Issues

House Budget Debate Begins April 23rd

Retirees Back Life & Health Insurance Amendments

April 18, 2018: Mass Retirees backs four amendments to the FY19 budget, which is set to be debated in the House beginning April 23^rd. The amendments range from increasing the basic state life insurance, protecting against increases in local health insurance contribution percentages, lifting hourly restrictions on part-time work in public service and granting Mass Retirees a seat on the state’s Group Insurance Commission.

As Open Enrollment Begins, GIC Begins Planning for 2019

Governance, Transparency and Affordability Top Issues

April 5, 2018: Open enrollment is now underway for retirees enrolled in the state’s Group Insurance Commission. All changes take effect on July 1, 2018. The open enrollment period runs through May 2^ndand coincides with GIC’s thirteen regional health fairs.

Retired Municipal Teachers Insurance Program Saved

Legislature & Governor Take Quick Action to Avoid Premium Spike

March 27, 2018: At the urging of the Group Insurance Commission and Mass Retirees, the State Legislature and Governor Baker worked together to quickly head off a pending nightmare for the 10,000 teachers participating in the state’s Retired Municipal Teacher (RMT) Program.

LEGIS, BAKER ACT TO SAVE RETIRED TEACHERS ON HEALTH INSURANCE

Urgent legislation required to spare a group of retired public employees, mostly teachers, from a spike in health care costs next year sped through the legislative chambers on Monday and Gov. Charlie Baker quickly signed his name to the bill he filed just over a week ago. The new law will merge roughly 10,000 retirees into the main pool of Group Insurance Commission members, enabling them to avoid cost spikes, according to the governor and GIC officials.

Legislation Moving For RMT Insurance Fix

Mass Retirees Joins GIC in Calling For Swift Action

March 20, 2018: The closing minutes of winter 2018 marked a joint effort by the Group Insurance Commission and Mass Retirees to pass emergency legislation to merge the GIC’s two insurance pools.

BILL POISED FOR FAST TRACK TO AVOID HEALTH INSURE $$$ SPIKE FOR RETIRED TEACHERS

By Matt Murphy
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, MARCH 20, 2018....House and Senate leaders said Tuesday they will try to quickly pass a bill filed by Gov. Charlie Baker, perhaps as soon as this week, in an effort to avoid steep health insurance premium spikes for nearly 1,000 retired teachers and elderly government retirees.

Retired Municipal Teacher Reform Legislation Filed

Mass Retirees Urges Quick Action

March 16, 2018: Prompted by Mass Retirees’ calls for reform of the Group Insurance Commission’s Retired Municipal Teacher (RMT) Program, legislation has been filed today by Governor Baker that places RMT enrollees in the same insurance pool (Pool 1) as other state and local retirees. Association officials are now calling upon Legislative Leadership to act quickly on this before the GIC’s Open Enrollment begins on April 4.

Cigna to Buy Express Scripts in $52 Billion Health Care Deal

The health insurance giant Cigna said on Thursday that it had agreed to buy Express Scripts, the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit manager, in a $52 billion deal that could further reshape the roiling health care landscape.

The Real Reason the Investor Class Hates Pensions

By DAVID WEBBER, New York Times MARCH 5, 2018

No issue in America today better illustrates the divergent interests of working Americans and the 1 percent than pension reform. Substantial empirical evidence shows that America’s favored retirement vehicle — the 401(k), recently renounced by its own inventors — is grossly inadequate and will leave tens of millions of Americans with insufficient retirement assets.

Push For WEP Reform Continues

National Coalition Meets in DC

FEBRUARY 27, 2018: Key representatives from states impacted by the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) met in Washington, DC this week, as pressure to pass reform legislation continues to mount.

Mass Retirees joined key WEP reform ally, the 88,000 member-strong Texas Retired Teachers Association, for the annual meeting of the Coalition to Preserve Retirement Security. CPRS is a national organization of public retirement system and advocacy group officials from non-Social Security states.

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 62,000 members as we continue the fight.