The following email from UFT President Michael Mulgrew and Retired Teachers Chapter Chair Tom Murphy was sent to all members of the Retired Teachers Chapter on Jan. 12, 2023: 

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lyle Frank on Jan. 11 issued a preliminary injunction against the city, EmblemHealth and GHI that temporarily bars them from charging any of the copayments in the GHI Senior Care plan that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

We told the city, the Municipal Labor Committee and EmblemHealth that we are informing our retirees that they don’t need to pay those copays as of today, pending a final decision in the lawsuit or other court rulings. If your doctor’s office or medical provider still requires you to pay this copay because they are not yet aware of the court ruling, you should pay the copay and keep the receipt.

If this preliminary injunction becomes a final ruling upheld on appeal, we will work to recoup every penny that our retirees have spent on these copays since they went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.