Retired Member's Association of the NYC Fire Dept.

AETNA TO CLOSE NEARLY 90 MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS NEXT YEAR

Modern Healthcare – Thursday, August 7, 2025
By Nona Tepper

Aetna will end nearly 90 Medicare Advantage plans across 34 states in 2026, the company notified third-party sellers this week.

The CVS Health subsidiary’s financial performance has represented a bright spot in the Medicare Advantage market compared with competitors such as UnitedHealth Group. This month, CVS Health raised its annual earnings guidance amid a $2 billion turnaround plan. The company cut the second-most plans in 2025, after Humana.

The majority of the Medicare Advantage plans Aetna plans to eliminate next year are PPOs. Beginning in September, Aetna will stop paying commissions to brokers that enroll new members in these plans, according to a notice the company distributed to brokers on Monday.

“As we continue to evaluate how best to optimize the experience for our members and partners, we’ve made the decision to make specific plans non-commissionable starting September 1, 2025,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.

The company has not made any announcements about Medicare Advantage offerings in 2026, the spokesperson said.

In July, UnitedHealthcare also announced it will eliminate unprofitable plans representing more than 600,000 members from its portfolio next year. UnitedHealthcare and Blue Shield of California cut commissions for many PPOs last month.

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{EDITOR'S NOTE: MANY THANKS TO AL HAGAN FOR BRINGING THIS TO OUR ATTENTION}

MAYOR ADAMS BACKS OFF ON INSTITUTING THE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN

MAYOR ADAMS’ STATEMENT ON FUTURE OF MEDICARE ADVANTAGE

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement on the future of Medicare Advantage:

“I am grateful to the Court of Appeals for recognizing, earlier this week, that the city has a legal right to offer alternative health care coverage plans to retirees and for acknowledging that we must have flexibility to adapt our policies based on changing times. This is an important precedent that will allow the city to modify plans in response to evolving conditions.

“At the same time, we have heard concerns from retirees about these potential changes at numerous older adult town halls and public events, and our administration remains focused on ensuring that New York City remains an affordable place to live. Thankfully, we have found other ways to address health care costs while providing quality health care coverage for our city’s workers, and we have decided not to move forward with the Medicare Advantage plan at this time.

“We have informed union leadership that we are pursuing other avenues for improving health care for city workers that will provide even better outcomes, and we look forward to continuing to work with our partners on the best path forward.”

(Question is: So Did we win? After all the Lawsuits the City has decided to back off. Well it is an Election Year. When the Democrat and Republican face off in November, well that will be the question to ask them; Do you support the Medicare Advantage Plan? )

FIRST LOSS IN THE BATTLE TO SAVE OUR PROMISED HEALTHCARE (6/18/25)

After 4 years and 11 court wins, today, marked our first loss. Below our attorney explains. We are still working with a large team of advisors on our next steps.

Nothing will change soon, and may not change at all. Just because the court did not agree with the two lower courts does not mean they will force us into Medicare Advantage. This is why this entire time we have prepared for alternative solutions other than litigation - legislation.

Stay tuned - next week after the election we should have more information on what we will be doing to move Intro 1096 in the Council.

In the meantime, focus on our election site, www.retiredlaborstrong.nyc for election guidance for the NYC Primary for Mayor, Comptroller and Public Advocate and some more council races.

Do not vote for ANYONE who does not support us!

Here below are City Council incumbents who support us. You have the power to help elect Retiree friendly candidates. Stay tuned, next week we will lay out our next strategy. This fight is NOT over! Stay calm, and rest up for next week!

The entire Board of the NYC Retirees

GO TO OUR ACT NOW PAGE NOW

BELOW READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE THAT WAS SENT TO US:

Retiree Healthcare Battle Shifts from Courts to City Council and City Hall

NEW YORK, June 18, 2025 — Today, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that the City of New York can deny retired firefighters, police officers, teachers, and other municipal workers the health insurance it has promised and provided them for over 50 years. Specifically, the Court held in Bentkowski v. City of New York that the City can force its 250,000 elderly and disabled retirees off of traditional Medicare—the high-quality health insurance it assured them they would have in their final years—and onto an inferior type of insurance called “Medicare Advantage.”

If forced into a Medicare Advantage plan, retirees will lose access to many of the doctors they depend on for life-saving treatment and will routinely be denied coverage for medical care. That is because, unlike traditional Medicare (a publicly run program), private Medicare Advantage plans limit access to medical providers and medical care in order to maximize profits.

Today’s heartbreaking decision reverses previous rulings by the New York State Supreme Court and Appellate Division, both of which unanimously held that the City must honor the healthcare promise it made to its retirees for the past half-century. These lower courts found, based on extensive, unrebutted evidence, that:

(1) City officials recruited and retained the retirees by telling them that they would have access to traditional Medicare plus a Medicare supplemental plan in their old age;

(2) retirees have detrimentally relied on that promise in countless ways; and

(3) denying retirees this insurance now would imperil their lives.

Today’s Court of Appeals decision does not change those facts. Indeed, the Court of Appeals does not make findings of fact; it only decides questions of law. The Court of Appeals simply held that the City’s oral and written assurances were not clear enough to satisfy the strict requirements of promissory estoppel, the legal doctrine on which the retirees prevailed below.

For the past four years, retirees have successfully protected retirees’ access to traditional Medicare through litigation. Now it is time for our elected officials—City Councilmembers and our next mayor—to step up and continue this fight. The lives of hundreds of thousands of elderly and disabled retired City workers depend on it.

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We are Retired NYC Firefighters of all ranks. We meet five times per year at two locations; 901 Lakeville Road in New Hyde Park and 3051 Nostrand Ave in Brooklyn, NY. Through our Newsletter and this website we hope to keep you informed about your pensions.

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RETIRED MEMBER'S ASSOCIATION, INC
Fire Department, City of New York
ORGANIZED JANUARY 1ST, 1946

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A CHRISTMAS CARD TO ALL

47 Turned out to attend the November Meeting in Brooklyn

AETNA TO CLOSE NEARLY 90 MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS NEXT YEAR

MAYOR ADAMS BACKS OFF ON INSTITUTING THE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN

FIRST LOSS IN THE BATTLE TO SAVE OUR PROMISED HEALTHCARE (6/18/25)

BELOW READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE THAT WAS SENT TO US:

RALLY FOR THE NEW HEALTHCARE BILL; 1096

WE NEED TO KEEP UP THE PRESSURE-

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America’s Seniors are gonna get screwed for Wall Street’s growing disenchantment with MAP

https://hc4us.org/americas-seniors-are-about-to-pay-a-high-price-for-wall-streets-growing-disenchantment-with-medicare-advantage-health-care-un-covered/

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