Op-ed | A promise is a promise for NYC retiree healthcare

There’s something simple at the heart of this whole fight over Medicare Advantage: a promise is a promise. 

For generations, New York City told its workers that if they gave this city their careers, their best years, we would take care of them when they retired. That meant a stable pension and quality healthcare, plain and simple. This wasn’t a favor. It was part of the deal, and part of how we were able to recruit and retain the best teachers, firefighters, nurses, and sanitation workers in the country.

Now, decades later, after these workers held up their end of the bargain, the city is trying to change the terms. That’s not just wrong. It’s disgraceful.  And I won’t stand for it.

The attempt to force city retirees into a Medicare Advantage plan isn’t just bad policy. It’s a betrayal of trust between a government and its people.

These retirees did their part. They got up early, stayed late, pulled double shifts, and showed up when New York needed them most – through a fiscal crisis, blackouts, blizzards, 9/11, Hurricane Sandy, COVID. They didn’t ask for much. They just expected the city to keep its word.

Instead, what they got was a shameful bait-and-switch.

Let’s not sugarcoat it. Medicare Advantage is a private insurance scheme that puts profits before patients. These plans often look great in a slick PowerPoint presentation but fall apart in real life – especially for older New Yorkers with complex medical needs. We’ve all seen the reports: denied claims, narrow provider networks, endless delays for essential care.

Thankfully, New York City’s current Comptroller, Brad Lander, rejected the contract that would have forced more than 250,000 retirees onto a privatized Medicare Advantage plan. He made the right call, standing up for the people who built this city instead of rubber-stamping a deal that would’ve jeopardized their care.

Yes, healthcare is expensive. There’s no denying that. End-of-life care, long hospital stays, prescription drugs – these costs have been rising year after year. And yes, the system is broken. But we don’t fix it by pulling the rug out from under the very people who built this city. We fix it by tackling the real problem: the outrageous prices being charged by hospital systems and insurance companies.

That’s why, last year, the City Council passed legislation creating the Office of Healthcare Accountability, a first-of-its-kind watchdog to investigate and expose the sky-high prices driving up costs for everyone. This new office will help the city negotiate better rates, shine a light on price gouging, and bring much-needed transparency to a broken system. That’s how you make healthcare more sustainable – not by cutting corners on the backs of retirees.

This isn’t just about a group of retirees. This is about the kind of city we are. Do we stand by our workers, or do we turn our backs on them when the bill comes due?

If you’ve ever worked a city job, or know someone who has, you should be paying attention. Because if the city can do this to its retirees, it can do it to anyone.

City Council Member Justin Brannan represents the 47th Council District covering the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Coney Island, Sea Gate and parts of Dyker Heights, Bath Beach and Gravesend. 

Editor’s note: This op-ed was provided by Brannan’s City Council office.