Enrollment options

The annual open enrollment period for New York City health benefits is from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30. City employees may switch city health plans during that month. All health plan changes take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

The UFT Welfare Fund has created comparison charts of New York City health plans that allow you to compare the options. Members can also reach out to the UFT Welfare Fund for assistance at 212-539-0500 or healthbenefithelp [at] uftwf [dot] org (healthbenefithelp[at]uftwf[dot]org).

For UFT members currently enrolled in the GHI CBP plan:

You will be automatically enrolled in the NYCE PPO plan on Jan. 1, 2026. No action is required. Your new member ID card and welcome packet will be mailed to you before the transition.

If you wish to switch to another city health plan instead, you may do so during the open enrollment period in November.

For UFT members currently enrolled in HIP HMO or another city health plan:

Your health coverage is not changing. If you are satisfied with your current plan, no action is required — you will remain in that plan.

If you would like to switch to the NYCE PPO or another city health plan, you may do so during the open enrollment period in November.

For members enrolled in GHI/Anthem Senior Care who have pre-Medicare dependents currently in the GHI CBP plan:

Your dependents will be automatically enrolled in the NYCE PPO plan on Jan. 1, 2026. They do not need to take any action. Their new ID cards and welcome packets will be mailed to them before the transition.

If your dependents do not wish to be enrolled in the NYCE PPO plan, you must switch out of GHI/Anthem Senior Care to another city retiree health plan during the open enrollment period in November.

For the first time, New York City employees are guaranteed premium-free health care for five years under a new contract approved by the city and municipal unions establishing the New York City Employees PPO (NYCE PPO) plan. The plan, administered jointly by EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026, replacing the GHI CBP plan for 750,000 city employees, pre-Medicare retirees and their dependents.

Members currently enrolled in the GHI CBP plan will be automatically transferred to the NYCE PPO plan. The change does not affect retirees who are eligible for Medicare or members enrolled in other city health plans, such as HIP HMO.

“The NYCE PPO preserves high-quality, premium-free health care for city workers, maintains and expands current benefits, retains our current network of doctors, expands the provider network and reduces the number of services that require prior authorization,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew.

Under the new plan, members will continue to have access to all EmblemHealth providers and, for the first time, will also be able to use 1.6 million UnitedHealthcare network providers nationwide. The expanded national network will be a major benefit for those traveling or living outside New York City. In addition, there will be 14,000 more in-network providers across New York City, Long Island and the lower and mid-Hudson Valley.

The 50-member UFT Health Care Committee reviewed the proposed plan before voting to recommend it to the Delegate Assembly at a special meeting on Sept. 29. Delegates voted 78% in favor of the plan.

Holly Fleischer, a teacher at PS 199 in Brooklyn and a member of the UFT Health Care Committee, introduced the resolution authorizing the UFT to vote “yes” at the Municipal Labor Committee meeting on Sept. 30. She said the NYCE PPO plan meets the committee’s five key goals: more in-network providers, protection from rising copays, increased access to behavioral health providers, maintenance and expansion of existing benefits, and five years of guaranteed premium-free coverage.

The plan adds 27,000 new mental health providers, bringing the nationwide total to 418,000.

The final approval of the plan by the MLC marked the culmination of a negotiated acquisition process that began in mid-2022, when the city and the unions decided to put the contract up for bids. The negotiated acquisition process allowed the city and the unions to negotiate with the insurers to design a contract tailored to the needs of the city’s workforce and pre-Medicare retirees.

In December 2024, the Delegate Assembly created a permanent UFT Health Care Committee of in-service and retired members to review significant health care changes and make recommendations. The committee met eight times and voted in late August to endorse the new plan. Delegates had 30 days to review the proposed plan with their chapters before the vote.

Mulgrew emphasized that the combined strength of more than 100 city unions gave the MLC substantial leverage at the negotiating table.

“These health insurance companies competed for our business,” he said. “They came to the table with reduced prices and an enhanced plan that they wouldn’t offer to smaller groups.”

The biggest accomplishment, Mulgrew said, was securing five years of premium-free coverage.

“It’s a major victory that brings stability and predictability for our members at a time when Americans nationwide are facing skyrocketing premiums or losing coverage altogether,” he said.

The NYCE PPO contract includes a joint review board with union representation to monitor plan implementation monthly and review prior authorizations, procedures and emerging trends. It also establishes an expedited arbitration process for resolving any breaches of contract.

“All parties must agree to any changes in the contract,” Mulgrew said.

At the Sept. 29 Delegate Assembly, Terrain Chambers Reeves, the chapter leader at Edward R. Murrow HS in Brooklyn and a member of the UFT Health Care Committee, urged delegates to approve the plan.

“This is more than just a vote,” she said. “It’s a chance to secure health care that addresses real-life challenges faced by our community.”

Related Topics: Delegate Assembly , Health Benefits , Chapter Leaders