Medicare fight: Retired NYC workers keep up the pressure to preserve benefits, urge city officials to protect their vested healthcare

Advocates for New York City retirees are preparing to rally at City Hall on Tuesday to push for a local law that would preserve the healthcare they and their families depend on. The rally is part of ongoing efforts to stop Mayor Eric Adams’ attempts to switch the city’s quarter-million retired municipal workers to a private Medicare Advantage plan.

What makes this protest interesting is that it will occur a day after Adams’ 65th birthday, Sept. 1. He is now the general age when most Americans enroll in Medicare, the country’s federal health insurance program.

Marianne Pizzitola, president of the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees , who is organizing the Sept. 2 event, said she wants to ensure that Adams adheres to his June 20, 2025, statement in which he “decided not to move forward with the Medicare Advantage plan at this time.” He made the statement just two days after a court of appeals said the city, in fact, does have a legal right to greenlight its attempts to move the retirees onto the proposed plan.

“Our goal on Tuesday is to go say to the mayor, ‘Happy birthday and thank you for stopping this. You now truly are one of us, in more ways than one,” Pizzitola said, adding that the mayor is now Medicare eligible.”

During the rally, Pizzitola and retirees will unveil a giant 65th birthday card for Hizzoner. The front of the card features a picture of Adams and a giant number “65.” Inside is scribed with a special message for the mayor.

The front of the birthday card to Adams.Photo by Marianne Pizzitola

“Traditional Medicare is better than Medicare Advantage for many reasons. There are no networks because it is a federal public health benefit. 99% of doctors accept it and the 1% that don’t are pediatricians and psychiatrists,” one excerpt from the card states.

A push to pass Intro. 1096 for retired NYC workers

Pizzitola and her group of city retirees want the mayor and the NYC Council to pass Intro. 1096 , which would protect vested health insurance coverage and contributions of retired city employees. Essentially, the bill would codify NYC employees’ Medicare guarantee.

“Let’s get the council to pass 1096, tell [Council Speaker Adrienne Adams] you support it,” Pizzitola said. “Tell her you support it, and put it on your desk. That’s the goal.”

The proposed legislation, sponsored by City Council Members Christopher Marte (D-Manhattan) and Robert Holden (D-Queens), aims to solidify healthcare benefits for the city’s retired municipal workers. This critical issue has sparked years of concern and lawsuits among the municipal retiree community.

“We are all united on the fact that we were made a promise,” Pizzitola said. “The promise was when we retired, we became Medicare eligible and we would have Medicare. We gave up wages and other benefits to have Medicare in a city-paid supplement, and not to have these costs. We want that promise kept.”

Ongoing lawsuits

The mayor first proposed Medicare Advantage as a way to save the city money. Although the NYS Court of Appeals unanimously concluded that retirees failed to establish the existence of a clear promise that they’d have healthcare choice, Adams said he would not pursue the matter.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Adams and the city’s Office of Labor Relations announced a joint proposal from EmblemHealth and United Healthcare for a “new health plan” for active city employees, pre-Medicare retirees, and their dependents. If approved by the Municipal Labor Committee, and finalized through the city’s contracting process, the new plan would be effective on Jan. 1, 2026.

“New York City is dedicated to finding health care coverage savings where possible, which is evidenced by the fact that we are in negotiations for a new health plan for both active and pre-Medicare retirees as we speak,” a spokesperson for the mayor said. “We look forward to negotiating a plan that considers the needs of public servants as well as taxpayers, and we remain committed to going through the collective bargaining process to reach decisions on employee benefits.”

Retirees from various city agencies, including the FDNY, NYPD and DSNY have expressed concern over the potential changes to their healthcare, as well as the need to pass Intro. 1096.

“Intro. 1096, a bill to preserve our health benefits, still needs to be passed to ensure NYC doesn’t try this again in the future,” the NYPD’s Retired Lieutenants Association printed in its newsletter to members this month.

Organizers of the Sept. 2 rally expect a significant turnout, with retirees and their supporters gathering to make their voices heard.