GO TO THE ACT NOW PAGE TO DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE TO HELP SECURE A HEALTH CARE BILL

GO TO THE ACT NOW PAGE TO DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE TO HELP SECURE A HEALTH CARE BILL
WE ARE RIDING A WAVE OF VICTORY, BUT IT COSTS $- PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING THE CAUSE BY DONATING TO THE NYC ORGANIZATION OF PUBLIC SERVICE RETIREES
NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, issued a historic decision in favor of 250,000 Medicare-eligible retired New York City workers and their dependents. The Court held that the City must continue to pay the entire cost of any health insurance plan a retiree chooses, thus preserving retirees' right to City-funded Medicare supplemental insurance.
Rejecting the City's argument that the City can cease funding retirees' health insurance, the Court unanimously held that "the City must pay—up to the statutory cap—for each health insurance plan that it offers employees and retirees." The decision is available here.
In 2021, the City announced that it would stop paying for retirees' Medicare supplemental insurance and automatically switch them into a federally funded—and far inferior—type of insurance called Medicare Advantage. Unlike Medicare supplemental insurance, Medicare Advantage plans limit access to medical providers and regularly deny coverage for necessary care. Under the leadership of Marianne Pizzitola and the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, retirees banded together and sued to protect their right to Medicare supplemental insurance.
This is another resounding victory for the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees (one of the lead plaintiffs in the case) and the entire retiree community. In the past three years, they have brought three separate lawsuits regarding their healthcare rights and have obtained landmark victories in each case at both the trial and appellate levels.
Marianne Pizzitola, President of the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, states, "The City's plan to defund retiree healthcare has now been analyzed by 13 different judges across all three levels of the state court system. Every single judge—all 13 of them—have concluded that the City's plan is unlawful. We once again call on the City and the Municipal Labor Committee to end their ruthless and unlawful campaign to deprive retired municipal workers of the healthcare benefits they earned."
Jake Gardener, a partner at Walden Macht Haran & Williams LLP, counsel to the retirees, says, "We are grateful to the Court of Appeals for affirming the healthcare rights of hundreds of thousands of elderly and disabled retired City workers. Because of today's decision, countless senior citizens and disabled first responders will be able to continue receiving the medical care they desperately need and to which they are entitled."
Steve Cohen, a partner at Pollock Cohen LLP, which also represents the retirees, states, "We are thrilled that the Court of Appeals agrees that City retirees deserve what they were promised: payment for the health plan of their choice."
It takes $$$ to go up against the City. Marianne has proven once again that she knows how to defeat them.
In this season of giving, lets all support her and her organization to help her defeat the other pending issues that the city is trying to jam down our throats; THE Co-Pay Issue and the right to choose a secondary health plan.
CLICK ON "DONATE NOW" to help with the next Lawsuit.
250-300 SHOWED UP for the Rally & March from CITY HALL to the CVS at the corner of Spring Street & 6th Ave. Unbeknownst to me or anyone in the crowd, we all learned that CVS owns AETNA. Backed by some Unions, AETNA would be our Healthcare Advocates in the Medicare Dis-Advantage Plan. So we protested in front of their store at the
corner of Spring Street & 6th Ave.
It was a good turn out and very loud. We were escorted by the
NYPD from City Hall to CVS.
Marianne Pizzitola led the charge. At City Hall she spoke with members
of the City Council.
They all know her on a first name basis.
Many Thanks to Tom Hogan & Wife, Mike O'Keeffe, Joe Bryant and Bill Schillinger for showing up to lend their support.
See the pictures below of the day.
[PLEASE SCROLL DOWN BELOW TO SEND A MESSAGE TO MAYOR ADAMS]
LATEST VIDEO FROM MARIANNE EXPLAINING THE AETNA DEBACLE PLAN:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN-Dkyna0wQ
IF WE ARE FORCED INTO THIS PLAN WE ALL GET SCREWED
THIS MAYOR DOESN'T GIVE A CRAP ABOUT US
PLEASE SEND HIM A MESSAGE SCROLL DOWN BELOW
or go to the ACT NOW PAGE
CLICK HERE TO READ AN ARTICLE ALL ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT
SUBJECT:
AND
THEN THANK GOD FOR MARIANNE PIZZITOLA'S INSIGHT
INTO THE MAP
AND AVERTING A DISASTER FOR ALL OF US
Because the City revised the Emblem contract, the Judge lifted the stay on the copays. This means that beginning January 2025, we will most likely see copays. There is no ending date to the contract, it expires when the City goes to change it. This is another gift of the MLC under the leadership of DC37 and the UFT, and its chair Harry Nespoli. Copays in this contract are $15. We will keep you posted when more information comes out of OLR on these changes. But please be patient, as the meat and potatoes of the case has not yet been argued. This is just the stay that has been lifted... and the City has not put out anything on this yet, but since open enrollment is around the corner - we will be watching.
