New York City, December 16, 2024-On a cold, rainy and windy day, over 100 irate, retired city workers demonstrated against plans by Mayor Adams and Municipal Labor Committee“leaders” to reduce healthcare coverage via a Medicare (dis) Advantage program (New York Times, 4/28/22) while shifting costs of the healthcare onto workers’ backs. Under capitalism bosses think that once workers retire their lives have no value. For more than three years, retirees here have been fighting back and have so far kept the city and the Municipal Labor Committee’s plan from going into effect!
Against a backdrop of widespread anger directed at the health insurance industry (BBC News, 12/3/24) the actions of workers led by retirees sharply contrasted with the individualism of Luigi Mangione. Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members have been working with our fellow retirees to build a mass movement that unites current working union members with retirees fighting for healthcare that meets their needs. As much as we might detest all the CEOs of the world, killing individual CEOs won’t fix the capitalist healthcare system (SEE EDITORIAL ON PAGE 2). As one speaker said at the rally outside of District Council 37 headquarters, “the business of the health insurance companies is to make profits, not decent healthcare.” PLP members have urged all those angered by the Mayor and the so-called labor leaders to reject the system and its solutions in favor of joining us in a fight for communist revolution!
As we go to print, three additional parts of this fight are taking place. First, New York State’s highest appellate court ruled that the city could not charge premiums for retirees who wanted to remain in traditional Medicare and keep city sponsored medigap coverage. Second, new copays will go into effect on January 1, 2025. This means that many low income retirees may have to choose between needed health care services and paying their rent, food and other necessities. Since low income retirees are disproportionately Black and Latin, this means that the copays are racist. Third, the NYC Council will be considering a potential new local law (intro 1096) that will guarantee retirees can’t be forced into medicare (dis)advantage.
For PLP members, we intend to keep our eyes on the prize. Keep building this mass movement and keep organizing for communist revolution!
