June 22, 2023

Public sector employees are the essential workers that keep New York City functioning, and they deserve the very best – including once they retire. For decades, the city has done just that and continued to pay for high-quality healthcare for its 250,000 retirees, and, simultaneously, active employees.

Unfortunately, we must face the fact that the status quo is unsustainable: the Stabilization Fund is empty and the viability of premium-free healthcare is under threat for everyone. There is no easy solution to solving this issue. The City Council, two Mayoral administrations, and numerous unions have made a good-faith effort to arrive at the best possible outcome for everyone. This has resulted in a custom deal with Aetna that preserves the vast majority of current benefits enjoyed by retirees. 

Intro 1099 by Council Member Barron represents another attempt at finding a solution and I thank him for his efforts. However, I cannot at this time sign on as a co-sponsor. As written, I believe the bill creates more questions than answers and will ultimately exacerbate the underlying problems that got us here in the first place. I remain deeply committed to doing right by the hundreds of thousands of individuals that have served our city, but I do not believe this is the correct solution.

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