Federal Agency tries end run around congress

[ljb]

The EEOC is about to finalize a rule tha will expressly allow employers to elimnimate ALL retiree health benifits (not just prescription drugs) for retirees eleigible for Medicare or state health plans.
This rule is identical to "section 631" of the Senate's version of the Medicare Rx bill. Congress deleted Section 631 from the final Medicare Rx law.
If the EEOC rule takes effect, there will be nothing to prevent employers from altering, reducing, or even eliminating the health benefits of any retiree over the age of 65. I don't know about you folks, but I worked all my life to earn these benefits.

[Tom]

Take notes!
We are on the same sid eof this issue.
Perhaps we could spare some troops to take out the EEOC.
Could it be that while we are all diverted towards Iraq the rest of the bottom feeders are lining up thier agendas to sneak past us?
I vote yes. Never, ever, trust your government. It is full of senators and congressmen......and you know what they are!:mad:

[ljb]

Emily Gersema
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON---
"Employers could reduce or eliminate their retirees' health benefits once the former workers qualify for Medicare, under a proposal fro the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The decision, subject to further review before it becomes final, could aggect millions of retirees who rely on employer-sponsored health plans to pay medical expenses not covered by Medicare.
The commission voted 3 to 1 for the proposed rule, with three Republicans in favor and one Democrat opposing it."
Now i don't know about you folks but I can see my employer dropping my health care and then the government dropping Medicare. Many on this board have expressed their desires for the government to get out of social security and most likely Medicare also.

[Tom]

Exactly. You cannot trust business to keep thier word. Any of them. My father worked for Kodak all his life, believed thier corporate lies, and then got his promised retirement slashed.
Kodak has no repsect for their workers, even existing ones. They downsize, export jobs, you name it to cut THIER cost, but then they get all huffy when some buys Fuji film-Buy American, they shout, Yeah, right. No way would I spend a nickel on any Koday products. They are an un-American compnay no matter what their commercials say. Screw all companies who screw us.
And boycott their prodcuts.

[ljb]

The thing that shocks me is the rightys on board failure to respond to this topic. This is another example of the Bush gang's attempts at letting the working class support the fortunes of the well to do. Seems the rightys just want to talk about the war. perhaps they think this is Bush's strong point based on the conception that the Republicans are better defenders of America. I had posted another note about the Bush gang eliminating overtime for many American workers and the rightys spun it off to war talk. Secratariat has posted about the Bush gang's desecration of the environment and the rightys made light of it. I ask the rightys, is the quagmire in Iraq the only thing that concerns you ?

[schweitz]

There is no law that requires companies to provide health care to employees or retirees now. If a company is providing health care benefits to employees or retirees now they can stop any time they want to. I fail to see what the big deal is.

[bill]

ask buddy love

[Tom]

You planning on living off of your SS when you get old?
As a society, it our absolute OBLIGATION to care for our own when they are not able-this includes children injured workers, retired workers.
I cannot justify a CEO making 6 million a year and wanting to drop retirement benefits. Corporate responsibility is part of the price of doing business in OUR society. WE own all the resouces and have, as a nation, the right ro regulate who gets to use them. Part of that deal is to use our resources responsibly, no tpollute the environment, and to contribute to a growing, healty economy. Any business that does not step up to the plate should be penalized to the extend they lose their corporate charter.

[schweitz]

There are no guarantees in life---it would be wise to plan accordingly. I don't have the figures but I would imagine that there is a very small percentage of companies that provide health care to retired workers at any age.

[ljb]

Schwietz,
You seem to be overlooking the concept here. Many people worked for many years for companies large and small. Part of their earnings were health care in retirement. This was part of what they worked for. It was a contract. Now the EEOC is saying those contracts can be voided. There are many people in this country who have either prepared themselves for retirement or have not prepared themselves for retirement, that is not the point. The point is part of my preperation for retirement included recieving health care from my former employer. Had the employer not promised this I would have prepared differently.

[schweitz]

Ljb,

What if your employer goes out of business?---It happens all the time. Retirement packages change all the time. There are just no guarantees.

