For example, in six counties where county government was abolished, all retirees of those counties are now insured by the GIC. Retirees of most local housing and redevelopment authorities are also covered by the GIC.

Another much older group of retirees, former employees of cities and towns who retired prior to 1956, are with the GIC. These people are classified as Elderly Governmental Retirees (EGRs) by the GIC. Once a very large number of retirees, EGR's have dwindled in number to the point where they could be classified as an "endangered species."

The largest number of non-state retirees insured by the GIC are retired teachers of 74 cities, towns and school districts. These retirees are classified as Retired Municipal Teachers (RMTs) by the GIC.

The RMT program was initiated in 1972 by the Legislature so that participants could have their insurance premiums withheld from their pension checks by the Teachers' Retirement Board (TRB).

At that time the TRB did not have the capability to withhold insurance premiums because of the various types of insurance and premium rates throughout our hundreds of cities and towns. Therefore retired teachers had to make their own arrangements to pay premiums to their local treasurers. In many cases insurance coverage lapsed because of retirees forgetting to pay premiums or mixups in the billing process.

Retired teachers from the cities and towns that voted to join the RMT program were able to have their premiums withheld by the TRB because of the uniform coverage and rates set by the GIC.

Eventually, the Teachers' Board became fully computerized and has been able to withhold the insurance premiums from the pension check of any teacher. These withholdings, of course, are sent to the appropriate city or town.

In fact, the system at the TRB has become so refined that one person, Bob Salza, working with his computer, handles myriad withholdings and constantly changing rates without any problem.

"I was assigned to this job in 1988 by Tom Lussier. When Tom became director, he made it a top priority," said Salza, an Everett resident. "Name a city or town and I can tell you how much the retired teachers pay for their health insurance," he challenged. We tried one, Lynn, and he hit the number right on the button.

All retirees, insured by the GIC, contribute the same percentage of the total premium that is charged for their type of coverage. Pre-July 1, 1994 retirees contribute 10%. Members who retired since that date pay 15%.

The dollar amount of the Medicare Part B reimbursements has always been uniform to all GIC participants regardless of which retirement system they belong. Therefore, the battle over the loss of this promised benefit involves more than just state retirees and survivors.