Volume 10, Number 3 / Fall 2026
GM Retirees Chapter President’s Message
Dear GM Retirees,
Thank you for being part of our community of General Motors retirees who support the National Retiree Legislative Network also known as nrln.org.
Fall & Homecomings
There’s something about the beginning of fall. The mornings get a little cooler. The leaves begin to turn. Friday nights bring football, marching bands and homecoming and bring people back to the schools, towns and places that helped shape who they became.
For those of us who spent our careers in the automotive industry, fall can bring back another kind of homecoming to our part of automotive history. Maybe your memories take you back to vehicle inventing, drawing, development, testing and then built and polished in manufacturing, before they ever reached a customer. [AI has taken on a whole new meaning from the 90s as I remember – it felt new and remarkable.]
Maybe your career took you through corporate and division offices or through one of the many manufacturing plants across the country. In many ways you were part of the engines, transmissions, parts divisions and great car and truck divisions that gave GM its identity: Cadillac. Buick. GMC Truck. Pontiac. Chevrolet. Saturn.
Whether you worked on cars, trucks, engineering, design, manufacturing, quality, sales, purchasing, finance, administration – or one of the countless other jobs that made those organizations work, hopefully you felt you were part of something much bigger than a job.
Maybe your “homecoming” memory is connected to a particular vehicle program that people would eventually be driving down roads all over the country. For many of us it wasn’t just where we worked or what we did, it became part of our lives. Friendships were formed, careers developed, challenges were overcome and milestones were celebrated.
And just like a school homecoming brings people back together, fall has a way of bringing those memories back, too. Happy fall to all of our fellow automotive retirees – and to the memories of the remarkable careers, people, vehicles and places that brought us here.
Now that we are in the ‘retiree’ chapter, I hope you don’t mind my repeating where NRLN comes in. We need and want to hold on to what we have as retirees to see us and our loved ones through the years. NRLN is paying attention for us to be sure we are aware of and have a voice in any changes being contemplated to retirement plans, insurance programs, payouts and especially Social Security and Medicare. NRLN efforts are vital, and I encourage you to learn more about their work, continue to support them financially, and share their message with family and friends who may want to support their advocacy.
Right now it falls to us to be sure we or someone is speaking up about the real threats to Medicare and Social Security, those funds we set aside from our income and contributed to so we could benefit from our share later in life. Pay attention to this year’s Medicare open enrollment! Retiree associations like ours can provide a voice for individual retirees and NRLN puts that voice to work.
Check out the NRLN website news (www.nrln.org) related to retiree issues. For most of us, the best thing we can do to be part of the solution is to click on the Action Alert from NRLN to explain issues and simplify contacting our elected officials to express our concerns. Click here to take action on the current alerts: https://nrln.org/action-alert/#/home/
Sincerely,
Darla Freeman
President, General Motors Chapter – NRL
National Retiree Legislative Network – General Motors Retirees Chapter Online Contributions
Become an NRLN / GMRC Individual Member…
Greetings! I trust you're doing well. Allow me to confidently remind you about the NRLN's efforts towards safeguarding your retirement. By making an annual contribution, you're investing in your future and supporting their initiatives. Your contribution, regardless of the amount, can make a significant impact. So, let's take action!
Click the CONTRIBUTE button below and join this worthy cause. We're grateful for your ongoing support.
Moreover, stay updated on the NRLN's latest activities by following them on their social media platforms. Enjoy an excellent day!
National Retiree Legislative Network – General Motors Retirees Chapter Contributions Form
The NRLN is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. Contributions are not tax deductible.
- Click here to access a PDF copy of the General Motors form.
- Complete the form, then print,
- Mail this form with your check or money order (no cash please) for $25, $50, $75 or more (any amount will be appreciated) payable to:
NRLN, Inc.
P.O. Box 18757
Washington, D.C. 20036-8757.
Why the NRLN / GMRC Is Relevant to GM Retirees
GM terminated health care at age 65 but added $300/month per retiree or surviving spouse to pensions, replaced pensions with lump sums or Prudential annuities, life insurance was reduced to $10,000 for retirees of record on 8/1/2009 and as of 1/1/2014 life insurance was terminated for all other current and future retirees. Here is what’s left to protect:
Social Security – The NRLN is lobbying for the passage the Social Security 2100 Act. It would ensure funding the program for the next 75 years and change the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) from the current CPI-W pegged to urban wage earners’ living expenses to CPI-E (Elderly) based on older Americans’ spending patterns, including medical costs.
Medicare – The NRLN is lobbying to add a low out-of-pocket cap to original Medicare. Far too many seniors in original Medicare are forced to go without critical health care because they cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs. With this additional benefit, original Medicare would be on a more level playing field with Medicare Advantage plans which are required to have an out-of-pocket cap. The NRLN is also advocating that vision, hearing and dental benefits be added to Medicare.
Immunizations for Seniors – The NRLN is supporting passage of the Protecting Seniors Through Immunizations Act that would provide Medicare beneficiaries access to all recommended vaccines at no additional cost. Some immunizations are covered under Medicare Part B without any out-of-pocket costs, while some vaccines covered under Medicare Part D require significant out-of-pocket costs.
Trust Act – The NRLN is opposing the TRUST Act which would create “rescue committees” for Social Security and Medicare that would operate outside of the regular order of Congress, behind closed doors, and the committees’ recommendations would be fast-tracked for votes without amendments on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. Funding needs to be increased for the Social Security Trust and Medicare Trust, but the policies should not be made without public Congressional hearings and behind closed doors.
Inpatient Rule – The NRLN is lobbying for passage of the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act which would fix an arbitrary Medicare rule that patients who receive hospital care on “observation status” do not qualify for the benefit of skilled nursing care, even if their hospital stay lasts longer than three days and even if their care team prescribes it. Under current Medicare policy, a beneficiary must have an “inpatient” hospital stay of at least three days for Medicare to cover skilled nursing care. Patients on “observation status” are either forced to return home without the treatment they have been prescribed, or, as often happens, they believed they were an “inpatient” and are unexpectedly billed astronomical amounts after their stays in a skilled nursing facility.
Prescription Drugs – We are lobbying for bills to reduce the price of prescription drugs by allowing Medicare to do competitive bidding, end pay-for-delay and other brand name drug makers’ tactics that keep generics off the market and support importation of less expensive drugs that meet FDA safety standards.
Telehealth – Telehealth has been a critical lifeline for millions of retirees who needed care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The NRLN is lobbying to make sure that telehealth coverage for Medicare beneficiaries is made permanent.
Taxes – The NRLN advocates legislation to amend the tax code to eliminate federal and state taxes on all Social Security income and/or allow a tax credit for taxes withheld.
