Health Care Reform

The pending health reform legislation will help keep insurance premiums affordable for America’s families.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that, under the Senate bill, premiums will fall by as much as 3 percent in the large group market and 2 percent in the small group market.5 Most significantly, premium costs will be subsidized on a sliding-scale basis for middle-class families if their incomes are below 400 percent of the federal poverty level ($88,200 in annual income for a family of four in 2010). The legislation also requires insurers to spend a reasonable share of premiums on actually delivering care (instead of on administration and profits), and it enables the Secretary of Health and Human Services to intervene to prevent unreasonable premium hikes.
Failure to act on meaningful reform means out-of-pocket health care costs will keep rising, and medical costs will continue to be a major cause of debt and bankruptcies, even for those with health insurance.
While premiums are rising, families are receiving less coverage for their premium dollars. Policies have higher deductibles and copayments, and they cover fewer services.6 If health reform is not adopted, this trend will continue. Medical costs will be an increasing burden for the insured and uninsured alike.

City Retiries Into Medicare

THIS IS A PROPOSAL BEFORE THE MALDEN CITY COUNCIL SUBMITTED BY COUNCILLOR AT LARGE MICHEAL SHEEHAN. TIME FOR CITY EMPLOYEES AND THE TAXPAYERS TO TAKE A LOOK
What do your think?

PART I. ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT
1. TITLE IV. CIVIL SERVICE, RETIREMENTS AND PENSIONS
CHAPTER 32B. CONTRIBUTORY GROUP GENERAL OR BLANKET INSURANCE FOR PERSONS IN THE SERVICE OF COUNTIES, CITIES, TOWNS AND DISTRICTS, AND THEIR DEPENDENTS
Chapter 32B: Section 18. Medicare extension plans; mandatory transfer of retirees
Section 18. In a governmental unit which has accepted the provisions of section ten and which accepts the provisions of this section, all retirees, their spouses and dependents insured or eligible to be insured under this chapter, if enrolled in medicare part A at no cost to the retiree, spouse or dependents or eligible for coverage thereunder at no cost to the retiree, spouse or dependents, shall be required to transfer to a medicare extension plan offered by the governmental unit under section eleven C or section sixteen; provided, that benefits under said plan and medicare part A and part B together shall be of comparable actuarial value to those under the retiree’s existing coverage. Each retiree shall provide the governmental unit, in such form as the governmental unit shall prescribe, such information as is necessary to transfer to a medicare extension plan. If a retiree does not submit the information required, he shall no longer be eligible for his existing health coverage. The governmental unit may from time to time request from any retiree, a retiree’s spouse and dependents, proof certified by the federal government of their eligibility or ineligibility for medicare part A and part B coverage. The governmental unit shall pay any medicare part B premium penalty assessed by the federal government on said retirees, spouses and dependents as a result of enrollment in medicare part B at the time of transfer into the medicare health benefits supplement plan.
This section shall take effect in a county, except Worcester county, city, town or district upon its acceptance in the following manner:— In a county by vote of the county commissioners; in a city having a Plan D or Plan E charter by a majority vote of its city council; in any other city by vote of its city council, approved by the mayor; in a district, except as hereinafter provided, by vote of the registered voters of the district at a district meeting; in a regional school district by vote of the regional district school committee; and in a town either by vote of the town at a town meeting or, by a majority of affirmative votes cast in answer to the following question which shall be printed upon the official ballot to be used at an election of said town:— “Shall the town require that all retirees, their spouses and dependents who are enrolled in Medicare Part A at no cost to a retiree, their spouse or dependents, or eligible for coverage thereunder at no cost to a retiree, their spouse or dependents, be required to enroll in a medicare health benefits supplement plan offered by the town?”.

Shine Representative at the Senior Center

MASS SENIOR ACTION METRO NORTH WELCOMES NEW SHINE REPRESENTIVE AT MALDEN SENIOR CENTER
When many Seniors in the Malden Area and our Senior Group had trouble getting a Shine representative to furnish needed information on the confusing Medicare D plan and the Commonwealth secondary insurance PRESCRIPTION ADVANTAGE our board contacted the Mystic Valley Elder Services Executive Director Dan O’Leary (a MSAC member) to address the Problem and agreed to make an effort to improve the situation. We also made a visit to the Director of Elder Service Christine DePietro and on finding out that the problem was an issue
affecting Seniors at the Center we sought a solution.
We thank Christine DePietro for taking action and getting one of her staff (Kelly Chancy) to become a Shine representative.
“She will be participating in 50 hours of training to council elders, providing them with unbiased health information” according to the director of Senior Center.. “in to-days confusing HEALTH CARE options world, a confidential one and one meeting is necessary to make the best choice for you and your income”. Kelly will be taking appointments here in the Senior Center.
Mystic Valley Elder Services are looking for additional Volunteers