March 2021 STATE HOUSE BEGINS NEW SESSION ASSOCIATION LEGISLATION FILED
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11 BEACON STREET, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02108-3024 March 2021 STATE HOUSE BEGINS NEW SESSION ASSOCIATION LEGISLATION FILED MARIANO ASSUMES REINS MASS RETIREES 2021-2022 AS HOUSE SPEAKER LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM RETIREE ALLY, HEAVILY FOCUSED ON HEALTHCARE PACKAGE INCLUDES NEW INNOVATIVE PROPOSALS rior to becoming he new two-year legislative session is PSpeaker of the Tnow underway, with House and Senate House of Representatives members having been sworn in on January in late December, Ron 6th. While the ongoing pandemic resulted in Mariano (D-Quincy) may the normal pomp and circumstance of Beacon not have been a house- Hill’s opening day being far subdued, there is a hold name to those not renewed sense of urgency and focus amongst involved in the day-to-day the 200 legislators. work on Beacon Hill. But To start the new session, Mass Retirees RON MARIANO HOUSE SPEAKER to Mass Retirees, the new filed a legislative package that includes 16 House Speaker has long been a go-to legisla- bills covering a wide range of issues directly tor when it comes to retiree health insurance impacting public retirees. The new legislative session also marks a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 u CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 u GIC WEIGHS FY22 HEALTH PLAN DESIGN etirees and active employ- NO WIDESPREAD monthly premiums. ees, insured through the CHANGES ANTICIPATED While only those retirees insured Rstate’s Group Insurance through the GIC are directly impacted Commission (GIC), received some Extension (OME) Plan. by the Commission’s decisions, state welcome good news in January: Plan design encompasses both law allows cities and towns to mimic Few, if any, plan design changes are the benefits offered by a specific the GIC’s plan design within their anticipated for Fiscal Year 2022. health insurance plan, as well as own insurance plans. This can be News for the Medicare enrolled any copayments, deductibles and done without negotiation and out- retirees is even better. At the pres- provider networks. Insurance premi- side of collective bargaining. ent time, no changes whatsoever ums, which will be set by the GIC in At the GIC’s January 21st meet- in plan design are being considered early March, are not considered plan ing, which partly focused on plan for the GIC’s Medicare supplement design. However, plan design does design for FY22, the Commission’s plans. This includes the highly pop- impact the overall cost of insurance professional staff and outside ular UniCare Optional Medicare and therefore strongly influences CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 u The Voice of the Retired Public Employee of our Association. He and his staff Brad Jones (R-North Reading) have worked closely with us over was re-elected to lead his caucus. Mariano CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 u the years, particularly on issues Serving as Republican Leader since related to health insurance,” said 2002, Jones has worked closely with and healthcare in general. Mass Retirees Legislative Chairman Mass Retirees throughout his time in During his nearly 10-years as Tom Bonarrigo. “Given the ongo- the Legislature. House Majority Leader, Mariano ing focus and overall importance of “Brad Jones and I worked was a frequent lead sponsor of insurance and healthcare policy in together as aides in the House of Mass Retirees’ legislation aimed Massachusetts, we are fortunate to Representatives in the early 90s. at protecting and reforming retiree have a speaker with a background He was elected to the House at the health insurance benefits. As the for- steeped in these issues. It will not be same time I joined the staff at Mass mer Chairman of the Committee on surprising to see a significant focus Retirees,” recalls Association CEO Financial Services, Mariano carved on these issues over the next two Shawn Duhamel. “The issues of out a niche as an expert with insur- years.” direct importance to public retirees ance and healthcare policy – complex As we go to press in early are not partisan issues and should issues of great importance to retir- February, Mariano had yet to not be viewed in that light. Leader ees, as well as the Massachusetts announce appointments within the Jones understands that and has economy. House to fill his senior leadership always had an open-door policy Prior to entering public office, team or Committee assignments. in working with us. Most of what Mariano worked as a public school Leadership appointments are antic- we have been able to achieve over teacher in his native Quincy. ipated to take place this winter. the years, legislatively, has come “There is no question that On the Republican side of through bipartisan cooperation and Speaker Mariano is a friend