Labor and the United Way
“The Labor movement and the United Way have a lot in common – we have a rich history and heritage of caring about human needs, justice, fairness and opportunity. We succeed together when we put our community first.”
Brain A. Gallagher, President and CEO United Way of America
Contributions from employees in workplace related campaigns account for approximately two-thirds of the funds that United Ways raise each year.
UAW Local 3303 membership is encouraged to volunteer their time and contribute their resources to United Way campaigns. If you don’t already contribute through payroll deduction, please contact the Union office at (724) 284-2949
10 Things You Should Know About Social Security
Social Security provides benefits to 52.5 million Americans. Nearly 14 percent of people 65 and older rely on Social Security for 100 percent of their family income. About 50 percent of the people in this age group count on benefits for 50 percent of their income. The important role played by Social Security is simple to understand, but the program itself can be complicated. If you’re approaching retirement, or even if you’re already there, here are 10 things you need to know about Social Security.
Is Social Security just for retired workers? No. In December 2009,15 percent of Social Security beneficiaries were disabled workers; 8 percent were children; 8 percent were widows, widowers and parents; and 5 percent were spouses. The remaining 64 percent of beneficiaries were retired workers.
At what age can I start collecting Social Security benefits? Workers can begin receiving benefits at age 62, but your benefit will be greater if you wait until your full retirement age (currently 66) or later. Widows, widowers, surviving children, the disabled and children of the disabled can start collecting earlier. Full retirement ages are based on the year of your birth.
How do I sign up for Social Security benefits? Apply for Social Security benefits online, at your local office or by phone at 800-772-1213. To collect your full retirement benefits, apply to the Social Security Administration (SSA) three months before you wish to receive your first payment.
How long do I need to work to become eligible for benefits? If you were born in 1929 or later, you need to work at least 10 years to become eligible for Social Security. The SSA determines eligibility with a system of credits. Basically, you earn up to four credits for every year worked, and you need a total of 40 credits to qualify for Social Security.
Must I stop working to collect Social Security benefits? No, you can receive benefits while working. But, if you are younger than the full retirement age (currently 66) and earn more than a certain amount, your monthly benefits will be temporarily reduced. Once you reach full retirement age, however, your benefits will be increased to make up for what was lost.
If you’re turning 66 in 2010, the amount you can earn without a reduction in benefits is $37,680. If you’re younger than 66 for all of 2010, the amount you can earn without a reduction in benefits is $14,160. After you reach your full retirement age, you keep all of your benefits no matter how much you earn.
What’s the maximum monthly Social Security benefit? For a worker retiring in 2010 at the full retirement age of 66, the highest monthly amount is $2,346. In December 2009, the average monthly Social Security benefit for a retired worker was about $1,168.
Can I receive Social Security benefits based on the earnings of a former spouse? Yes, as long as you were married for 10 years and you aren’t remarried. If so, you’re eligible to claim Social Security benefits under your ex-spouse’s earnings if they turn out to be higher than your own.
How can I boost the amount of my Social Security check? Bottom line: The longer you wait to start collecting after you become eligible at 62, the higher the amount you’ll receive. For each year you delay, your Social Security benefits will increase between 7 percent and 8 percent annually up to age 70.
How should I receive my Social Security payments? Your best bet is to sign up for direct deposit into your bank account. Paper checks can get lost in the mail. The SSA plans to do away with paper checks altogether by 2013 in favor of direct deposit and debit cards.
When someone dies, how does the Social Security Administration know? The SSA receives reports of beneficiary deaths from family members, funeral homes and other government agencies. You should inform the SSA within a month of someone’s passing.
Copyright 1995-2010, AARP. All rights reserved.
Retiree Meeting
UAW Local 3303 Retiree Chapter will meet on Tuesday, February 28,2012 at 12 noon at American Legion, Lyndora, PA.
Lunch provided by UAW Local 3303.
Please call the Union office for more information (724) 284-2248.
Some Familiar Faces….
Armco retiree enjoys the Butler Fall Festival 2010
Dave Todd autographs his latest book
Armco retirees golf in the Tailgate Charity Open 2010
Union Veterans Council
The AFL-CIO launched its first-ever Union Veterans Council in July 2008 to bring together union veterans on the issues that matter most to veterans, their families and working men and women.
The purpose of the Union Veterans Council is to bring together union leaders and union members who are veterans to speak out on veterans’ issues and influence public policy to improve the quality of life for U.S. veterans and their families. The two primary areas of focus for veterans are access to good jobs and access to quality health care.
The Union Veterans Council will hold government officials, candidates and elected officials accountable to the needs of military veterans and their families. The UVC will make our positions on veterans’ issues known to candidates for public office and support the appointment of labor-friendly veterans to government agencies at all levels. The UVC will also encourage union veterans to take leadership roles in other veterans’ organizations and will strive to form coalitions and alliances with other veteran groups around union veterans’ issues.