The EEOC is only saying that at age 65 a company can drop health benifits for a retiree because he qualifies for other medical benifits.In the past this hasn't been allowed because it was ruled age discrimination.

I'll say it again--there is no law that says a company has to provide health benifits to employees or retirees and many don't.

The trust you are putting in your employer can be voided by them at any time.

[Tom]

You think for one minute that everyone can afford to make sure they have enough monely left to live on? I ask again, are you counting on SS?
It has to fall on business to make available some kind of retirement planing-IRA, 401K, Kehough, whatever.
It makes me real proud to be an American when I read about old people not having the medicine they need, eating cat food, freezing to death in cold apartments. There is always enough money to take care of the rest of the world and never enough to take care of our own. If that is liberal talk, then I am solidly a liberal on this issue.

[schweitz]

Originally posted by Tom

It has to fall on business to make available some kind of retirement planing-


No Tom it doesn't--it has to fall on the individual with hopefully a little help from the government.

I'm in sales---have been for 30+ years---quit many jobs---fired from some--and have had several companies that I worked for go out of business. Some had retirement plans, most didn't. I have never believed for a moment that any company that I have worked for was going to take care of me in retirement.

SS, yes I expect to get some---but if I don't I will be ok.

[Big Bill]

For those who want to express their opinion on this subject, a toll free number is provided below this report on the EEOC's proposal:

Below is troubling news. This was on the back burner and since the "noise level" is not high, the administration is moving ahead with this.

If you have done nothing else in this "fight" to preserve your health and prescription drug benefits, please take the time to call the number below and call all your legislators, write to newspapers and express your outrage.

Please pass this on to as many as you know who are retired.

"The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) - the federal agency that is supposed to
enforce the laws prohibiting employment discrimination - is about to finalize a rule that will expressly allow
employers to discriminate against older retirees. The rule will allow employers to eliminate ALL retiree health benefits (not just prescription drugs) for
retirees eligible for Medicare or state health plans."


"This rule is identical to "Section 631" of the Senate's version of the Medicare Rx bill Congress deleted from the final Medicare Rx law. Unfortunately, the EEOC has turned a deaf ear to those
same concerns and is now trying to accomplish through the backdoor what Congress refused to do directly in the law."

Call 1-800-928-8626 to express your outrage and opposition to this. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Big Bill

[Big Bill]

When I called the toll free number listed in my previous post, I found that it was to a recorded AARP message. I then checked the AARP web site and found their stated position on this situation. I've copied it below:

Statement by AARP Director of Advocacy Michael Naylor on the EEOC Ruling on Retiree Health Benefits

April 22, 2004

AARP is deeply disappointed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) approval today of a rule that will allow employers to reduce or eliminate retiree health benefits that they offer to older, Medicare-eligible retirees. More than 12 million Medicare beneficiaries currently receive benefits from heir former employers AARP is concerned that this rule may jeopardize those benefits.

However, we note that EEOC Chairwoman Cari Dominguez has suggested there remains an opportunity for further discussion on the rule to insure that older retiree's benefits are protected. AARP welcomes the opportunity to continue to seek a resolution of this issue that is satisfactory to all interested parties and protects the interests of our members and all seniors.

We recognize that there is a narrow time frame available for such discussion before the rule takes effect. Therefore, if a resolution at this time is not possible, AARP will explore a range of different steps, including litigation, to halt the implementation of the rule.

Big Bill

[ljb]

schweitz said
What if your employer goes out of business?---It happens all the time. Retirement packages change all the time. There are just no guarantees.
This has nothing to do with employers going out of business, this has to do with a government agency allowing a business to break a contract. You still seem to be missing the point here. A legal contract is a legal contract.

[schweitz]

If you have a legal contract then what are you worried about?

[schweitz]

If you are retired with a company health benefit package and have not already had some revisions to it since you retired you have been very lucky.

This article does a good job of explaining what is going on.

www.fmnonline.com/publishing/article.cfm?article_id=777