The News Journal | Opinion | by John Kowalko & Elisa Diller It has been a year since RISE Delaware sued to stop the state of Delaware from taking away the state retirees’ Medicare benefit and dumping them into a Medicare Advantage plan. Yes, we heard at the state’s “information meetings” about how everything would be as good as before (only better) and that we would have a “special” Medicare Advantage plan. Well, it wasn’t so special when we looked at the contract and found that there were: 2,030 prior-authorizations […]
Guest Commentary: RISE Delaware reflects on first year fighting for benefits
Delaware State News | Guest Commentary | by John Kowalko & Elisa Diller It has been a year since RISE Delaware sued to stop the state of Delaware from taking away the state retirees’ Medicare benefit and dumping them into a Medicare Advantage plan. Yes, we heard at the state’s “information meetings” about how everything would be as good as before (only better) and that we would have a “special” Medicare Advantage plan. Well, it wasn’t so special when we looked at the contract and found that there were: 2,030 […]
Opinion: Retirees Are Winning Battles Against Medicare Advantage
Common Dreams | Opinion | by Kay Tillow An Egg-Whip sounds like a festive, holiday drink or a merengue dessert. It is anything but a delightful treat. Egg-Whip is the healthcare industry’s name for Employer Group Waiver Plans (EGWP), a provision for privatization of employer-based, retiree Medicare benefits that was written into the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003. That law, which House Energy and Commerce Chair Billy Tauzin twisted arms to pass, added a drug plan to Medicare, not by including drugs as covered Medicare benefits, but by compelling […]
Guest Commentary: State retirees want the truth regarding Medicare
Delaware State News | Guest Commentary | by John Kowalko The ongoing attempts by this governor and the State Employee Benefits Committee to privatize state pensioners’ Medicare plans has been marked by glaring and shameful consistency. Lies, misinformation and secret backroom deals remain the chosen course for this administration. The unapologetic attitude of those committee members who have chosen to deliberately abuse the rights of state retirees marks a significant abuse of government authority and must be discussed. Choosing to ignore the obligations and promises made to those pensioners, who […]
Delaware public employees and public retirees require health benefits
The News Journal | Opinion | by Elisa Diller and Connie Merlet This is an open letter to Gov. John Carney about health care benefits for State of Delaware retirees and employees. Dear Gov. John Carney: During your recent budget address, you seemed to be surprised that healthcare costs money. A lot of money. We are not surprised. We know that health care is expensive and that as a benefit it is just as important to most state workers as their pension plan. Most current retirees accepted the low state […]
Letter to the Editor: Fight against Medicare Advantage plan has only just begun
State retirees are now receiving a mailing from the state Pensions Office notifying us that there will be no changes to our coverage through Dec. 31, 2023. It seems like a victory — no Medicare Advantage plan, no loss of our funds if we opt out. The key word is “seems.” The fight to stop this Medicare Advantage mandate, protect your insurance funds and to prevent this from happening again has just begun. The State Employee Benefits Committee was compelled to comply with the Superior Court order to delay implementation […]
Guest Commentary: State of Delaware retirees need to act now regarding Medicare change
Bay to Bay News | Commentary | by Rep. John Kowalko State of Delaware retirees and retired Delaware teachers, as well as college and university faculty covered through the state of Delaware’s health benefits, must act immediately and let their state elected officials know that the proposed move of all these retirees to a Medicare Advantage plan is unacceptable. What are Medicare Advantage plans? In short, it is the privatization of one of the most successful federal programs in history, and it is an embarrassment that the state of Delaware […]
Opinion: Delaware’s public retirees must reject Medicare Advantage plan
The News Journal | Opinion | by Rep. John Kowalko State of Delaware retirees, retired Delaware teachers, as well as college and university faculty covered through the state of Delaware’s health benefits must act immediately and let their state elected officials know that the proposed move of all these retirees to a Medicare Advantage plan is unacceptable. What are Medicare Advantage plans? In short, they represent the privatization of one of the most successful federal programs in history and it is an embarrassment that the state of Delaware wants to […]
Speak Up: Response to McGuiness on inspector general
Bay to Bay News | Point/Counterpoint Response to McGuiness on inspector general “As your State Auditor, my staff and I are steadfast supporters of any initiatives that would increase the transparency and accountability of our state. Delawareans have a right to good governance that is free of fraud, waste, or abuse, and I applaud this bipartisan effort. HB405 underlines a fundamental truth in our state; Delawareans deserve better.” This is a very interesting letter. While it makes mention of the state auditor conducting investigations of waste, fraud, abuse, and by […]
Point/Counterpoint: Lawmaker refutes, says inspector general role differs from auditor’s
Bay to Bay News | by Rep. John Kowalko Editor’s note: The following was sent to Kathleen McGuiness and the Delaware Office of Auditor of Accounts in response to a letter from the auditor sent to the Delaware General Assembly on May 17 and again June 16. This is the response to the auditor’s allegations that deliberately distort the differences in responsibilities, obligations and authority between the auditor general’s office and the proposed Office of the Inspector General being created by House Bill 405. The Delaware Office of Auditor of […]