The Legislature is preparing to debate a bill that would increase the State contribution to health insurance for retired educators. It is critical that lawmakers hear from retirees about the cost of health insurance and how it impacts your life and livelihood. Please join fellow MEA-Retired members at the State House to testify in favor of this legislation that would increase the State contribution. Sign up to attend the public hearing.
LD 178, sponsored by Rep. Ben Collings (D – Portland), would lift the state’s cost by 5% per year until it reaches 90%. Please attend the public hearing on Monday, February 4th at 1pm in Augusta and have your voice heard. Sign up to attend here: http://bit.ly/LD-178
Currently, the State funds 45% of the cost of the healthcare for retired teachers. This is not enough. The State made a commitment to increase the contributions towards retired teacher health care, but when the Great Recession hit in 2008, these scheduled increases were cut. Medical inflation has increased over time, making it more challenging for retired educators to have quality coverage. LD 178 will put us back on track to making the progress we need for more affordable healthcare for more retired educators.
The MEA is working hard in Augusta to make improvements for retired educators. We know the past many years have been challenging, with major cuts to our pensions and freezes to our COLAs. With extremely limited ability to make improvements to our pensions, the MEA has prioritized improvements to the healthcare program for retired educators.
If you have never been to Augusta to testify, MEA can help you prepare. Sign up here, and MEA will guide you along in the process. It’s easy, and important!
MEA hopes to see its retired educators in Augusta on February 4th!
Important: Retiree Health Insurance Info