Health care reform: A timeline
The new health care reform law that President Obama signed is complex and will take time to become fully implemented. There are specific changes for seniors.
Here’s a timeline by Congressional Quarterly for when certain segments of the law are to take place:
Big Changes Taking Effect in 2010
• By the end of June, a temporary national high-risk pool will provide coverage to adults with pre-existing conditions.
• Also by the end of June, a temporary reinsurance program will assist employers in providing coverage to retirees over age 55 who aren’t eligible for Medicare.
• By the end of September, covered dependents must be allowed to stay on health policies until age 26.
INSURANCE REGULATION
• By the end of September, health plans will be barred from placing lifetime limits on coverage; from rescinding coverage, except in cases of fraud; and from excluding coverage for children who have pre-existing conditions.
• Health plans must begin reporting annually how much premium income goes for clinical services, quality improvements and non-claim costs.
MEDICARE
• New physician-owned hospitals are barred from participating in Medicare
• Medicare coverage is expanded to individuals who have developed certain health conditions as a result of exposure to environmental health hazards.
MEDICAID
• Creation of the Federal Coordinated Health Care Office within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is intended to improve care coordination for seniors eligible for both programs.
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
• Medicare beneficiaries who reach the Part D prescription drug coverage gap in 2010 will be given a $250 rebate, and the “donut hole” will be closed gradually over the next decade.
• The Food and Drug Administration is authorized to approve generic versions of biologic drugs.
• The rebate percentage for drugs provided under Medicaid will be increased.
HEALTH CARE QUALITY
• By the end of September, a nonprofit Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute is to be created, managed by a board whose members are mostly appointed by the Comptroller General. The institute is to conduct research into the comparative effectiveness of medical treatments, and it will be financed by fees on health insurance policies.
MEDICAL WORKFORCE
• The secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) is authorized to make grants to create or expand primary care residency programs.
• The secretary is authorized to award grants to provide scholarships for mid-career health care professional training.
• By the end of September the Comptroller General is to appoint a commission to advise Congress on future health care workforce needs.
TAXES
• Nonprofit hospitals are subject to a tax of $50,000 per year if they fail to meet certain requirements.
• Health insurance companies are permitted to deduct up to $500,000 per employee per year for compensation.
• An excise tax of 10 percent is imposed on the price of indoor tanning services.
Big Changes Taking Effect in 2011
MEDICARE
• By Jan. 1, 2011, the HHS secretary is to create a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test both payment and health care delivery techniques.
• Medicare Part B physician premiums and Part D drug premiums will increase for some people, based on incomes.
• Annual increases in hospital payments will begin to be limited to account for productivity gains.
MEDICAID
• Payments to states under Medicaid will be prohibited for so-called health care-acquired conditions related to treatment.
• A new state plan for treating low-income patients with more than one chronic condition would increase federal payments to states in cases where care is coordinated through so-called health homes.
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
• Pharmaceutical makers are to give a 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs purchased through Medicare Part D.
• Federal subsidies would phase in for generic drugs purchased through Medicare Part D while a patient is caught in the “donut hole” coverage gap.
HEALTH CARE QUALITY
• By Jan. 1, 2011, the HHS secretary is to submit to Congress a plan to establish a national strategy for improving health care delivery, patient outcomes and overall population health.
• The HHS secretary is authorized to make grants to community-based networks of hospitals and health centers to improve coordination of services to low-income people.
WELLNESS
• The president is to establish a National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council, chaired by the surgeon general, to promote general improvements to the nation’s health.
• By the end of March 2011, the HHS secretary is to issue regulations requiring chain restaurants and vending machines to report the nutritional value of what they sell.
• In an effort to improve preventive medicine, Medicare is to begin paying only for proven preventive services and to increase payments for certain preventive medical treatments.
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
• Beginning in fiscal 2011, the HHS secretary is authorized to spend $50 million over five years on grants to states intended to design alternative methods of resolving medical malpractice claims, and to encourage more detailed and complete reporting of medical errors.
TAXES
• Over-the-counter drugs that aren’t prescribed by a physician may no longer be purchased using tax-advantaged set-asides such as Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts or Archer Medical Savings Accounts.
• By Sept. 30, 2011, the secretary of the Treasury is to impose an annual fee on pharmaceutical manufacturers based on annual sales of brand-name drugs.
Big Changes Taking Effect in 2012
INSURANCE EXCHANGES
• By July 1, The HHS secretary will set regulations for initial open enrollment in state-managed exchanges where people who have no employer-provided health insurance can purchase coverage.
MEDICARE
• On Oct. 1, hospitals that meet certain performance standards are to become eligible for value-based incentive payments allotted by fiscal year.
• The HHS secretary is to adjust the Medicare physician fee schedule to reflect variety in operating expenses for medical practices in different geographic areas.
• Providers that qualify as accountable care organizations are to share in cost savings they achieve for Medicare.
