National Retiree Legislative Network
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Current White Paper and Talking Points
Updated NRLN White Paper on Subsidies to Insurance Industry for Medicare Advantage
I have updated the NRLN’s white paper for 2021. The title is: It is time to end taxpayer subsidies to the private healthcare insurance industry for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.
Click here to Read the Document.
Or,
- Go to www.nrln.org,
- Cick on the Legislative Agenda tab,
- Select White Papers and
- Click on top posting in the healthcare section.
Click here to read the Talking Points.
The NRLN supports competition from private healthcare plans and understands the financial challenges ahead for Medicare and the federal budget. However, we do not support bonus and rebate subsidies, or anti-competitive restrictions placed on the original Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) just to preserve the notion that private insurance plans may be more cost effective or provide better care than FFS, when the record shows they are not.
Congress gave $41.8 billion in illegitimate taxpayer rebates to private insurance companies in 2021 ($450 billion in 24 years) to provide special benefits such as dental, vision and hearing, over the counter drugs and carpet cleaning to 24.9 million MA enrollees that 40 million original Medicare participants are not eligible to receive.
To be very clear, the NRLN supports retirees getting a good deal. As long those in MA plans stay healthy it may cost less out-of-pocket, but MA plans create more long-term risk. Rumblings about poor coverage and unpaid claims are already bubbling. The problem is, lie about it or not, healthcare costs/enrollee are skyrocketing, and MA costs are higher than original Medicare – subsidies deceive us. Soon, everybody in America will pay a heavy price for this congressional maleficence. So far, at least $450 billion and counting.
It’s obvious MA (with various names) was created by members of Congress to privatize Medicare based on private insurers saying they could be competitive with original Medicare. In 2021, MA payments were 104% of the cost for original Medicare Fee-for-Service per enrollee and over the 24 years, THEY NEVER HAVE been below 100%!
Medicare Advantage rebates cost taxpayers $140 per month per enrollee ($1,680 annually) in 2021. That compares with rebates of $81 per month per enrollee ($972 annually) just five years ago in 2016.
It’s time for Congress to end the subsidies and level the playing field for participants in the two programs.
Bill Kadereit
NRLN President
NRLN White Papers
AREF/NRLN WHITE PAPERS/EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES FOR TOP PRIORITY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
Click on the titles of the White Papers listed below to read and gain an understanding of why the NRLN advocates legislative action to strengthen retirement security. The White Papers and/or their Executive Summaries are being use to communicate the NRLN’s proposals to U.S. Representatives and Senators and members of their staffs. NRLN Grassroots Network members are encouraged to use these documents or information from them when writing to and talking with their elected representatives.
General
- Defined Benefit Pension
- Plan Mergers
- Restore Pension Security
- Pension Plan “De-Risking”: Strengthening Fiduciary Duties to Protect Retirees
- Proposed Pension Plan Funding Disclosure Changes
- Saving Social Security
- Pension Asset Protection (PAP) – Back Door Reversions
- Protecting Retirees in Mergers, Acquisitions & Spin-offs
- Protecting Retiree Benefits in Bankruptcy
Health Care
- Time to End Taxpayer Rebates to Private Health Insurance Industry
- Reduce Price of Prescription Drugs
- Competitive Bidding on Prescription Drugs
- Prescription Drug Costs Internationally
- The Case for Legalizing Importation of Prescription Drugs from Canada
- Pre-Existing Conditions and Medigap / Medicare Advantage Policies
- Retiree Health Maintenance of Cost Protection (MCP)
- Health Care Access for Older Adults – Medicare Buy-In Option
- Medicare Out of Pocket Health Cost Limits
- Protecting Medicare and Trimming the Deficit
- NIH Should Use Its Authority to Mitigate Drugs Costs
- Testimonies on the High Cost of Prescription Drugs Bill 2015-2017
President's Forum
Today, January 3, 2023, marks the beginning of the new 118th Congress (2023 & 2024). The NRLN has posted its 2023 Legislative Agenda on the …
Acronyms Used by NRLN
ABC – American Benefits Council
ACER – AT&T Concerned Employee Retiree Council on Retirement Benefits
AFA – American Family Association
AFL-CIO – American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations
ARA – Aetna Retirees Association, Inc.
ARA – Alliance of Retired Americans
ARR – Association of Raytheon Retirees
AASBCR – AT&T/Ameritech/SBC/Retirees
AUSWR – Association of U S West Retirees
CBO – Congressional Budget Office
CWA – Communication Workers of America
DEAR – Detroit Edison Alliance of Retirees
DEERE – John Deere Retirees
DDPSA – Delta Disabled Pilots and Survivors Association
DP3 – Delta Pilots Pension Preservation Org. Inc.
