City's self-funded health plan clears key bureaucratic hurdle as Comptroller Lander registers contract facing legal challenge | amNewYork

"The contract for the NYC Employees PPO plan, also known as NYCE PPO, administered by EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare, was officially registered on November 13, clearing the final administrative hurdle for a plan slated to replace the long-standing GHI CBP/Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage for approximately 750,000 active workers and retirees. The new plan is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. Lander's office emphasized that the comptroller's review is limited to whether the procurement followed the rules, not the substance of the plan itself."

"Officials said the Office of Labor Relations complied with all public-notice and competitive-procurement requirements, including soliciting proposals, scoring finalists, and seeking best-and-final offers before selecting vendors. The estimated administrative fee for the self-insured contract is $950 million over its base term and any subsequent renewals. The registration comes days after a Manhattan Supreme Court judge rejected a bid by Hands Off NY Care, an advocacy group opposing the overhaul, as well as several workers and retirees, to block the contract."

Comptroller Brad Lander approved the Adams administration's new self-funded NYC Employees PPO (NYCE PPO) after finding the contract met procedural requirements and registered it on November 13. The NYCE PPO, administered by EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare, will replace GHI CBP/Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage for about 750,000 active workers and retirees and is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. Lander's review focused solely on procurement compliance; the Office of Labor Relations followed public-notice and competitive-procurement steps including solicitations, scoring, and best-and-final offers. The contract carries an estimated $950 million administrative fee and faces a legal challenge with a Dec. 1 hearing.

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