Donations are still needed as we are juggling three and possibly FOUR oral arguments! Thank you for your generosity! See below to donate! There are 250,000 retirees who are on Medicare. There are more who will be on Medicare soon. If you want to make sure you are not on managed care - forced into a plan your doctors and hospitals do not accept, subjecting you to prior authorization, support our organization. If you never donated, the time is now. For three years, we have proven our strategies and arguments are on point. We have saved retirees thousands of dollars! Not to mention protecting the benefits the City was illegally trying to take away.
New York Appellate Division Affirms City Retirees’ Right to Promised Medicare Benefits
Today’s Ruling Bars City From Forcing Retirees off of Traditional Medicare
NEW YORK, May 21, 2024 — Today, the New York Appellate Division issued a unanimous decision holding that the City of New York cannot force its roughly 250,000 elderly and disabled retired municipal workers off of their longstanding Medicare insurance and onto an inferior type of insurance called “Medicare Advantage.” Unlike Medicare—a public program that has protected City retirees for the past 57 years—the City’s proposed new Medicare Advantage plan was a private, for-profit endeavor that would have limited retirees’ access to medical providers, prevented retirees from receiving care prescribed by their doctors, and exposed retirees to increased healthcare costs.
The Court confirmed what retirees have been arguing for months: that they are entitled to the healthcare they were promised for over 50 years. The Court wrote: “The City has made clear, consistent, unambiguous representations – oral and written – over the course of more than 50 years, that New York City municipal worker-retirees would have the option of receiving health care in the form of traditional Medicare with a City-paid supplemental plan. Consequently, the City cannot now mandate the proposed change eliminating that choice.”
Jake Gardener, a partner at Walden Macht & Haran LLP, counsel to the retirees, says, “We are grateful to the Court for recognizing the healthcare rights of retired City workers. Because of the Court’s thoughtful, well-reasoned decision, hundreds of thousands of senior citizens and disabled first responders will be able to receive the medical care they desperately need.”
Marianne Pizzitola, President of the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees, one of the lead plaintiffs, states, “Retired City workers dedicated, and in many cases risked, their lives for the City for relatively low pay. In return, they were promised certain basic healthcare benefits when they retired. The City’s attempt to break that 57-year promise is shameful and, as the Court ruled today, unlawful.”
Steve Cohen, a partner at Pollock Cohen LLP, also counsel to the retirees, says, “The City owes these retirees a debt of gratitude for their service. Instead, it has been trying to deny them the healthcare they were always promised. Fortunately, retirees fought back and they won.”
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.
Are you passionate about what we're doing? Let us know! We are always looking for volunteers to help us make our organization better for our members. We'll help you find a way to volunteer that best suits you. We're excited to have you join the team!
Whether you help through monetary donations, volunteering your time, or spreading our mission through word-of-mouth, thank you. We couldn't accomplish our goals without the help
of supporters like you.
2024 RMA Application with Lapel Pin (docx)
DownloadRETIRED MEMBER'S ASSOCIATION, INC
Fire Department, City of New York
ORGANIZED JANUARY 1ST, 1946
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
We offer two types of Membership.
Life Membership- one time payment of $250.00 gives you a gold RMA Membership Card and our periodic newsletters.
Annual Membership-Annual dues of $25.00 gives you 1 year of membership with associated Card, and one year of issued Newsletters.
Once you have decided on
the type of Membership you desire,
download the PDF Application above,
fill out and send with your check
made payable to the RMA
and send via US Mail to:
The RMA PO Box 1332
Baldwin, NY 11510 [Add Payment for the Lapel Pin(s)with your Dues Check]
(see Lapel Pin above-left)
[UPDATE AS OF 9/28/24: WE HAVE MADE UP A RETIREE RIBBON, SEE PICTURE BELOW]
Both Life and Annual Members will receive Critical Instant Updates as long as New Member provides a credible E-mail Address.
The RETIRED small ribbon can be sewn on above your Left Shoulder FDNY Patch.
Each small RETIRED Ribbon
costs $5.00 each.
They will only be sold at the Meetings. Please see Bill Schillinger at the Presentation Table at the Front of the Room at each meeting. See picture below for what they look like individually.
See to your left The RETIRED RIBBON.
They will be sold at meetings for $5.00 each.
Our Next Meeting is in New Hyde Park on 2/25/25.
SEE YOU THERE...