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AT&T Ameritech /SBC Retirees
Proudly working on behalf of retirees of the Bell System and successor companies of the New AT&T,
Located worldwide
AASBCR® Board of Directors
Carole Lovell President – Director of Membership & Benefits
Chet Przybyslawski Vice President - CFO
Richard Runge Secretary
Larry Smith Vice President—Legislation & Regulation
Ron Widlewski Vice President—Communications
Ben A. Goodin Attorney – Agent
www.AASBCR.org
AASBCR® State Representatives
Florida, Louisiana
Illinois
Illinois
Indiana
Michigan
Remaining States
Pat Reichard
Donna
Cummings
Ralph Kolderup
Loretta
McDowell
Ron Rhodes
Pamela Zitron
Ohio
Ohio
Ohio
Texas, Kansas,
Missouri
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Lee Grimes
Jim Martin
Elaine Wolan
Rene Miller
Bob Ledvina
Carol Linder
Fourth Quarter Newsletter
December, 2014
This Newsletter includes all the Bulletins, News Registers and the Legislative Ledger
issued during the fourth quarter, October through September, 2014.
What’s New in This Issue?
Fro m th e Desk of Carole Lo vell - P resi den t
Carole discusses the importance of managing your
health care
®
options and encouraging retirees to join AASBCR
From the Desk of Larry Smith – VP Legislation
Larry talks about the importance of giving our elected officials
feedback.
NRLN Action Alert - Congress Vote to Cut Pensions
Previou sl y Pub lished
The following News Registers, Blue Bulletins and Legislative Ledger have previously
been sent electronically to AASBCR members with email. They are included here for
those members without email capability.
News Register, No 2, October, 2014
AASBCR ® Member Mailed Dues
News Register, No 3, October, 2014
AT&T to Pay $80 million in Mobile Cramming Case
Blue Bulletin, Vol 9, No 016,October 2014
Aon Retiree Health Exchange
Blue Bulletin Vol 9, No 17, October 2014
Aon Retiree Health Exchange – Update and Reminders
Legislative Ledger No 003, December 2014
AASBCR® Members Reply to this Action Alert
All published documents are also available to Members on the website at
http://aasbcr.org
If you or another member experience any problems receiving or
accessing Bulletins or Newsletters by email, please notify AASBCR®
by calling 312 962- 2770.
Fro m th e Desk of Carole Lo vell , President
December 2014
My fellow retirees,
We are at year end and those AT&T retirees along with their dependents
who are eligible Medicare retirees and slated to be moved to the Aon
Retiree Health Exchange should have chosen individual health insurance,
a prescription plan and, if desired, dental as well as vision insurance. This
is a huge change.
Please do not ignore mail sent from AT&T or Aon. If you did not sign up
for medical and prescription coverage and you are an eligible Medicare
retiree, you will not have coverage in 2015. Please, do not let this
happen to you. If you have any questions not already answered,
remember that AASBCR® is continually in touch with AT&T HR and Aon
Hewitt as we go through this change and AASBCR® will provide you with
answers as quickly as possible.
Those Medicare eligible retirees who have enrolled through Aon Hewitt
should have the booklet titled HRA Guide for AT&T Retirees and
Dependents. It explains how the Health Resources Account works, the
reimbursement process, the catastrophic prescription drug benefit, and
where to go for help. You can begin filing for reimbursements on or after
January 1, 2015.
AASBCR® needs you, our member to share your knowledge and
experiences with AASBCR® with other retirees. This type of member
involvement will make your retiree group, AASBCR® stronger. Please
consider, as you attend lunches and other events with your friends and
previous co-workers, telling them about our organization. These nonmembers may be working through benefit issues or the confusion about the
Aon Retiree Health Exchange alone and with no ability to escalate issues
to AT&T HR. They also may have no direct input to their Senators and
Representatives to suggest effective legislation for retirees. Encourage
your friends to join AASBCR®. Tell them all of the work that AASBCR® is
doing interfacing with AT&T HR and asking questions about the Aon
Retiree Health Exchange transition. Tell them about the good work being
done with and for retirees in Washington DC through our partnership with
the NRLN. You are the best person to accomplish that. Give them a copy
of the AASBCR® brochure. It explains what AASBCR® is all about.
