Good idea. Though we already know they gave more than half of it back to the city in 2014, and that's why Adams can say it was fine before that. This is not a UFT fund, but rather a city union fund. I assume it's regulated by the MLC, which is shrouded in secrecy and operates at the behest of bosses like Mulgrew, with no input from rank and file.
Marianne Pizzitola and many of us made multiple requests to City Council Member Gail Brewer, as Chair of the Committee on Oversight and Investigations, to investigate the Health Insurance Stabilization Fund. We also made multiple requests to her and her committee members to investigate the ways the MLC has engaged in diminishing municipal health care. Crickets from Brewer and the many members of her committee. Imagine the extent of Unity lies, threats, and our expenditures would have been halted had the truth been known.
Great article! I know the paragraph on the Coalition is not the main thrust of this article, but scrolling through the search results using the link you sent and seeing that this partnership does seem to be current and ongoing, is there any way know whether it has spent any money on lobbying and if so, how much? Is the Coalition (and thus the partnership with Anthem) an “in-name-only” kind of thing? If you find out anything more about it, would love to know.
Thanks Julie. Great questions, but honestly I have no idea. The great and mysterious Welfare Fund doesn't reveal its secrets to lowly members like you and me.
The relationship with Anthem and the coalition appears to be ongoing. This NY Post article reveals that they were behind the big ad buy for the coalition in 2023 against “Pay and Pursue”.
The position article on Pay and Resolve/Pursue seems a little off as it may indicate favoring gatekeeping
Great dig. Thanks Arthur and Daniel. As they say, follow the money! I also want to thank you for acknowledging that there are concerns that the NYHA brings to retirees - especially Medicare eligible retirees. I'm one of those retirees who has reasons to worry about them.
If you live out of state, yes, you have reason for concern. Otherwise your Medicare card would be good everywhere in the country, and you wouldn't need co-pays or a supplement. I believe the sponsors of the bill reached out to unions so objections could be addressed, but unions never reached back.
Thanks for this very informative article. It’s not that Unity leaders are stupid it’s that they have different interests from the large majority of members. Most clearly shown with the decisions on health care. They have a vested interest in privatized health care. They are UFT Inc. A management corporation that gets a regular check from the city - dues check off in exchange for ensuring that no concerted action will be undertaken by those paying dues. They are a real estate corporation, they are involved in the TRS, and they manage a patronage system. Part of upsetting this gravy train is developing a credible alternative.
I sincerely hope you know by now how much I respect and appreciate all you articles on Union Matters. This article’s information was as always on point and informative. I do not mean any disrespect at all, just need to point out that Medicare for all is not the answer for retirees. I read your research on the countries who have adopted healthcare for all in their countries, glad for them. The only point I am making, again respectfully, is that all retirees who have earned Social Security by paying into it their whole careers receive Medicare for a premium deducted from their Social Security
Income. It is my understanding after speaking with many people I know from some of the countries you mention did have that Nation healthcare and all of them have told me it is inferior to what we have in this country, having said that and having Medicare for my spouse and I since we retired, I agree both the insurance we had when we were active workers and Medicare and Senior Care now is a good healthcare system and takes care of our needs at the moment. Personally I took out a VIP insurance plan years ago to cover catastrophic needs should they arise if or when Medicare reached its maximum coverage. My whole point is that we have paid into having this healthcare through hard work for many years. I’m all for helping where I can with charity giving here and there, however giving away Medicare to those who have not contributed to this country’s needs does not sit well we me and my spouse and many other of my peers. We are mostly all Union rank and file members for many years. Once before I suggested to you that Medicaid by State would be a better fit for those in need of Healthcare, but the earned and still paying for Medicare out of our earned Social Security should not be touched. It is our safety net and is for retired people who have earned it. So that is the reason I must debate you changing Medicare to Medicare for All. l. It would hurt retirees in more ways than one. Medicaid would be better suited to the charitable plan as it was designed to take care of those residents in need by States and Cities. The federal government has already taken from our Medicare funds and that is bad enough and should be repaid as it is the retiree funds they borrowed from. I hope you will agree to mutual respect on this subject.
Right on target, Kathy. I often wonder about this highly relevant point. You have said it succinctly. Hopefully some if this will come up, and be brought up at the nycorgpublicservice retirees weekly Friday night meetings tonight.
I have made misspelled and incorrect wording errors here and there on this comment and I apologize . I am unable to correct them or I would have. My embarrassment for them is sincere.
I don't mind your spelling errors. I do, however, know people who are now dead as a result of our system. Or I did. Our system is the worst in the world for those who are not covered, or end up bankrupt, and that's a disgrace. This is not a zero sum game.
Believe I do realize those tragedies occur and I’m sympathetic. As a child we were on welfare. We had clinics only never the better hospitals nor doctors. Many of the issues I have with my health today are because of inferior care cause we were poor. So all I’m trying to get across is that Medicare is not the program to use. That’s earned and paid for by retirees and when we were active… our money…. and part of our Social Security incomes. But I am not against government going after private insurance companies and their sneaky deals. I am not against subsidizing State and City Budgets to cover care for all under some other program say like Maryland does. Just NOT Medicare! Leave Medicare alone for retirees only. We are a very vulnerable group who rely on it to stay alive. Don’t take it and disperse it to everyone else, when there are other ways to explore it! Bernie Saunders isn’t poor neither is Kamala Harris they don’t need Medicare so they don’t care! But we need it as retirees and we do care. That’s my point entirely.
Has the Health Insurance stabilization fund been audited by an independent third party?
If not, the UFT members should demand an independent audit. If it has been audited by an independent third party it should be
published by the UFT.
