SHARE
members, like other employees of the State of Massachusetts, are vested in the
pension after 10 years of creditable service. Currently, they are also eligible,
upon retirement, for retiree health insurance. House Bill 59 proposes to change
the eligibility for retiree health coverage. (Please see our previous blog post
for full details of the Major Changes Proposed to the State Retiree Health benefit.)
On
the plus side, it appears unlikely that the bill will be passed into law in the
next few weeks before we reach the end of the current legislative session. If
the issue is revived in the next legislative session (as it might be, since the
benefit represents an estimated 84 billion dollar unfunded liability), the
political landscape of the election year is likely to yield changes in any
proposal that might be made.
That
said, we want to make sure that the policy-makers know how important this is to
SHARE members. We know that many of you have made important decisions about
your careers and livelihoods with the idea that you would have access to the
benefit as it is currently offered. Although the current version of the bill
provides exclusions for State employees nearing retirement with certain amounts
of service, if it were passed as-is, the effects on the Retiree Health Benefit
would be dramatic and would affect most SHARE members.
House
59 is currently being reviewed by the Joint Committee on Public Service. The
lawmakers on the committee have scheduled an open hearing for public comment. The hearing
will be held October 31st, at 11am, in the Gardner Auditorium of the
Massachusetts State House in Boston. SHARE
leadership will be attending, and welcome members to join us on Beacon Hill
that day.
In
addition, if you would like to make a personal appeal to the Chairs of the
Joint Committee, or to your local elected official, we encourage you to write
to them to let them know who you are, what the Retiree Health benefit means to
you, and that you're paying attention to the outcomes.
Please call the SHARE office at 508-929-4020 x18 if you have questions or thoughts. Below
you can find email addresses for the Chairs of the Joint Committee on Public
Service. Online you can also find a full
list of the names and contacts for the Joint Committee Members, and contact
information for your local elected officials.
JOINT COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SERVICE
SENATE MEMBERS:
William N. Brownsberger, Senate Chair: william.brownsberger@masenate.gov
Michael J. Rodrigues, Senate Vice Chair: michael.rodrigues@masenate.gov
HOUSE MEMBERS:
Aaron M. Michlewitz, House Chair: aaron.m.michlewitz@mahouse.gov
John J. Lawn, House Vice Chair: john.lawn@mahouse.gov
SENATE MEMBERS:
William N. Brownsberger, Senate Chair: william.brownsberger@masenate.gov
Michael J. Rodrigues, Senate Vice Chair: michael.rodrigues@masenate.gov
HOUSE MEMBERS:
Aaron M. Michlewitz, House Chair: aaron.m.michlewitz@mahouse.gov
John J. Lawn, House Vice Chair: john.lawn@mahouse.gov