Members can find the brochure by logging into the AASBCR® website at
http://aasbcr.org/. On the left side, click on PRINTABLE DOCUMENTS,
and then click on AASBCR® Members Brochure. If you need more copies
of the brochure, just send an email to [email protected] or
call the virtual office number at (312) 962-2770.
Also, please do not share the newsletters and bulletins with the same nonmember friends over time. AASBCR® volunteers work hard to research
and provide valuable information to AASBCR® paying members. Members’
dues support all of the publications as well as the website.
I leave you with a final thought from Mitch Albom, author, playwright, and
screenwriter who has written several books, including Tuesdays with
Morrie, the bestselling memoir of all time.
“If you're always battling against getting older, you're always going to be
unhappy, because it's going to happen anyhow.”
Happy Holidays. Have a happy, healthy and safe New Year.
Carole Lovell
Office / Fax Number (312) 962-2770
P.O. Box 7477, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089-7477
http://aasbcr.org/
Fro m th e d esk o f L arry S mi th – VP L egi sl ati on
and Regul ation
One of the lesser understood benefits of being a member of
AASBCR® is our membership in the NRLN (National Retiree
Legislative Network). The NRLN is an "association of associations"
like AASBCR® and represents over two million American households
just like your own. Working with the NRLN we have direct contact
with members of the Senate and the House of Representatives and
their staffs. Our contacts and meetings with them enable us to make
comments on retiree issues and to provide input and opinions on
emerging legislation that directly affects the lives of current and future
retirees.
Here’s where we need your help. In order to increase the influence
we all can have on our elected officials and the issues they vote on
while representing us we need to let them know what we think. On
occasion, sometimes for good reason and sometimes for not so good
reasons, very important issues will be added to Bills late in the
process. On those occasions we will make every effort to make you
aware of the legislation, the issue, why it's important and how you
can help. Your elected officials do listen to you. Their staffs record
and report on calls on every issue.
You will make a difference either by contacting them or not
contacting them.
On the next page is the latest NRLN Action Alert which describes the
issue, why it's important and how you can find and contact your
elected officials to let them know that it's not okay to fund the Pension
Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) by reducing pensions to
current and future retirees.
If you have questions, comments or concerns about the process or
this issue please feel free to contact Larry Smith at 815-498-3508.
NRLN Action Alert
Congress Vote to Cut Pensions Outrageous
Despite the opposition from some unions and retiree advocate groups, including
the National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN), Congress has passed a $1.1
trillion dollar omnibus spending bill that includes giving trustees of multi-employer
pension plans the ability to cut pensions earned by 1.5 million workers and
retirees up to 50 percent.
These are about 1,400 pooled pension plans -- called multi-employer plans -- of
mostly union workers across a bunch of companies, where it looks like the plans
won’t be able to cover full benefits in coming decades. A retiree with a pension of
$24,000 per year and 25 years of service could see his or her annual pension
benefit cut in half, according a statement in a news report by our friends at the
Pension Rights Center. The Pension Benefit Corporation (PBGC) has said it's
about $42.4 billion short of the money it would need to pay out on these pensions
for multi-employer plans if they failed.
Further, Congress did not stipulate that this change applied to multi-employer
plans only. It enacted the law in a way that it changed the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act (ERISA) to permit the change to some underfunded multiemployer plans but did not add “only”. Therefore, Congress did not preclude that
underfunded single-employer plans couldn’t be de-risked by allowing plan
sponsors to cut pension benefits in the future! This was either an inexcusable
oversight or a purposeful omission of protection of single-employer pension plan
retiree participants.
I urge you to send the NRLN’s sample letter to your members of Congress to
express your outrage on giving trustees of multi-employer pension plans the
ability to cut the pensions workers and retirees have earned while at the same
time exposing all single-employer plan participants to the same risk. This goes
against the protections in ERISA that have protected workers’ and retirees’
pensions for the past 40 years.
We need you to help us help you by responding each time you get an Action
Alert.
