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 […]
Retirees rally for increased health care funding in Dover
Delaware State News | by Joseph Edelen Members of Retirees Investing in Social Equity Delaware urged lawmakers to devote 2% of the annual budget to pensioners’ health care and continued pleas for their existing coverage to remain intact during a rally Tuesday on The Green. The group’s co-founder, former state Rep. John Kowalko, told the more than 150 individuals in attendance not to rely on ongoing litigation for their benefits to be honored, instead insisting that retirees reach out to their elected officials to take legislative action. “The battle is […]
DE Inspector general bill likely to wait ’til next year
Delaware Live | by Sam Haut With some state expenses, such as Medicaid, higher than expected for 2024, legislators who want to create a state office of inspector general plan to wait until next year to introduce a bill to do that. “[I]t does come with a fiscal note, to create a new agency does cost some money,” said Sen. Laura Sturgeon, D-Hockessin. “It’s not astronomical. I think it’s going to be maybe in the vicinity of perhaps around $2 million or so.” Because the state budget is tighter than […]
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 […]
Retired lawmakers pen letter to Delaware governor opposing Medicare Advantage plan
Delaware State News | by Joseph Edelen In a letter released to the public Thursday, 27 former Delaware lawmakers urged Gov. John Carney not to adopt a Medicare Advantage plan for state pensioner health care coverage. The communication advises the governor and his administration that the state’s $8.8 billion underfunded liability for retiree health care “should not be the only consideration in your decision-making.” Gov. Carney’s recommended budget for fiscal year 2024 features a one-time appropriation of $51 million to address that liability. The former legislators who signed the letter […]
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 […]
Senate passes bill pertaining to state retiree benefits
Cape Gazette A bill expanding membership to committees tasked with state employee benefit issues passed the Senate Jan. 18 by a 17-3 vote. Senate Bill 29 expands the membership of the State Employee Benefits Committee by adding a state retiree to the committee and adding an additional representative from public sector union organizations, and the bill establishes the Retiree Healthcare Benefits Advisory Subcommittee with membership that includes three state retirees and four members of the General Assembly. It also requires the controller general to provide comprehensive biannual public reports to […]
Bill to increase retiree voice in health care talks passes Delaware Senate
Bay to Bay News | by Joseph Edelen Amid continued concern from state retirees, Senate lawmakers voted to establish pensioner involvement in the development of retirement health care benefits on Wednesday. Prime sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, Senate Bill 29 seeks to bolster state retiree involvement in the decision-making process ahead of the expiration of the current Medicare supplement plan offered through Jan. 1, 2024. The legislation features co-sponsorship from each member of Democratic and Republican leadership in both houses of Delaware’s General Assembly. Under SB 29, membership […]
Delaware Senate passes bill addressing proposed changes to state retiree benefits, some retirees oppose the legislation
Delaware Public Media | by Rachel Sawicki A bill seeking to address concerns about proposed changes to state retirees health care benefits passed the State Senate Wednesday. State Senators voted 17-3 in favor of the bill – with 1 ‘absent.’ If it also clears the House, it would add a state retiree and an additional representative from public sector unions to the State Employee Benefits Committee. It also establishes an advisory subcommittee that will include three state retirees and four members of the General Assembly, which would evaluate options allowing […]
UD’s Offshore Riches
Delaware Call | by Jordan Howell The University of Delaware has moved hundreds of millions of dollars into offshore investments while also seeking state funds, raising tuition. State FOIA laws keep that information from the public Over the past decade — during which University of Delaware officials have requested more than a billion dollars in taxpayer funds from the General Assembly to support in-state scholarships, construction projects, and even general operations — the state’s flagship university has quietly shifted hundreds of millions of dollars to investments overseas, according to a […]