Dc 37 Health & Security Plan Benefits
Important Information for DC 37 Members About to Retire
For medicare-eligible* retirees who are eligible to receive a pension from NYCERS/BERS/TRS/NYSERS/CIRS* Medicare-eligible = age 65 and/or disability
Eligibility
You must be a DC 37 member, Medicare eligible, and be pension eligible under NYCERS/BERS/TRS/NYSERS/CIRS.
City Health Insurance
You may wish to refer to the City of New Yorks Health Benefits Program Summary Program Description booklet.
Complete a Health Benefits Application form.
Apply for Medicare Parts A and B at your nearest Social Security office. If you are retiring before or at the age of 65, ` apply for Medicare Parts A and B in the three months before your 65th birthday. You will not be eligible for Medicare Parts A and B until you reach your 65th birthday.
When you retire and are age 65 or over, you must have Medicare Parts A and B to continue your City health insurance. The premium cost of Medicare Part B will be taken out of your Social Security check. When you retire, you and your eligible dependents will be reimbursed for the cost of Medicare Part B once a year.
City of New York40 Rector Street, 3rd FloorNew York, NY 10006 513-0470
Medicare
Medicare is the primary health insurance for retirees age 65 or over . City health insurance is the secondary health insurance. If you are retired and receiving Medicare Parts A and B, you may choose a supplement to Medicare or a Medicare + Choice health insurance plan.
Social Security
What You Need To Know To Make A Decision
TO GET YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED TAKE THESE STEPS IN ORDER
- Barbara Caress Presentation at 10/04/21 chapter meeting: Choosing Traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage.
FAQS FROM QUESTIONS ASKED AT CHAPTER AND INFORMATION MEETINGS
ENROLLMENT GUIDES
In response to a Temporary Restraining order, the New York City Office of Labor Relations changed the opt out and enrollment dates to the end of March. Leon E. Frank, the judge who issued a Temporary Restraining Order, determined that the original enrollment guides were inaccurate or incomplete in several areas and Instructed the City to notify all municipal retirees of errors in the original MA+ material, telling them how to obtain a corrected enrollment guide.
Below are links to the original guides:
OPT OUT FORMS
OPT-OUT CONFIRMATIONS
OPT OUT PAYMENTS
VENDOR RELEASES PRE-AUTHORIZATION LIST
NY RETIREE HEALTH RATE CHARTS EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2022
If you opt out of the Alliance Medicare Advantage plan in order to continue with your current NYC health care plan, you will have to pay a monthly premium . Click here to see the rates on the NYC Office of Labor Relations website. Note that you will NOT be paying for prescription drug coverage since that is already covered by the PSC CUNY Welfare Fund.
NYC OFFICE OF LABOR RELATIONS ON RETIREE HEALTHCARE BENEFITS
How Does Retiree Health Coverage Work With Medicare
Retiree health coverage may help cover some of the costs that Medicare doesnt. It may also help cover some services that Medicare doesnt cover.
Some retiree plans are Medicare Advantage plans. These plans provide all the same coverage as Original Medicare and often additional benefits and features such as prescription drug coverage and dental, vision and hearing care.
For prescription drug coverage, its important to know whether your plan provides . If it doesnt, find out what your options are. Medicare Part D has a late enrollment penalty if you dont have creditable drug coverage for more than 63 days.
Now that you have a quick overview of Medicare and retiree health coverage, click below to learn more about Medicare eligibility.
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Medicare Standoff Threatens Cuts To Current City Workers Benefits
The cancellation of a proposed cost-saving health plan after retired city workers sued could drain a special fund City Hall and unions use to pay employee benefits.
Last month, a years-long effort by the New York City government to move retired city workers to a cost-cutting health care plan suffered a significant setback when the insurers slated to administer it decided to withdraw, citing an uncertain start date amid an ongoing lawsuit by retirees seeking to stop the switch.
The setback could cost the citys unions hundreds of millions of dollars and pits retirees against current workers in a battle over scarce benefit dollars.
Thats because the anticipated savings from the retiree care switch were destined for a fund controlled by the unions and the city that pays for active union workers health benefits. Until the city and unions find another insurance company to replace the ones that pulled out, the fund will be missing out on those savings, which the city estimated at $600 million annually.