Bill Kadereit, President
National Retiree Legislative Network
Here are the easy steps to follow on this Action Alert:
Click here to access the NRLN’s sample letters. . The NRLN Action Network
system will present the letters to be emailed to your U.S. Representative and
U.S. Senators. If you have a problem with this link, go to www.nrln.org and click
on the “Take Action Now!” near the top of the NRLN website home page.
When you have accessed the NRLN sample letters, to the left of the letters are
windows to type in your contact information, required by members of Congress
so they know they are receiving an email from a constituent. If you have sent
previous NRLN emails to your members of Congress your contact information
may be automatically displayed.
Personalize the letters by editing in your own comments.
Click on the "Preview" button and the letters addressed to your Representative
and two Senators from you will appear. Check to make sure the letters to your
members of Congress are correct and then click "Send".
Here are other features of our Congress web service that are useful:
1,After you have emailed your letter to your members of Congress, you will have
the option to select a number of publications from a news media list to send a
message to the editor. With regard to the present Action Alert, the composed
message has been provided.
2.You have the option, if you have a Facebook page, to click on a Facebook icon
to post a link to the NRLN's Action Alert on your Facebook page. After you click
on the Facebook icon the link to the Action Alert will appear and the option to
"Write Something". You may want to type in something like Email the NRLN's
sample letter to your members of Congress. Click the "Share" icon to post your
comment and the Action Alert link.
3.You also have the option, if you have a Facebook account, to post the NRLN’s
message on your Representative’s or Senator’s Facebook page. Most members
of Congress have a Facebook page. Click on the attachment to this email for the
steps to follow to post on your legislator’s Facebook page.
4.Also, after emailing your letter there is an option to post to your Twitter account
if you have one. Scroll down the NRLN webpage to "Send a Tweet" and click on
the "Submit" buttons to send the short message to each of your members of
Congress.
5.Scroll down further on the NRLN webpage to "Tell a Friend" and you will have
the option to quickly email a message to your friends to ask them to access the
NRLN Action Alert. Simply type or paste in their email addresses into a window.
6.Further down the webpage is "Share on your Web Site" that is only for the use
of Webmaster.
The News Register
October 2014 No 002
®
Reminder to AASBCR retiree members - Bulletins and the website are paid for by
®
AASBCR members. Please do not share with non-members. Remember, there is more to
®
AASBCR than information. We work with AT&T HR and with the NRLN and Congress in
support of retirees. Our dues pay for all of this. Encourage retiree friends to join and
®
support AASBCR in our fight.
“Intra-organization Communication is the Life-Blood of our organization.”
AASBCR® Member Mailed Dues
AASBCR®, your retiree group, has a reminder for all our members.
AASBCR® certainly appreciates the timely payment of dues that most
of its members provide. However, the member info sheet also should
be enclosed if you are mailing your check. That sheet was either part
of the email that you received, or it was an enclosure that was mailed
to you. AASBCR® needs to know that your telephone number, email
address, and physical address are correct. That insures ongoing
communication with you. If you do online banking and all that is sent
is a check, it would be helpful to request a memo line noting
AASBCR® dues and the member name. The Vice President of
Finance and Chief Financial Officer cannot always determine who the
member is with only a bank check.
Your attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.
The News Register
October 2014 No 003
AT&T to Pay $80 Million for Consumer Refunds in Mobile
Cramming Case
AASBCR® is making our retiree members aware of this Federal
decision. Consumers who believe that third party charges were
unfairly added to their AT&T cell phone bill by AT&T without their
authorization can visit www.ftc.gov/att to submit a refund claim and
find out more about the FTC’s refund program under the settlement. If
consumers are unsure about whether they are eligible for a refund,
they can visit the claims website or contact the settlement
administrator at 1-877-819-9692 for more information. Please read
the Time article below.