Good idea. Though we already know they gave more than half of it back to the city in 2014, and that's why Adams can say it was fine before that. This is not a UFT fund, but rather a city union fund. I assume it's regulated by the MLC, which is shrouded in secrecy and operates at the behest of bosses like Mulgrew, with no input from rank and file.
Marianne Pizzitola and many of us made multiple requests to City Council Member Gail Brewer, as Chair of the Committee on Oversight and Investigations, to investigate the Health Insurance Stabilization Fund. We also made multiple requests to her and her committee members to investigate the ways the MLC has engaged in diminishing municipal health care. Crickets from Brewer and the many members of her committee. Imagine the extent of Unity lies, threats, and our expenditures would have been halted had the truth been known.
An audit of the Welfare Fund should also be demanded by the members of the UFT
Great article! I know the paragraph on the Coalition is not the main thrust of this article, but scrolling through the search results using the link you sent and seeing that this partnership does seem to be current and ongoing, is there any way know whether it has spent any money on lobbying and if so, how much? Is the Coalition (and thus the partnership with Anthem) an “in-name-only” kind of thing? If you find out anything more about it, would love to know.
Thanks Julie. Great questions, but honestly I have no idea. The great and mysterious Welfare Fund doesn't reveal its secrets to lowly members like you and me.
The relationship with Anthem and the coalition appears to be ongoing. This NY Post article reveals that they were behind the big ad buy for the coalition in 2023 against “Pay and Pursue”.
The position article on Pay and Resolve/Pursue seems a little off as it may indicate favoring gatekeeping
https://nypost.com/2023/02/05/hochul-sides-with-hospital-lobby-over-insurers-labor-in-pay-dispute/
Great dig. Thanks Arthur and Daniel. As they say, follow the money! I also want to thank you for acknowledging that there are concerns that the NYHA brings to retirees - especially Medicare eligible retirees. I'm one of those retirees who has reasons to worry about them.
If you live out of state, yes, you have reason for concern. Otherwise your Medicare card would be good everywhere in the country, and you wouldn't need co-pays or a supplement. I believe the sponsors of the bill reached out to unions so objections could be addressed, but unions never reached back.
Thanks for this very informative article. It’s not that Unity leaders are stupid it’s that they have different interests from the large majority of members. Most clearly shown with the decisions on health care. They have a vested interest in privatized health care. They are UFT Inc. A management corporation that gets a regular check from the city - dues check off in exchange for ensuring that no concerted action will be undertaken by those paying dues. They are a real estate corporation, they are involved in the TRS, and they manage a patronage system. Part of upsetting this gravy train is developing a credible alternative.
I sincerely hope you know by now how much I respect and appreciate all you articles on Union Matters. This article’s information was as always on point and informative. I do not mean any disrespect at all, just need to point out that Medicare for all is not the answer for retirees. I read your research on the countries who have adopted healthcare for all in their countries, glad for them. The only point I am making, again respectfully, is that all retirees who have earned Social Security by paying into it their whole careers receive Medicare for a premium deducted from their Social Security
Income. It is my understanding after speaking with many people I know from some of the countries you mention did have that Nation healthcare and all of them have told me it is inferior to what we have in this country, having said that and having Medicare for my spouse and I since we retired, I agree both the insurance we had when we were active workers and Medicare and Senior Care now is a good healthcare system and takes care of our needs at the moment. Personally I took out a VIP insurance plan years ago to cover catastrophic needs should they arise if or when Medicare reached its maximum coverage. My whole point is that we have paid into having this healthcare through hard work for many years. I’m all for helping where I can with charity giving here and there, however giving away Medicare to those who have not contributed to this country’s needs does not sit well we me and my spouse and many other of my peers. We are mostly all Union rank and file members for many years. Once before I suggested to you that Medicaid by State would be a better fit for those in need of Healthcare, but the earned and still paying for Medicare out of our earned Social Security should not be touched. It is our safety net and is for retired people who have earned it. So that is the reason I must debate you changing Medicare to Medicare for All. l. It would hurt retirees in more ways than one. Medicaid would be better suited to the charitable plan as it was designed to take care of those residents in need by States and Cities. The federal government has already taken from our Medicare funds and that is bad enough and should be repaid as it is the retiree funds they borrowed from. I hope you will agree to mutual respect on this subject.
Right on target, Kathy. I often wonder about this highly relevant point. You have said it succinctly. Hopefully some if this will come up, and be brought up at the nycorgpublicservice retirees weekly Friday night meetings tonight.
I have made misspelled and incorrect wording errors here and there on this comment and I apologize . I am unable to correct them or I would have. My embarrassment for them is sincere.
I don't mind your spelling errors. I do, however, know people who are now dead as a result of our system. Or I did. Our system is the worst in the world for those who are not covered, or end up bankrupt, and that's a disgrace. This is not a zero sum game.
Fay M. Aaronson, continued reply.
Believe I do realize those tragedies occur and I’m sympathetic. As a child we were on welfare. We had clinics only never the better hospitals nor doctors. Many of the issues I have with my health today are because of inferior care cause we were poor. So all I’m trying to get across is that Medicare is not the program to use. That’s earned and paid for by retirees and when we were active… our money…. and part of our Social Security incomes. But I am not against government going after private insurance companies and their sneaky deals. I am not against subsidizing State and City Budgets to cover care for all under some other program say like Maryland does. Just NOT Medicare! Leave Medicare alone for retirees only. We are a very vulnerable group who rely on it to stay alive. Don’t take it and disperse it to everyone else, when there are other ways to explore it! Bernie Saunders isn’t poor neither is Kamala Harris they don’t need Medicare so they don’t care! But we need it as retirees and we do care. That’s my point entirely.