A Message from President Bowen

To PSC Members:

The City of New York, which administers the health insurance program that covers CUNY faculty, staff and retirees, has begun an “audit” of dependents on City health insurance. The announced purpose of the audit is to determine whether dependents covered under the City health insurance plan are in fact eligible for coverage. If you have a spouse, child or other dependent covered under the City health plan, you should expect to receive correspondence from the City about the audit. The union wants to help you to be prepared.

The audit is not on behalf of or approved by PSC or any other municipal union; it is a City initiative. The City has asserted that it has the legal right to determine whether dependents receiving health coverage are legitimately entitled to be covered, and has hired a for-profit consulting company to conduct the audit. It is not hard to see a connection between the City’s decision to conduct the audit at this time and the City’s approach to contracts for public employees—which includes a demand to shift more of the cost of healthcare onto employees.