UFT Delegate Assembly to vote on proposed health care plan that preserves premium-free health care for city employees
The Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) and the city today reached a tentative agreement with EmblemHealth/United Healthcare on a proposed health care plan for 750,000 city employees, pre-Medicare retirees and their families.
The proposal would preserve high-quality, premium-free health care for city workers, maintain current benefits, retain current doctors, expand the overall number of doctors in the network, and reduce the number of medical services that require prior authorization.
"By having unions at the negotiating table —a rarity in the health care world — we were able to preserve the quality coverage we already have, keep it premium-free, expand the number of doctors in our networks, and actually enhance services," said Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). "This is a new plan, negotiated specifically for New York City employees. The union members who helped negotiate it will be patients using it, along with their families. We take that responsibility seriously and believe this to be a quality plan."
The tentative agreement —called the New York City Employees PPO Plan (NYCE PPO) —would be a new health care plan offered jointly by EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare to current city workers, pre-Medicare retired city workers, and their families. Learn more about the proposed plan »
EmblemHealth would provide coverage for doctors and hospitals in New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley (Duchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster, and Westchester counties), adding 14,000 additional providers to the network.
UnitedHealthcare would provide national coverage for doctors and hospitals outside EmblemHealth’s covered area through its national network of more than 1.6 million in-network providers.
On top of that, across New York State, the new plan would add 27,000 additional mental health providers to the network, for a total of 418,000 mental health providers nationally.
To ensure members have access to the care they need, a review board that includes members of the MLC would monitor implementation of the plan, including prior authorizations, every month.
If approved, the new contract would have a term of five years, locking in premium-free coverage and providing more stability in care and cost.
Next steps: The tentative agreement will be reviewed by the UFT's member-led Health Care Committee, which will vote on whether to recommend that the tentative agreement be sent to the UFT's Delegate Assembly. The UFT's Delegate Assembly, the union's top decision-making body, then has 30 days to vote on the tentative agreement. The MLC and its member unions have their own procedures and must also vote on the tentative agreement.
If approved, the new plan would take effect Jan. 1, 2026. It would replace the GHI CBP Plan that's currently offered to in-service city employees, pre-Medicare retired city workers, and their families.