears it's happening. You can let yourself be enrolled in one of the two Advantage plans they're offering or take your business elsewhere.

But then a glitch.  On June 8th we learned that the Comptroller declined to register the Aetna contract, something that UFT brass claimed a few days ago is not actually needed. Huh?  They read the Comptroller's objection as more of a stance. Nothing's gonna stop this train.

Aetna has submitted documentation to show the "merits" of the new PPO and their "efforts to educate retirees about the changes underway" (Gothamist). But, all that's neither here nor there.  I don't know how much we can trust any of these Advantage plan managers. Too much scandal and overbilling, too many denials of coverage, too many roadblocks to services when you're the most vulnerable. 

There's no refuting that the word "Advantage" brings up the immediate question:  Advantage to whom?  Us or the people running those things.

We'll have to see what happens in the next week or so, but again we have moving parts, just like the last time. 

For example, the widely advertised opt-out date of June 30th has just been pushed back.  Here's the new banner on the OLR's health benefits webpage


Honestly, who knows what to believe with these guys.

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