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New law eases health insurance enrollment for city workers

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City Council Member Rita Joseph, who had open heart surgery in 2008, had made annual visits to a cardiologist since then. But Joseph, who had worked as a city public school teacher, was turned away when she went in for her appointment after joining the Council in January 2022.

The reason was that some city workers experience a lapse in their municipal coverage when they move from one city agency to another. She sought to change that. 

Legislation sponsored by Joseph and signed into law by Mayor Eric Adams Monday ensures that lag will no longer happen. The law, which becomes effective in 60 days, requires that city agencies expedite the transfer of health care benefits for employees who get a job at another city agency. It also requires that agencies provide new employees with detailed information on how they can access their benefits, including contact information to agency staff who can help guide workers on the process.

“When I became a Council member, I had no health insurance when I showed up at my cardiologist. I wouldn't want this experience to happen to anyone moving from one city agency to another,” Joseph said during a June hearing on the legislation, which she had introduced in February.

During the hearing, officials from the Office of Labor Relations and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services explained that city employees who transfer agencies should not lose coverage but that communication can lag. “However, when you’re transferring from an agency outside of DCAS’s jurisdiction into an agency that’s under DCAS’s jurisdiction, there is communication that needs to happen between the two agencies,” said Katrina Porter, the agency's deputy commissioner for human capital.

“This initiative underscores our collective commitment to creating a workforce environment where employees feel valued, respected, and supported as they contribute to the vitality and resilience of our city,” Joseph said after the bill’s signing. 

Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, who chairs the Council’s Civil Service and Labor committee, noted that it’s “imperative that such benefits are not simply offered on paper, but are accessible to employees in a meaningful way.”

Adams called city employees “the engine that keep our city moving” and that they deserve ready access to the “best benefits” for themselves and their families. 

“For too long, bureaucratic red tape made it harder to access critical health insurance benefits,” he said in a statement. “Thanks to today’s legislation, we’re giving city employees peace of mind, expanding a critical program to expedite the administrative process, and ensuring the transition from working at one agency to another comes with immediate health benefits.”

Adams signed another bill into law Monday that will expand a program allowing private schools to seek reimbursement from the city for costs associated with hiring security staff. Currently, only private schools with 300 students are eligible, but under the new law, schools with 150 students will qualify. It also increases the spending cap for the program and allows certain charter schools to participate.

“Safety and security in our schools should always be nonnegotiable, because there’s nothing more important than keeping our kids safe,” Council Member Justin Brannan, who introduced the legislation, said in a statement. “We know the initial rollout of the city’s Nonpublic School Security Guard program has worked well. Expanding it to cover more of our schools and students just makes sense.”

clewis@thechiefleader.com

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