On March 24, a press conference was held at the New York State Capitol. Calling for the protection of traditional Medicare because it does not provide the affordable and reliable coverage that retirees need. Advocates and retirees gathered to voice concerns that proposed changes could undermine the affordability and reliability of coverage that many depend on. The speaker at the event shared personal experiences highlighting the rising cost of healthcare and the challenges retirees face in maintaining consistent access to medical services.
Laura Genovese is a retired public-school secretary who served New York City for 22 years. She retired in 2021 and currently lives in Manhattan. Genevese reflected on her time as a school secretary; she took care to make the jobs of hard-working teachers and staff easier. Public education has always been something dear to her heart, and while she gave up a substantially higher salary in the private sector, she was glad the city would compensate her at retirement with worthy benefits that have been provided to its employees for 60 years. She knows her job could be challenging at times; however, knowing she was going to receive benefits always gave her hope. She was even glad that her husband, who also worked for many years, would be eligible for coverage as well. Genovese had to retire sooner than she wanted due to her pension not amounting to what she thought it would be; however, she was unexpectedly shocked to learn that the city might change those benefits.
As a retiree on a fixed income, she’s concerned about the rising cost of living, with her husband nearing retirement. Costs previously covered by insurance are now being shifted to them, and it adds up when they visit doctors. With her husband being a cancer survivor, she cannot express how grateful she is that he hasn’t been faced with any dangerous delays, three authorization delays. She hopes for the protection and the passage of the healthcare bill because retirees’ lives truly depend on it.
Mary Ann Bardo, who lives on Staten Island, retired from the NYPD after 30 years, says she sees the concern within people, doctors, and numerous health commissions. She expressed how the change in healthcare affected her the most because she couldn’t receive her infusions, and due to the change, she said it caused her a great amount of “stress and tiredness and she didn’t know when she would receive her infusions and money, and she never missed a dose in 20 years.
Mary Kanagar, who lives in Manhattan, is a retired paralegal who worked for the New York District Attorney’s office for 45 years. She said how much it was an honor to serve the city for many years during major snowstorms and transit strikes. She was diagnosed with cancer nine years ago, and she is still in treatment. Every time she visits the doctor’s office, she must pay co-payments. She needs to see her doctors to stay alive and take care of her 88-year-old mother, who is also a retired civil service worker. She is hoping that the State protects the healthcare that retirees were promised and does not force them into a plan that reduces coverage and pushes for more medical debt.
Evelyn Jones, who is about to be 93 years old and wrote a memoir called Civil Service Warrior, survived lung cancer, breast cancer, and a cancer that moved to her spine. She expressed that through these challenges, it never “stopped her.” She said she was charged $1,000 for her injections. She added that it’s time for state legislatures to stand with them; they are either “with them or against them”.
