Public Employee Press

Sick of your health plan? Switch in November

If your health plan doesn’t meet your needs, you can choose different coverage next month.

The city’s annual “reopener” period — the annual opportunity for municipal employees to switch health plans — runs from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30.
Retirees, with a once in a lifetime exception, can only change plans in even-numbered years, so they can’t switch this year.

Time to change
“Now is the time to look for an alternative if you are dissatisfied with your current plan,” said Cynthia Chin-Marshall, acting administrator of the DC 37 Health and Security Plan.

“It is not our role to recommend specific plans,” she said. “But we do urge everyone who feels ready for a change to take a close look at what the city offers to see if another plan is better suited to them.”

For more information
If you’re considering a change, visit the Office of Labor Relations’ section (www.nyc.gov/olr) on the city Web site to view or download a description of the 13 basic health plans offered by the city.

If you decide to switch plans, your new coverage will be effective on the first day of the first full payroll period in January.

You must fill out a health benefits application to transfer to a new plan. You can obtain an application by calling the New York City Automated Personnel System at 212-487-0500 or by calling your agency. Some agencies will provide you with the application while others will refer you to NYCAPS.