The city’s roughly 250,000 Medicare-eligible retirees will remain in their current health plans with the same benefits this fall after a trial court judge this summer blocked the city from moving ahead with the Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO Plan. The city is appealing the decision.

The plan, which was slated to go into effect on Sept. 1, will remain on hold pending the outcome of the city’s appeal.

The ruling was a blow to the city and the municipal unions that had spent months negotiating this new premium-free health plan for retirees to make sure it met their health care needs. For retirees, it meant yet more uncertainty.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew said the union is now focused on monitoring GHI Senior Care and the other retiree health care providers that were about to lose their city contracts to ensure that they continue to provide retirees with quality health care during the court’s review of the Aetna plan.

All anticipated changes related to the new plan have been paused. For example, metro-area city retirees who had applied to transfer on Sept. 1 to the HIP VIP plan will remain in their current health plans for now.