Marianne Pizzitola’s Post

Another great read by the Honorable Diane Ravitch. Greedy insurance brokers and consultants convinced union leaders to force their retirees into Medicare advantage. It didn’t play out so well. https://lnkd.in/gK4k8s3Y

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Have to ask Liz Shuler why in the world would the AFLCIO after helping pass the Medicare act in 1965 and spending years advocating for the protection of Medicare & Social Security, allow the promise of retiree healthcare including Medicare and our supplement be stripped from us and allow us to be FORCED into Medicare Disadvantage plans that many of our doctors and hospitals do not accept? Asking for 250,000 friends, many of whom were never in an AFL union. Why is it ok for the NYS AFLCIO to reportedly lie to legislators that the AFL represents us and our bill to protect retiree health benefits from being diminished IN RETIREMENT - prevents you from giving us "better benefits?" Because we know that line is from private insurance. Medicare advantage is not Medicare and NOT an Advantage. And you don’t represent us. I'll tell you why, other than the AFL making money off selling its own MA plans, unions have been selling off retiree benefits for raises for inservice workers. You care about dues paying workers only. Liz - WE BUILT OUR MUNICIPALITIES AND OUR UNIONS! To steal from us marks the death of the labor movement! Drs and Hospitals rebuke these plans! Including yours! Leaving us without healthcare and forced into privatized Medicare is something I would never have expected from Labor! Medicare does not have networks, has RARE prior authorizations, and 99% of providers in AMERICA accept it. We have no trouble accessing skilled nursing, hospitalization or rehab. Unlike the garbage MA plans. You sold your souls the day you preferred feeding big insurance over a federal public health benefit - and in NYC - today by coming out against our legislation. Mario Cilento has refused to help us in this fight for the last three years. Today hearing he reportedly opposed our healthcare bill and lied to the legislature did it for me as he supported stealing our earned Medicare benefits means the unions we were raised in, are gone. Who will want to join a union again when they learn the promises made to us after decades of paying dues loyally to you, can be stripped away by you, when we are retired and you no longer represent us to pay for your raise? Retired Labor cries today - Killed by your own actions. Its a disgrace. Labor doesn't sell off retirees. Negotiate and fight back! Set your standards high and form coalitions to preserve what you have! Labor has value! STOP DIMINISHING US! #RetiredLaborStrong

My Op Ed appeared in Todays NY Daily News https://lnkd.in/e7jBvmiJ

I can’t thank our attorneys enough for all their hard work on this case and fighting for justice. Now, if the #nycmayor would just listen to why forcing us off Medicare and into these Medicare disadvantage plans are horrible, he might just stop this insanity. We have won 9 times, twice on appeal. He is the CEO of the city- this can stop with him.

The problem with #priorauthorization