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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.

COLA amendment 808

April 21, 2023: As we reported last week, your Association has filed one amendment to the FY24 State Budget proposal (H.3900) that is set to be debated in the House of Representatives next week. Before I walk you through the specifics, as well as provide an update on local COLA...

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Experiencing Technical Issues

APRIL 19, 2023: Earlier today, news broke that Harvard Pilgrim Health Care was the target of a recent cybersecurity ransomware attack. While HPHC works to restore impacted systems and serve member needs, the state's Group Insurance Commission has also taken steps to protect...

The City of Lynn has Lost a Legend

BUZZY ALWAYS HAD THE TIME TO GIVE

APRIL 7, 2023: It was hard not to be struck by the irony of the moment. A half-dozen people crammed into a room on the 16th floor of Brigham & Women’s Hospital late Tuesday night, family and friends of...

COLA News

Positive Developments Continue Statewide

When it comes to the local COLA (Cost-of-Living-Adjustment), there has been a tremendous amount of activity over the past year and positive developments statewide. As you can...


Pension Fund Rebound Continued In First Quarter	State House News Service
Fixing Social Security involves hard choices	CNN
How Not to Panic About Social Security	New York Times
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

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.