Empire NYSHIP insurance insures over 1.2 million hard working New York employees. Starting July 1st, NYSHIP is cutting our benefits to a maximum of 20 massage therapy visits and acupuncture visits a year. This includes our out-of-network deductible which is $1,250. By the time we reach our deductible, we are already over halfway through our benefits for the year. As somebody who suffers from chronic back pain and does not want to rely on addictive pain medications, I have found regular massage and acupuncture to be immensely helpful in treating my pain. My grandfather who was recently diagnosed with Amyloidosis (a rare heart condition) also suffers from terrible low back pain, which is a symptom of his condition.  His doctors have recommended back surgery but with his condition any type of surgery is incredibly dangerous.  He receives medical massage twice a week and it is the only thing that helps to manage the pain.  Surgery poses too major of a risk and these upcoming limits to benefits that he paid into most of  his working life may drastically decrease his quality of life.  My grandfather is retired and can't afford to pay out of pocket for massage twice a week. 

I also work as a receptionist as a Wellness Center on Long Island and I see first hand how many of our patients are benefiting from this program being unlimited.  We have patients who have had multiple back surgeries who are still in pain and without regular massage, they really suffer.

With the major opioid crisis we have in this county, alternative treatments such as Massage Therapy and Acupuncture give hope to those who suffer from chronic pain.  Without steady massage therapy, individuals may be turning to prescription opiates to relieve their pain, only fueling the ever-growing crisis in New York right now.

A new study finds that pain is the most common chronic ailment in the United States by far. The study finds people in pain tend to stay in pain over the course of a year.  At least 1 in 5 live with chronic pain. Some experts put the figure at 100 million, and nearly 1 in 10 are disabled by it. On any given day, almost half of working-age men who are not in the labor force take pain medication, and people with chronic pain miss nine more days of work a year than those without it. Over 25 million Americans suffer from daily chronic pain and lack effective non-opioid treatments to manage that pain. To avoid the crisis growing, sign this petition and contact your local Senator and demand they support the bills currently in committee below:

As July 1st approaches, state lawmakers have sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul in protest of the changes to your NYSHIP Health Benefits. Two bills have already been introduced in Albany to reverse these coverage limits.

S.5638, sponsored by Sen. Robert Jackson and Assemblyman Steve Stern, would amend the Financial Services Law to clarify that the term "health care plan* includes any provision of health benefits under Section 162 of the Civil Service Law. The bill also aims to remove the qualifying payment amount as a factor to consider in the New York independent dispute resolution process, which would allow health care providers to keep access to the process by which they can dispute claims.

S.5639-A, also by Jackson and Stern, would amend civil service law so that NYSHIP would remain subject to Department of Financial Services regulations and the state emergency and surprise bills laws, as well as mandate that the program cover at least one plan that reimburses providers at 80% of FAIR Health benchmarks. Additionally, the bill would prevent the Department of Civil Service from automatically applying health plan changes to state employees not represented by the union initiating contract changes. Both bills are in committee.

This is an urgent issue that fights for the working classes healthcare and we need your help!

Please sign and share and together we can make a difference!