The city wont suffer any immediate financial consequences from the delay, since the Joint Health Insurance Premium Stabilization Fund, as the cache is known, is separate from the city budget. Its revenue comes from contributions from the city and EmblemHealth, the largest insurer of city employees. The size of their contributions varies year to year, depending on premium costs and on negotiations between the city and the unions.
Raises Uncertain
A Replacement Deal?
Dc 37 Health Education & Legal Benefits
DC 37 Retirees are eligible for a range of benefits and services through the DC 37 Health & Security Plan. Please click on the links below for details, including any updates posted during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
- DC 37 Education Classes for Retirees . The DC 37 Retirees Education Program offers rich educational opportunities to members of the Retirees Association.
- DC 37 MELS Webinars. View videos of DC 37 Municipal Employees Legal Services webinars on Tax Tips, Family Law, Real Estate, Student Debt, Divorce and U.S. Citizenship.
- DC 37 Health & Security Plans – Includes booklets for each plan and direct links at the right and bottom of the page for the DC 37 Health & Security Plan’s many benefits..
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Court Rules Retirees Can Keep Current Insurance Free Of Charge As Alternative To A Planned Cost
Retired municipal workers workers celebrate outside City Hall a legal victory protecting their healthcare benefits.
Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
A years-long fight over a planned cost-cutting change to retired city employees health coverage reached a critical juncture Thursday with a judges decision that allowsretirees to choose to keep their current plan.
The ruling from Judge Lyle Frank in Manhattan state Supreme Court allows a joint city-union effort to shift retired municipal workers health coverage from traditional Medicare to a privatized Medicare Advantage program by April 1 to proceed. But the city must now let current and future retirees opt out of the shift and maintain their current health care free of charge.
The ruling was a partial win for the city, which under former Mayor Bill de Blasio reached agreement with municipal unions to pursue the Medicare switch and other cost savings as existing workers sought raises.
But its also a victory for the group of retirees who sued to stop the switch, citing fears of higher costs, smaller networks, and greater administrative obstacles to accessing health care and preferred doctors under the new plan.
Especially for retirees at the lower end of the citys pension scale, which bottoms out around $15,000 a year, that cost threatened a significant financial burden.
A spokesperson for City Hall said We are reviewing the courts decision and evaluating our options.
A Clear Vision: Eyemed Vision Care And Cps
EmblemHealth has a new partner in place to administer your vision benefits EyeMed Vision Care with CPS Optical. EyeMed Vision Care with CPS Optical offer a comprehensive network including independent and retail providers, world-class customer service and exceptional value for you and your dependents through additional discounts and savings.
You dont need to do anything as a result of this change. EmblemHealth, EyeMed and CPS are working to make sure this transition is seamless, so when your groups new vision plan starts on January 1, 2017, you will have everything you need to receive your vision care.
Effective January 1, 2017, your current vision benefits will change as shown below, once every 12 months. You will receive your new DC37 Med Team ID card during December, 2016. No other benefits are changing under the DC37 Med Team program.
When you get your care from an optometrist in network, you are covered for:
- Examinations. You are covered for one routine eye examination to check if you need corrective lenses. You are not covered for medical treatment of eye disease or injury under this benefit, but you are covered for medical treatment under your regular insurance benefit. Your copay will be $0.
- Eyeglasses: One pair of glasses which includes the lenses and the frame.
- Spectacle Lenses: The fitting and dispensing of one pair of spectacle lenses.
- Standard spectacle lenses include:
- Single vision, bifocal or trifocal lenses
- Tinting of lenses
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New York City Employees Retirement System
NYCERS is one of the strongest pension systems in the country, our union has fought hard to protect our retirement income. Our benefits are guaranteed in the New York State Constitution, and the NYCERS Board of Trustees, as prescribed by law, consists of eleven members: the Mayors Representative, the City Comptroller, the Public Advocate, the heads of the three unions with the largest number of participating employees, and the five Borough Presidents.
Employees are not automatically enrolled in NYCERS, and must do so themselves, directly with NYCERS. Once your eligibility is confirmed, NYCERS will begin deducting your portion of payments through payroll.
