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Retired-State-County-And-Municipal-Employees-Association-Of-Massachusetts

Founded in 1968, now in its 52nd year of serving retired Massachusetts public employees of the 104 public retirement systems within the Commonwealth, the Association is widely recognized as one of the strongest independent advocacy groups on Beacon Hill. From public pensions and health insurance, to federal issues such as the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision, Government Pension Offset and Medicare the Association leads the fight exclusively for all Massachusetts retired public employees. We are The Voice of the Retired Public Employee.

Major retiree health insurance news

October 21, 2022: Thursday brought some highly anticipated news to the 460,000 enrollees covered by the state’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC). After months of closed-door work to review and score the winning bids from respondents through the procurement process, the GIC...

CPI hits 8.7%

October 14, 2022: Thursday morning’s announcement by the Social Security Administration of an 8.7% COLA increase for 2023, while not unexpected, confirms what we already knew – inflation has placed substantial financial pressure on retirees. In fact, an 8.7% Consumer Price Index...

New developments with Social Security

September 23, 2022: This week brought major developments in the nationwide fight to repeal or reform the Social Security WEP and GPO laws. One of these developments was history making.

On Tuesday, the House Committee on Ways and Means voted to release from committee H.R....

Retirees were heard

9/9/22 Weekly Update: By CEO Shawn Duhamel

Before I jump into the news of the week, let me first remind everyone that our Annual Meeting takes place today (Friday) at Lombardo’s in Randolph. The meeting will kick off at 11AM. As is...


As the Red Cross moves to a pricey blood treatment method, hospitals call for more choice	Fortune
Experts Expect Stronger Focus on Medicare Price Negotiation Over Drug Importation if Biden Wins	Inside Health Policy
With Washington Deadlocked on Aid, States Face Dire Fiscal Crises	New York Times
State Lawmakers Reach Compromise On $43.1 Billion State Budget	State House News Service
Sound, Fury and Prescription Drugs	New York Times

Latest Articles from The Voice

5% COLA For State and Teacher Retirees: Local Option Pending in Senate

September 2022 Voice: During the summer of 2021, as serious signs of inflation began to become evident, Mass Retirees put a plan in place to build the case for improvements to the COLA starting in Fiscal Year 2023. These efforts paid off with the passage of a 5% COLA, signed into law by Governor Baker in late July.

Backed by historically high pension fund investment returns over the bulk of the past decade, the Association made the case for sharing the success with retirees in the form of better COLA benefits.

Likelihood of WEP & GPO Full Repeal: A Dead End!

Association Will Not Engage in Political Gamesmanship

September 1, 2022: Editorial By Frank Valeri and Shawn Duhamel

Since our founding in 1968, our Association has built a strong reputation for our honest advocacy and straightforward approach. We do not grandstand nor partake in political gamesmanship. The news we report and positions we take are based on our experience and expert analysis of the facts.

UNICARE’S INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO BETTER HEALTH CARE

The Shift to Whole Person Health

March 2022 Voice:

As healthcare costs have continued to rise, a major focus of Mass Retirees has been to look for and promote new ideas and solutions aimed at maintaining our members’ health while taking steps to keep insurance costs down.

New WEP/GPO Proposals

Four Bills Now Pending Before the House

Janaury 2022 Voice: Over the course of a week, spanning late October into early November, the number of bills pending before the US House of Representatives to either repeal or reform the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) doubled.

The introduction of two new bills to reform the WEP or fully repeal both the WEP and GPO are proof that our national efforts to draw attention to these issues are working – albeit slower than anyone would prefer!

Retirees

Public Employees

Ralph White Since 1968 the Retired State, County and Municipal Employees Association has been the leading voice for Massachusetts public retirees and their families. Join with our 52,000 members as we continue the fight.