and ally the aisle, House Minority Leader compromise.” LEGACY OF FORMER SPEAKER BOB DeLEO devastating economic blow of the of DeLeo’s speakership were marked recession. by several major reforms of pen- Twelve years later, when he sion and health insurance benefits. resigned to take a position at Despite the intense budgetary pres- Northeastern University, DeLeo sures during those years, Bob DeLeo leaves the House as its longest made a point of protecting existing serving speaker, with a legislative retirees. He did not think it was right legacy that includes several land- to pull the rug out from underneath mark changes in state law. Several retirees. of these changes, such as reforms “Growth in the COLA base, at of the public pension system, as both the state and local levels, were BOB DeLEO FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER well as municipal health insurance, done with Bob DeLeo’s support. The have had a major impact on public same applies to the requirement that ormer Rep. Bob DeLeo retirees. each city and town have a retiree, (D-Winthrop) became “To the general public, Speaker appointed by Mass Retirees, on the FSpeaker of the House at DeLeo will best be remembered for local Public Employee Committee. the height of the Great Recession ushering in the casino gambling That law was strengthened back in in January 2009, just seven days law, as well as landmark gun con- 2011.” after Barack Obama was inaugu- trol, health care and criminal justice Mass Retirees would like to rated as the 44th President of the reforms. He also helped usher in an thank Speaker Bob DeLeo for his United States. Having previously agreement with the business com- support of public retirees and his served as Chairman of the House munity to incrementally increase the willingness to work closely with our Ways and Means Committee, DeLeo minimum wage to $15 an hour, as Association. We wish him well in his was well versed in the nuances well as played an important role in new career in higher education and of state finances and the budget. rebuilding our state’s economy in the welcome him to the ranks of Mass This proved to serve both him and aftermath of 2008,” said Association Retirees as a new state retiree. the Commonwealth well as the President Frank Valeri. “Triggered by state fought to recover from the the Great Recession, the early years 22 March 2021 AS RETIREES HARMED GROWS SO DOES NATIONAL DEMAND FOR WEP REFORM or the nearly 100,000 harmed by the WEP. Back then, few repeal WEP, has helped grow the Massachusetts public retir- people had ever heard of the WEP. national coalition working to reform Fees harmed by the Social As the number of people effected the federal law, with organizations Security Windfall Elimination has grown, so has the awareness of such as the LA County Retirees Provision (WEP), it may feel like they the economic damage being done Association recently joining our alone have had their hard-earned to retirees,” explains Mass Retirees efforts. Social Security benefit unfairly CEO Shawn Duhamel. “This has reduced. However, they led to an ever-growing are not alone. number of retirees and CHAIRMAN NEAL REFILING Across the country, organizations from across REFORM BILL roughly 2 million public the country pushing retirees are impacted by Congress to Act. While our national coalition the WEP law, each see- “The fact that efforts grow, work on Capitol ing their monthly Social President Biden included Hill continues with the first order Security benefit reduced WEP and GPO as part of of business being the refiling of by hundreds of dollars. his campaign platform Chairman Richard Neal’s WEP The number of retirees SHAWN DUHAMEL also speaks to the grow- reform proposal. The previous bill, harmed by WEP grows MASS RETIREES CEO ing number of retirees H.R.4540, expired at the close of the each day, as new retirees begin to impacted by these laws. These are 2019-2020 Congressional session collect their benefits. no longer issues that go unnoticed. this January. As the total number of retir- Over the past few months there Neal’s new bill is expected ees effected grows, so does the have also been several reports on to reflect his previous bill, which national demand that Congress act our efforts to reform or repeal WEP would restore up to $150 a month to change this unfair law. When in the press. One article, published ($1,800 per year) in Social Security the WEP law was created in 1983, by Forbes Magazine, specifically benefits reduced by WEP. The bill retirees and employees, who were cited the worked done by Mass also holds harmless future retirees eligible to retire at that time, were Retirees to help find a reasonable from a reduction in benefits that grandfathered and held harmless compromise and pass a reform could result from calculating Social from benefit cuts. law.” Security benefits based on the new “It was not until the late 90s The article published by Forbes, formula.