Articles about Health Insurance that may be useful to Massachusetts retirees
3% State & Teacher COLA Awaits Final Approval
JULY 6, 2017: Mass Retirees officials are closely monitoring developments on Beacon Hill, where House and Senate Conferees continue to negotiate the final details of the Fiscal Year 2018 State Budget.
Fate Rests With House/Senate Budget Conferees
JUNE 21, 2017: Members who are insured under the state’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC) are asked to contact their State Representative and Senator in support of a proposal granting Mass Retirees a seat on the board governing the health insurance plan.
Mass Retirees Gains Commission Seat
MAY 24, 2017: Wednesday morning the Massachusetts Senate approved a major restructure of the state’s Group Insurance Commission, granting our Association and two additional public employee unions seats on the 17-member Commission.
Budget Amendment Caps Payments
APRIL 14, 2017: Together with an AFL-CIO backed coalition of public employee unions, Mass Retirees has sponsored an amendment to the FY18 House budget proposal that lowers the cap on out-of-pocket health insurance costs.
As printed by the Washington Post, March 24th.
Is the Republican health-care plan a return to freedom or a watered-down version of Obamacare? Will Republicans placate their base with a major legislative achievement, or will this be the party’s undoing for a generation of voters?
We’ve published the most incisive arguments from health experts and our columnists in the two weeks since Republicans unveiled this bill. As the debate reaches a climax, we’re giving you a guide to that commentary — pro and con, divided by subject matter:
OME Plan To Increase 1.6%
MARCH 3, 2017: This week the Commonwealth’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC) voted to set insurance plan rates for FY18, which begins July 1.
Rates for the popular Optional Medicare Extension (OME) plan will increase by 1.6%. Last year rates for this plan decreased by 7.1%.
Retirees not eligible for Medicare, who are insured under the GIC’s Indemnity Plan with CIC coverage (run by UniCare) face a 3.6% increase. The average increase across all GIC sponsored plans is 3.8% for the coming year.
GIC Lowers Medicare Copayment
Association Calls for Reconsideration
FEBRUARY 10, 2017: The state’s Group Insurance Commission is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, February 14th to finalize plan design and rates for FY17, which begins July 1.
Together with a coalition of active employee unions, our Association has called upon Governor Charlie Baker and the GIC to reconsider its plan to increase out-of-pocket costs. Baker, like past governors, controls all appointments to the Commission.
Howard Gleckman, Forbes Contributor
During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump was largely silent on Medicare, though he often suggested he’d leave the program untouched.
Not any more. It now looks as if Trump may push for major changes in the principal health care program for older adults and some younger people with disabilities. But what will he do?
New Focus on Retiree Healthcare Reform
SEPTEMBER 2016 VOICE: In the final hours of the formal legislative session for 2016, the House and Senate voted to override Governor Baker’s veto of Section 45 of the FY17 State Budget.
Section 45 extends the municipal retiree health insurance premium moratorium by two years, until July 1, 2018. Had the veto not been overridden, some municipalities were poised to immediately increase insurance contribution percentage rates for retirees.
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.
