"Retired and active city workers rally outside District Council 37 headquarters in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, protesting the Municipal Labor Committee's approval of a new self-funded health insurance plan. Demonstrators expressed concern over the plan's secrecy, potential cost increases, and reduced member input. Photo by Adam Daly The city's largest public-sector unions approved a sweeping health care overhaul Tuesday that, if finalized, will move more than 750,000 active employees, pre-Medicare retirees, and their dependents into a new self-funded insurance plan administered by EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare a change that critics blasted as rushed, secretive, and risky."
"The Municipal Labor Committee, an umbrella group of more than 100 city unions, voted to replace the popular GHI Comprehensive Benefits Plan with a new premium-free model beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The contract, awarded earlier in June, will run for five years. Mayor Eric Adams' administration stated that the plan will utilize the city's purchasing power to provide more doctors, mental health providers, and a broad national network, while saving up to $1 billion per year. This plan would provide over 10,000 additional health care providers in the downstate New York Area over 20,000 more mental health providers in New York state, and for the first time a broad national network of over 1.6 million providers outside the downstate New York area, allowing tens of thousands of retired city employees to receive care where they live without the costly out-of-network charges often incurred under the current plan, Mayor Adams said following the vote."
More than 750,000 active employees, pre-Medicare retirees, and their dependents are slated to move into a new self-funded insurance plan administered by EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare if finalized. The Municipal Labor Committee voted to replace the GHI Comprehensive Benefits Plan with a premium-free model beginning Jan. 1, 2026, under a five-year contract awarded in June. The city projects up to $1 billion in annual savings and expanded provider access, including thousands of additional health and mental health providers and a national network of over 1.6 million providers. Critics described the process as rushed, secretive, and risky and raised concerns about reduced member input and potential cost impacts.
Read at www.amny.com
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