More Than 350,000 Customers Have Asked AT&T for a Refund After
Bogus Charges
By Victor Luckerson; TIME Oct 15, 2014
Hundreds of thousands of AT&T customers have requested refunds
for bogus cell phone charges since the Telco reached a settlement
with the Federal Trade Commission last week to reimburse
consumers, an FTC official told TIME Wednesday. In total, 359,000
individuals have sent in claims to the FTC seeking refunds for
unauthorized charges that appeared on their cell phone bills in a
practice known as “cramming.” Through cramming, third parties are
able to issue unwanted, recurring charges for things like love tips and
horoscopes to cell phone users.
Jessica Rich, the director of the FTC’s bureau of consumer
protection, said the response from consumers was one of the largest
the agency has ever seen. The only case with a larger number of
claims that she could recall was a 2012 settlement with Skechers
over deceptive marketing for one of its shoe lines, which garnered
close to half a million consumer complaints. “We expect this to be a
lot higher,” Rich said.
In total, AT&T has agreed to pay $80 million in refunds to customers
for cramming charges. The Telco giant will also pay $20 million in
penalties and fees to the 50 states and Washington, D.C., and a $5
million penalty to the FTC. At the time of the settlement, an AT&T
spokesman noted that the company was the first in the Telco industry
to stop charging customers for premium SMS messages in late 2013.
The FTC is currently suing T-Mobile over the same issue.
It’s not guaranteed that all the people who have issued claims will
actually receive refunds. An independent claims administrator will
review the refund requests to determine if they are valid. “I’m
expecting that most of the claims are going to be valid, but if they’re
not valid, there will be a way to determine that,” Rich said.
Customers who think they were victims of cramming can file to claim
refunds until May 1. 2015.
AT&T Ameritech /SBC Retirees - We are AASBCR®
Blue Bulletin
Vol. 9 No. 016
October, 2014
®
®
Reminder to AASBCR retiree members - Bulletins and the website are paid for by AASBCR
®
members. Please do not share with non-members. Remember, there is more to AASBCR than
information. We work with AT&T HR and with the NRLN and Congress in support of retirees. Our
®
dues pay for all of this. Encourage retiree friends to join and support AASBCR in our fight.
Aon Retiree Health Exchange
The AASBCR® Benefit Directors recently learned about discrepancies in the
guaranteed issue claim made by the Aon Retiree Health Exchange.
Guaranteed issue means that during this Medicare enrollment period,
retirees will be automatically accepted into a Medicare Supplement/Medigap
plan regardless of any preexisting conditions. Upon verifying the
information, the AASBCR® Benefit Directors were informed by Aon that:
“You have guaranteed acceptance into many Medicare Supplement
Plans. There are generally 4 types of Medigap lettered plans that can
vary by state and carrier (D, G, M & N) as to whether guaranteed
issue is offered. The Aon Benefit Advisors know which plans this
applies to and will discuss this with retirees during the appointment.
Note that UHC AARP is one of our national carriers that offers
guaranteed issue for ALL of their plans in situations where there is a
loss of an employer sponsored group health plan."
This means that on some Medigap lettered policies, D, G, M, and N, certain
insurers can and will ask about pre existing conditions and may delay
coverage of those conditions, charge more for the policy, or deny coverage
entirely. AASBCR® is sharing this information as it differs from what was
originally stated. When discussing plans with the Aon Benefit Advisor, keep
in mind that Medigap lettered plans A, B, C, F, K, and L are guaranteed
issue for eligible AT&T Medicare retirees during this Medicare enrollment
period. If you are interested in any of the other lettered plans, ask the
advisor about whether guaranteed issue applies.
As added resources, retirees may also wish to check the official Medicare
website - Medicare.gov. and/or an independent Medicare insurance broker
or agent in your state that offers a variety of plans. These independent
PO Box 7477 Buffalo Grove IL 60089-­‐7477 Phone/FAX (312) 962-­‐2770 http://aasbcr.org/ This communication is Private and Confidential. It is intended only for viewing by AASBCR
®
Members. Copying or forwarding of this communication is not authorized by AASBCR .
®
agents usually do not charge the retiree a fee for a consultation since the
insurance carrier compensates them. The retiree can also call the insurer
directly for rates and even go to the website of the insurer to see plan
details.
