ALBANY, N.Y. SPRING 2014 • C h a i r : J u d y R i c h a r d s • State budget shows bad policy, choices The enacted 2014-15 New York state budget reflects bad policy and poor choices by the governor and state lawmakers. CSEA believes the budget should put the needs of struggling people and communities before special deals for banks and wealthy people. Yet, the enacted budget will make it harder for most New Yorkers, including retirees and working people, to make ends meet. “The state budget says a lot about priorities and it’s not good,” CSEA President Danny Donohue said. “Who do Governor Andrew Cuomo and the legislative leaders really care about? Under their plan, schools will continue to struggle to maintain teachers and programs. Counties, towns and villages will continue to struggle to maintain essential services. Critical programs for the poor, hungry and sick will be cut. But bankers, millionaires and billionaire campaign contributors are getting a huge windfall. The governor and legislative leaders’ priorities have made it clear who they serve. No political gimmicks like election year property tax rebate checks and a Important information about NYSHIP and Medicare/Medicaid Advantage plans When you are no longer an active employee and become eligible for Medicare, it is the combination of your health insurance benefits under the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) and Medicare that provides you with the most complete coverage. To maximize your overall level of benefits, it is important to understand how NYSHIP and Medicare work together, as well as NYSHIP’s requirements about when to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B and how enrolling for other Medicare coverage may affect your NYSHIP coverage. Recently, there have been numerous inquiries regarding NYSHIP and Medicare. Detailed information on this topic can be obtained by reviewing the January 2014 Medicare & NYSHIP publication that was sent to NYSHIP retirees by the NYS Department of Civil Service. The following is a brief summary of some of the information found in that document. Under NYSHIP, The Empire Plan coordinates benefits with Medicare Part A and Part B. Therefore, NYSHIP requires you to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B when first eligible for Medicare coverage that is primary to NYSHIP. New York state (or your former employer) reimburses the Medicare Part B premium for you and your Medicare-primary dependents. NYSHIP also requires your dependents to be enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B when they are first eligible for primary Medicare coverage. Empire Plan prescription drug benefits are provided under a Medicare Part D prescription drug program called Empire Plan Medicare Rx (PDP), administered by Silverscripts. Medicare Advantage Plans (Medicare Part C) are managed care options offered through HMOs and private fee-for-service plans. A Medicare Advantage plan replaces your original Medicare Parts A and B benefits and, in many cases, provides Medicare Part D prescription drug benefits. Most NYSHIP HMOs provide Medicare Advantage coverage to Medicare-primary enrollees and dependents. If you are enrolled in a NYSHIP HMO that offers a Medicare Advantage plan when Continued on page 8 Continued on page 3
Retiree News Spring 2014
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