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A message from the Mayor
Dear Retirees: I work very hard to strive to ensure the city provides cost-effective, affordable, accessible healthcare for city employees and retirees. At the same time, the cost of health benefits continues to rise at a pace higher than the rate of inflation. To help manage the impact of those mounting costs to both retirees and the city, the City offers several Medicare Advantage plans for you to consider. These plans offer great benefits, comparable to benefits in the HMO and PPO, but at prices more affordable. Don’t hesitate to join these MA plans, as they are supported by the City and backed by Medicare. The City offers retirees five choices for medical coverage, and three of them will cost less than $55 per person per month. You may choose from the following plans; however, you must have Medicare A & B to choose a Medicare Advantage Plan:
Almost 2,000 of your fellow retiree-families have made a “seamless” enrollment in the Medicare Advantage Plans due to low monthly premiums, low time-of-service copayments, and continuity of care through their maintaining the same doctors they had in the HMO and PPO plans. We know that prescription drug coverage is important to retirees; so, the MA plans have the same prescription drug copayments as the HMO and PPO: $10 generic; $30 preferred brand; $45 non-preferred brand, and the mail order drug benefit … and you do not pay the Medicare Part D premium. The MA plans give you the best of all worlds — low premiums, low copayments, no Part D premiums, many of the same doctors, and city sponsorship. If you join an MA plan January 1, you will have the option to return to the HMO or PPO within 90 days. Or, you can return to the HMO / PPO any May 1 or January 1. If you decide not to join an MA plan on January 1, you may join on the first of any month. I know that many of you live on a fixed income, which is why I encourage you to consider enrolling in a city-sponsored Medicare Advantage plan — they are comprehensive, cost-effective, and accessible. But, most importantly, they will save you money. Respectfully,
Mayor |