EBSA – Employee Benefits Security Administration
EEOC – Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
EKRA – Eastman Kodak Retiree Association
ERIC – ERISA Industry Committee
ERISA – Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
ESR – Engineering Society Retirees (Boeing)
FASB – Financial Accounting Standards Board
FSA – Flexible Spending Accounts
GAO – General Accounting Office (Federal Government)
GMRA – General Motors Retirees Association
HELP – (Senate) Health, Education, Labor, Pension
HIPAA – Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act
IBEW – International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
IBM – IBM Retirees
JDRO – A Family of John Deere Retirees
LRO – Lucent Retirees Organization
MCP – Maintenance of Cost Payment
NAPRI – The National Association of Prudential Retirees
NCPSSM – National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
NCRO – National Chrysler Retirement Organization
NIRS – National Institute on Retirement Security
NPAC – NRLN Pension Action Committee
NRLN – National Retirees Legislative Network
PAP – Pension Asset Protection
PBGC – Pension Benefits Guaranty Corporation
PRC – Pension Rights Center
RECSEA – Retired Employees of the California State Employees Association
SEIU – Service Employees International Union
TELCO – Telephone Retirees Assoc. (Pacific Bell, Nevada Bell, SBC CA & NV)
UAW – United Auto Workers
WSJ – Wall Street Journal
OUR ACTION COMMITTEES
These dedicated Chairpersons want to hear from you if you have information regarding their committee or are willing to help.
Legislative Affairs
Chair: Judy Stenberg
NRLN Vice President – Pacific Region
Email: VP-NRLN@msn.com
Grassroots
Chair: Bob Martina
Lucent/Nokia Retirees Chapter
Email: rfjm9870@aol.com
Regulatory Affairs
Chair: Dana Oliver
National Chrysler Retirement Organization
Email:caninelegal.aol.com
Financial
Chair: Janet Seefried
Detroit Edison Alliance of Retirees
Email:secretary-treasurer@nrln.org
Communications/Public Relations
Chair: Ed Beltram
Lucent/Nokia Retirees Chapter
Email: edbeltram@msn.com
Legislative Action Planning Committee
Chair: Bill Kadereit
NRLN President
Lucent/Nokia Retirees Chapter
Email: president@nrln.org
Website
Joe Sciulli
Lucent/Nokia Retirees Chapter
Email: webmaster@nrln.org
Jacqueline Robinson
Director, Website and Social Media
Email: director@nrln.org
[vc_row][vc_column][tt_member_details post_source=”2238″]We are committed to keeping you informed about your retiree benefits, pension funds, medical and drug costs and the truth about Medical Advantage Plans. This column features a current topic on these issues. (click here for previous FORUM articles )[/tt_member_details][/vc_column][/vc_row]
NRLN is a coalition of 23 organizations advocating the rights of more than 2 million American retirees from companies listed below.
The NRLN Is:
Based in Washington, D.C., the National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN) is the only nationwide organization solely dedicated to representing the interests of retirees and future retirees. Formed in 2002, the NRLN’s endeavors to secure federal legislation to protect retirees’ employer-sponsored pensions and benefits in addition to keeping Social Security and Medicare strong. The NRLN is a non-partisan, grassroots coalition representing more than 2 million retirees who came to the NRLN from nearly 200 different U.S. corporations and public entities. Our members lobby on behalf of retirees in a majority of U.S. Congressional Districts across the country. “They are working together as NRLN Individual Members, Retiree Associations and Chapters to preserve the retirement benefits they earned during their many years of employment.”
NRLN Mission:
The mission of the National Retiree Legislative Network is to develop, identify and rally support for federal legislation that guarantees fair and equitable treatment of retirees and future retirees. We work to protect earned employer-sponsored pensions and benefit plans and Medicare and Social Security. We fervently endeavor to preserve and/or improve provisions of those programs, and related legislation supporting them, that Americans worked many years to earn and expected to be available throughout their retirement. It is important that we protect the real income and economic security of retirees. We will oppose legislation and regulations that will do harm to the quality of retirement life.
As a non-partisan coalition of retiree associations and individual members from across America we utilize the strength of our Board of Directors, company association leaders, individual members, Washington, DC staff, national allies and our Grassroots Network members from all 50 states to represent and lobby for the interests of the millions of men and women who retired from the private and public sectors.