Do I Need Medicare If I Have Retiree Health Coverage
Even if you have a retiree health plan, you most likely need to sign up for Medicare. Depending on the plan, you may need to sign up for Part A and Part B, or just Part A . Retiree health coverage might not pay some medical costs during any period in which you were eligible for Medicare but didnt enroll.
For people who retire before they are eligible for Medicare, retiree health coverage may serve to span the gap between employer health coverage and Medicare. When Medicare eligibility begins, the retiree plan or the coverage may change.
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How This Happened: The Mlc Vote And The Psc Response
This is how we reported in real time to the MLC vote and PSC response.On Wednesday, July 14, the Municipal Labor Committee voted to approve a contract with the NYC Office of Labor Relations to move city retirees, including CUNY retirees, from traditional Medicare with supplemental city insurance to a privatized Medicare Advantage plan. The transition would take effect on The PSC cast a NO vote.
The Medicare Advantage vendor is Alliance, a partnership of Empire BlueCross BlueShield and Emblem Health.
Members can choose to go into the Medicare Advantage plan or stay with traditional Medicare but would have to pay for their own suplementary insurance. Retirees 65 years and older will automatically be enrolled in the new Medicare Advantage Plus program effective , unless they affirmatively opt out. The retiree chapter, to put it charitably, is most unhappy that the City and MLC chose that the default for Medicare eligible retirees would be automatic enrollment in the Medicare Advantage plan.
You can choose to remain on your current NYC plan by opting out of the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus plan during the opt-out period , but you will have to pay a premium to stay on most of the current NYC plans. For retirees who opt out and wish to stay on the GHI/Empire BlueCross BlueShield Senior Care Supplementary plan, you will pay $191.57 a month per person and the plan will have co-pays . Premiums for other plans are on the OLR website here.
Health & Security Forms Registration And Change Of Status
Health and Security Plan Benefits: Various benefit packages available to actively working members and retirees. All benefit informations and claim forms are available through the Health and Security Plan’s Inquiry Unit.
- Health and Security Plan’s Inquiry Unit: 815-1234.
- If you have a teletypewriter, call 815-1266 for forms and information.
- The Retiree toll-free number is 1-877-323-7738 for those outside the NY-NJ-CT area.
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Help Us Protect Your Premium
Dear DC 37 Family,
As I shared with you last month, were doing everything we can to protect the benefits you have earned and deserve for serving our city. Weve reached a critical point in the fight for your healthcare, and now we need your help.
Heres the bottom line: The money that pays for city employee, retiree and dependent healthcare has run out. The bills continue to pile up at a rate of $50 million per month and we have to take drastic measures to pay for it. We have vetted and implemented every available option to realize savings and stop the healthcare fund from bleeding dry. Now, we need the City Council to amend the language in Administrative Code 12-126, which is essential to preserving premium-free healthcare benefits for you, New York Citys hardworking public servants.
Because the shortfall in the healthcare fund continues to grow, the City is considering imposing premiums on active employees and retirees if the City Council doesnt act immediately.
Heres how you can help:
1) Call your City Council Member. Enter your address here to find your Council Members District Office phone number. Call and tell them: Protect premium-free healthcare for City employees and amend Administrative Code 12-126!
2) Write a letter to your Council Member. to send a pre-populated email to their office.
The status quo is not financially sustainable. The consequences of not taking action now are:
This is why we need your helpnow.
In solidarity,
Dc 37 Health And Security Plan Benefits
- the various health insurance plans under the Citys Health Benefits Program
- the various pension tiers under the New York City Employees Retirement System
- and DC 37 Med Team health insurance benefits.
Inquiry UnitThe Inquiry Unit is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Forms Only Line: Call this line only to request claim forms . 212-815-1531
- Inquiry Line. Call this line to check eligibility for benefits, the status of claims such as dental or disability or other benefit information. 212-815-1234
Paid Family Leave
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Retiree Health Coverage And Medicare
When you think of health coverage after retirement, you probably think of Medicare. But some people may also have access to retiree health coverage. So, what is retiree health coverage and how does it work with Medicare?
Retiree health coverage is health insurance that some employers, unions and trusts may offer to retiring employees and their spouses. Typically, it is group health insurance similar to plans offered to active employees. Eligibility, enrollment, coverage and other rules are specific to each employers retiree plan.