TVA Survey Narrative
Daniel Pitts Returns as President of the TVA Retirees Chapter
I am pleased to announce that Daniel Pitts, who headed the formation of the TVA Retirees Chapter – NRLN ten years ago and served as Chapter President for more than eight years, will resume his role as the Chapter’s leader. Dan will again work with me in the NRLN’s continuing efforts to rectify the injustice to TVA retirees in January 2017, when TVA ended retirees’ company-sponsored Medicare supplement (Medigap) coverage.
The company redirected retirees to enroll in new Medigap plans through a Private Medicare Exchange (PME) known as OneExchange (now Via Benefits). Around 14,000 TVA retirees ultimately purchased their new plans through Via Benefits in 2017. The Medigap premium rates offered through Via Benefits were often significantly higher than those available in the market.
The NRLN maintains that TVA management and TVA’s plan provider BCBS did not correctly inform affected retirees that they were eligible for Guaranteed Issue Right (GIR) and Special Enrollment Period (SEP). A GIR prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage or overcharging an applicant for a Medigap or MA policy, regardless of pre-existing health conditions. A SEP allows one to shop for the best deal possible for a Medigap or MA plan.
In March 2205, the NRLN’s Executive Director, the NRLN’s Vice President of Legislative Affairs, and I met with officials of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to present the NRLN’s paper on Enforcing the Guaranteed Issue Right (GIR) and Medicare Special Enrollment Period (SEP) Standards for TVA, AT&T, IBM, Avaya, and 1.1 Million Other Retirees.
On September 22, 2025, CMS implemented the proposal from our paper and issued a letter to insurance companies, corporations, and unions that provide these healthcare plans, stating that they must provide notice of GIR and SEP to each of their affected enrollees at least 90 days before the end of the current contract period.
CMS has not addressed the remedies proposed for TVA, AT&T, IBM, and Avaya retirees. With Dan’s return as President of the TVA Retirees Chapter, he and I will be following up with CMS.
Ask your friends who are TVA retirees and are not Chapter members to sign up to receive emails from the Chapter and NRLN at https://nrln.org/email-sign-up/#/signup/go/id/B3E43B6C-D9E6-873E24F02319CCE5EA9B/.
Bill Kadereit
President
National Retiree Legislative Network