AASBCR® is always working for our retiree members and wants to be certain
that ALL eligible AT&T Medicare retirees choose their own medical health
insurance and prescription drug plans for 2015. Retirees should also decide
on dental and vision if they wish to add that coverage.
Remember, if you are an eligible AT&T Medicare retiree, there is
NO DEFAULT PLAN. You must select a plan for yourself.
To "unlock" the Health Resources Account (HRA) you must purchase a
Medicare Prescription Drug plan, a Medicare Supplemental policy or a
Medicare Advantage policy through the Aon Retiree Health Exchange.
After unlocking the HRA, retirees may also use the remaining HRA
money to pay for any eligible medical expenses until the money is
totally spent.
Proudly working on behalf of retirees of the Bell System and successor companies of the
New AT&T, located worldwide
PO Box 7477 Buffalo Grove IL 60089-­‐7477 Phone/FAX (312) 962-­‐2770 http://aasbcr.org/ This communication is Private and Confidential. It is intended only for viewing by AASBCR
®
Members. Copying or forwarding of this communication is not authorized by AASBCR .
®
AT&T Ameritech /SBC Retirees - We are AASBCR®
Blue Bulletin
Vol. 9 No. 017
December, 2014
®
®
Reminder to AASBCR retiree members - Bulletins and the website are paid for by AASBCR
®
members. Please do not share with non-members. Remember, there is more to AASBCR than
information. We work with AT&T HR and with the NRLN and Congress in support of retirees. Our
®
dues pay for all of this. Encourage retiree friends to join and support AASBCR in our fight.
Aon Retiree Health Exchange – Update and Reminders
Below is a chart taken from the Aon Retiree Health Exchange website. For
those of you turning 65 in 2015, it explains when the AT&T group health care
coverage ends, when your Medicare coverage begins and when you should
enroll in individual health care coverage through the Aon Retiree Health
Exchange in order to avoid a gap in coverage.
PO Box 7477 Buffalo Grove IL 60089-­‐7477 Phone/FAX (312) 962-­‐2770 http://aasbcr.org/ This communication is Private and Confidential. It is intended only for viewing by AASBCR
®
Members. Copying or forwarding of this communication is not authorized by AASBCR .
®
* You must enroll in Medicare Parts A and B during the three months leading
up to your 65th birthday to make sure that coverage is effective on the first of
the month in which you turn age 65.
Reminder
For those of you already eligible to move to the Aon Retiree Health
Exchange, please remember you must take action to "unlock" the
Health Resources Account (HRA). To do this, you need to purchase a
Medicare Prescription Drug plan, a Medicare Supplemental policy or a
Medicare Advantage policy through the Aon Retiree Health Exchange.
After unlocking the HRA, you may also use any remaining HRA money
to pay for eligible medical expenses until the money is totally spent.
If you have not signed up yet or need to talk to a Benefits Advisor,
remember that Mondays are always very busy and often have very long
wait times. If possible try to call later in the week. Most retirees have
until December 31st to enroll. Retirees who previously left the AT&T
group plan to enroll in an Individual Medicare Plan need to enroll by
December 7th.
If you have already enrolled, your new insurance carrier will send you
plan materials along with your new insurance cards.
The Health Reimbursement Account Guide is now posted on the Aon
Retiree Health Exchange site at
http://myretireehealthexchange.com/pdf/ATT_HRA_Guide.pdf
Reminder; you cannot file for reimbursements until January 1, 2015.
Answers to basic questions regarding the Health Exchange may be
available at the website.
Proudly working on behalf of retirees of the Bell System and successor companies of the
New AT&T, located worldwide
PO Box 7477 Buffalo Grove IL 60089-­‐7477 Phone/FAX (312) 962-­‐2770 http://aasbcr.org/ This communication is Private and Confidential. It is intended only for viewing by AASBCR
®
Members. Copying or forwarding of this communication is not authorized by AASBCR .
