Have you or a colleague ever unexpectedly lost a dentist because they stopped taking UFT dental coverage? Have you ever had to pay an enormous sum out of pocket to get what should be a routine dental procedure for you or a family member? Currently the UFT Welfare Fund’s dental plan has high out-of-pocket costs for members, and the number of in-network dentists is dwindling, especially pediatric and out-of-state dentists.

A major reason for the high out-of-pocket dental costs and low number of in-network dentists is the abysmally low reimbursements afforded by our welfare fund compared to other municipal labor funds. For example, the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) for CUNY educators on average has reimbursement rates that are 95% higher than rates at the UFT and pays dentists $591 for crowns, compared to the UFT Welfare Fund which only reimburses dentists $200. These low reimbursement rates persist despite the UFT Welfare fund earning an average of $94 million annually in excess revenue over expenses in the last 5 years. Additionally, since the Dental Schedule was last updated in 2016, benefits paid by the Welfare Fund have increased by only 11.6% (from $287,455,176 to $320,819,303), whereas the Welfare Fund’s investments have grown by 212% (from $208,339,102 to $650,050,943).

With this petition, we demand that the Welfare Fund Trustees raise reimbursement rates by at least 75% by the end of 2024 in order to decrease out-of-pocket costs for members and increase the number of in-network dentists so that members have more robust choices when it comes to their dental health.

Please join your fellow educators at the UFT and add your voice to demand better dental care. You’ve earned it!

(petition moved from change.org)