Closing the door on Medicare Advantage

As a union leader and teacher for almost two decades, and as a friend and relative to dozens of public sector employees and retirees, I understand the unbreakable promise government makes to current and future retirees.  

Between the uncertainty surrounding the Medicare Advantage lawsuit and Trump and Musk attacking Social Security, our retirees and older adults have experienced heightened confusion and stress over the last several months. It’s important to note that despite scaremongering, no one has been forced to change their healthcare, but our city must do more to assuage those fears.  

With a crowded Democratic field running for Mayor, uncertainty looms about whether our city’s next leader will continue the lawsuit to try to force the Medicare Advantage transition.  

I am calling on those running for Mayor to make two pledges to our retirees: 

1. They will direct the New York City Law Department to drop all legal actions related to retirees’ healthcare.
2. They will eliminate Medicare Advantage as the required healthcare plan for retirees in new bargaining sessions with all public sector unions.

I want to be clear -- I will never, ever, allow those who don’t want Medicare Advantage to be forced into it, and I will fight like hell to protect seniors from extremist threats of all kinds—whether standing up to Trump and Musk’s threats to Social Security and Medicare, or to bureaucrats at Tweed or City Hall who threaten union retirees. Period.  

There may be disagreements about tactics, but not outcomes. I have long supported court challenges to kill the Medicare Advantage transition and am glad that court after court has ruled with retirees. I look forward to a final victory that guarantees all retirees what they were promised.  

It's important to not forget that the Medicare Advantage situation is just one challenge facing our retiree New Yorkers. I have always advocated for older adults and retirees, and affordability in our city has been an issue I have fought for in City Hall since I was elected.  

On Community Board 8, I was the chair of the Aging Committee and fought to make our subways more accessible and improve our quality of life. During COVID, I made thousands of calls to older adults in our community to check in to see how they were doing and ensure they had enough food. I connected people with critical resources, including a city program providing free tablets so they could stay in touch with loved ones and access medical care.  

Now, on the City Council, I have delivered millions of dollars for senior centers, addressed food insecurity, helped constituents access SCRIE benefits, and provided resources for older New Yorkers. I’m eager to continue this critical work and be a strong voice for our retirees and older adults.  

In addition to calling on our future mayor to address Medicare Advantage, I urge our mayoral candidates to share their proposals for older New Yorkers. They must invest in and prioritize resources for our older adults, including tackling housing and food insecurity, inaccessibility, and divestment from critical services. As Trump and Musk attack older Americans and seek to undermine Social Security and Medicare, New York must once again rise to address the federal government’s shortcomings.  

Our retirees dedicated their lives to serving our city and deserve to be supported in their retirement. I will keep fighting for retirees and won’t let the bureaucrats in City Hall win. And as a UFT member who has lived here for four decades, you can trust I always will.