®
AT&T Ameritech /SBC Retirees – We are AASBCR®
Proudly working on behalf of the Bell System and successor
companies of the New AT&T, located throughout the World
Legislative Ledger
December 2014, No 003
®
®
Reminder to AASBCR retiree members - Bulletins and the website are paid for by AASBCR
®
members. Please do not share with non-members. Remember, there is more to AASBCR than
information. We work with AT&T HR and with the NRLN and Congress in support of retirees. Our
®
dues pay for all of this. Encourage retiree friends to join and support AASBCR in our fight.
AASBCR® Members Reply To This Action Alert
Retirees need to work with the National Retiree Legislative Network to assist their
Congress in reintroducing important legislation that will otherwise die when the 113th
Congress is completed and the 114th Congress begins their work in January. If retirees
want change, they must act to accomplish that.
The issues the NRLN is asking Congress to reintroduce are:
Pension Asset Protection*
Company Pension De-Risking*
Disclosure Improvements To Pension Annual Funding Notices*
PBGC Reform*
Bankruptcy Reform*
Protect Retirees In Mergers, Acquisitions & Spin-Offs*
Increase Funding For Social Security And Medicare*
Reduce The Cost Of Prescription Drugs*
Eliminate Medicare's 3-Day Inpatient Requirement
Eliminate Pre-Existing Condition Exclusion For Americans Age 65 And Older
Protect Medicare From Becoming Voucher Program.
*Issues with an asterisk are supported by NRLN whitepapers.
Below is a request from Bill Kadereit, president of the NRLN, our partner on Capitol Hill.
Please help all retirees by following the suggested links and sending an email letter to
your U.S. Representative and Senators.
Bills the 114th Congress Should Introduce and Pass
The 113th Congress will be back in session for a short time in December before it
adjourns for the holidays. With adjournment, bills in the current Congress will die in
committees. When Congress reconvenes in January, it will be the 114th Congress with
Republicans being the majority party in the House and Senate. All unpassed bills we
supported in the 113th Congress will need to be introduced as new bills in order to be
considered.
Representatives and Senators who will be members of a new Congress normally ask
their staff members in December to begin thinking about and proposing bills to be
introduced in the New Year. I am requesting that you email to your members of
PO Box 7477 Buffalo Grove IL 60089-7477 Phone/FAX (312) 962-2770
http://aasbcr.org/
®
This communication is Private and Confidential. It is intended only for viewing by AASBCR
®
Members. Copying or forwarding of this communication is not authorized by AASBCR .
AT&T Ameritech /SBC Retirees – We are AASBCR®
Proudly working on behalf of the Bell System and successor
companies of the New AT&T, located throughout the World
Congress the NRLN’s sample letter recommending bills beneficial to retirees that should
be re-introduced or introduced and passed early during the 114th Congress. We
believe our sample letter will give the NRLN a jump start on advocating a significant part
of our 2015 Legislative Agenda.
Your Representative and/or Senator may not be a member of the 114th Congress due
to retirement or not being reelected. When that is the case, you can remove him or her
from the letter by unchecking the box by his or her name. Or, go ahead and send the
letter. Maybe your letter will turn up in the office of the new Representative or Senator.
Here are the steps to follow on this Action Alert:
1. Click here to access the NRLN’s sample letters. The NRLN Action Network
system will present the letters to be emailed to your U.S. Representative and
U.S. Senators. If you have a problem with this link, go to www.nrln.org and click
on the “Take Action Now!” near the top of the NRLN website home page.
2. When you have accessed the NRLN sample letters, to the left of the letters are
windows to type in your contact information required by members of Congress so
they know they are receiving an email from a constituent. If you have sent
previous NRLN emails to your members of Congress your contact information
may be automatically displayed.
3. Personalize the letters by editing in your own comments.
4. Click on the "Preview" button and the letters addressed to your Representative
and two Senators from you will appear. Review the letters to your members of
Congress and then click "Send".
Wise Words from Seniors
Every strike brings me closer to the next homerun………. Babe Ruth
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t
have any…………..Alice Walker
PO Box 7477 Buffalo Grove IL 60089-7477 Phone/FAX (312) 962-2770
http://aasbcr.org/
®
This communication is Private and Confidential. It is intended only for viewing by AASBCR
®
Members. Copying or forwarding of this communication is not authorized by AASBCR .