The UFT Delegate Assembly on Sept. 29 voted in favor of a new health care plan to replace the GHI CBP plan for city employees and retirees under age 65 who are not yet eligible for Medicare. (Medicare-eligible retirees are not affected.) The NYC Employees PPO, approved the next day by the full Municipal Labor Committee (MLC), will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

With some reservations and a great deal of hope, I voted for the new plan. Though we should always be leery of insurance companies, the NYCE PPO plan includes several significant improvements over the GHI CBP plan: protection against rising copays, no tiering of in-network hospitals and the elimination of preauthorization requirements for many common procedures.

Most important for our pre-Medicare eligible members living outside New York, NYCE PPO offers a national network of doctors and hospitals. Nationwide coverage is something our pre-65 RTC members living outside New York State have long wanted. They will soon be able to access premium-free, in-network medical care close to home.

When I visited RTC members in Florida last year, I was shocked to learn how poorly the GHI CBP plan served our younger retirees. I heard stories of delayed medical care, of members travelling to New York City just to see an in-network doctor or use an in-network hospital, and others facing steep out-of-network costs in medical emergencies. Some decided to waive their New York City health benefits altogether and buy expensive plans on the open market. Pre-Medicare retirees will soon have access to 48,700 doctors in Florida under the NYCE PPO plan, up from just 4,200 under the GHI CBP plan. There are similar large increases in other states where many UFT retirees reside.

I do have some reservations about the new health plan. Simply put, we should always be extremely cautious when dealing with insurance companies since they are in the business of making money. Contracts between the city and insurance companies often contain redacted proprietary information, and the city’s failed attempt to switch most retirees into a Medicare Advantage plan has left us with a level of cynicism and mistrust that is hard to overcome.

The UFT had a big role in these negotiations, detailed information about the plan has been shared on the UFT website, and the MLC’s attorneys assure us this contract is solid. But that does not mean that we set aside our suspicions or our responsibility to stay vigilant.

The NYCE PPO contract includes watchdog provisions, and the UFT, the UFT Welfare Fund and the UFT Health Care Committee take that role seriously. We will continue to monitor the plan’s performance and hold both the city and the insurance companies accountable. If unforeseen problems arise during the five-year term of the NYCE PPO contract, we will make corrections. And if changes are proposed, we will return to our union hall to assess, deliberate, debate and vote again.

The RTC is a large and diverse chapter. As chapter leader, I aim for the greatest common good that is achievable for our members on any issue. In my view, the expansion of in-network coverage for out-of-state pre-Medicare RTC members represents a common good that makes this plan worthy of support.