• The HHS secretary is to establish a demonstration program to test payment incentives for home-based primary care.
• Medicare payments to hospitals are to be reduced to account for preventable hospital readmissions.
• High-quality Medicare Advantage plans are to begin receiving bonus payments.
MEDICAID
• The HHS secretary must issue a core set of health quality measures for Medicaid-eligible adults.
• The HHS secretary is to establish a demonstration project to evaluate bundled payments for Medicaid beneficiaries who have episodes that include hospitalization.
HEALTH CARE QUALITY
• No later than two years after enactment, federal agencies managing health programs and conducting surveys will have to start collecting statistics by demographic characteristics such as race, ethnicity, sex, language and disability status by narrow geographic areas to determine quality of and access to health care.
LONG-TERM CARE
• By Oct. 1, 2012, The HHS secretary is supposed to designate a long-term care plan to which individuals can subscribe to meet their long-term care needs under the new Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program.
Big Changes Taking Effect in 2013
INSURANCE REGULATION
• By July 1, 2013, the HHS secretary is to award $6 billion in loans and grants to foster establishment of nonprofit, member-run health insurance companies.
• By July 1, 2013, the HHS secretary is to issue regulations, in consultation with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, on compacts between states allowing insurance plans to cross state lines.
MEDICARE
• The HHS secretary is to establish a Medicare pilot program to evaluate bundled payments for episodes of care.
MEDICAID
• As of Oct. 1, 2013, federal payments to so-called Disproportionate Share Hospitals, which treat large numbers of indigent patients, are to be reduced and subsequently allowed to rise based on the percentage of the population that is uninsured in each state.
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
• Federal subsidies are to begin for brand-name drugs purchased through Medicare Part D while a patient is caught in the “doughnut hole” coverage gap.
HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
• Hospitals must have a process in place for physicians to disclose any financial interest in the hospital to patients.
TAXES
• An excise tax of 2.3 percent is to be levied on manufacturers and importers of certain medical devices.
• Taxpayers with earned incomes in excess of $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples will pay higher Medicare hospital insurance taxes on their income, including non-wage earnings.
• Flexible spending accounts are to be capped at $2,500, indexed annually to a cost-of-living adjustment.
• The tax deduction for employers who receive Medicare Part D subsidy payments will be eliminated.
• Taxpayers who itemize deductions will be limited to reducing their taxable incomes by the amount they spend on medical care in excess of 10 percent of income, up from 7.5 percent.
Big Changes Taking Effect in 2014
INSURANCE EXCHANGES
• By Jan. 1, 2014, all states must have established a state health insurance exchange to aid in the purchase of health insurance for individuals and small businesses.
• The Office of Personnel Management is to ensure that each exchange offers at least two multi-state qualified health care plans.
• The HHS secretary is to ensure that each state exchange offers at least one plan that doesn’t provide coverage for abortion services.
• All new policies are required to conform with essential benefits standards determined by the HHS secretary.
EXPANDED COVERAGE
• States may create a basic, low-cost health plan sold outside the exchanges that provides essential benefits for individuals who cannot qualify for Medicaid, but have incomes lower than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, and who would otherwise be eligible to receive premium subsidies through an exchange.
INDIVIDUAL MANDATE
• Individuals are required to have qualifying health insurance or face a tax penalty.
• Those with incomes between 133 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level are to begin receiving premium credits and cost-sharing subsidies to purchase insurance through the exchanges.
EMPLOYER MANDATE
• Employers with 50 or more workers are subject to fees if they don’t offer health coverage or if any employee receives subsidized coverage through an exchange.
• Employers with more than 200 workers who provide health insurance are required to enroll their employees automatically in a health plan, giving them the opportunity to opt out.
INSURANCE REGULATION
• Insurance companies are prohibited from setting premiums that discriminate based on factors other than age, geography, family composition and tobacco use.
• Annual deductibles for health plans in the small-group market are to be capped at $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for families.
• Health plans are to reduce out-of-pocket limits by specified amounts for individuals and families with incomes of up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level.
MEDICARE
• Beginning on Jan. 15, 2014, a new Independent Payment Advisory Board appointed by the president may begin submitting advisory reports to Congress regarding Medicare spending.
MEDICAID
• Medicaid will be expanded to cover all individuals under age 65 with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level.
WELLNESS
• Employers may offer rewards of up to 30 percent of the cost of a health insurance plan to employees who participate in a wellness program and meet certain health-related standards.
TAXES
• An annual fee is to be imposed on health insurance providers (totalling $8 billion in 2014 and growing to $14.3 billion in 2018, and indexed to medical cost growth in following years).
Big Changes Taking Effect in 2015 and later
INSURANCE REGULATION
• Beginning Jan. 1, 2016, health care compacts that enable insurance plans to be sold across state lines are allowed to take effect.
MEDICARE
• On Jan. 1, 2015, CMS will begin using the Medicare fee schedule to give larger payments to physicians who provide high-quality care compared with cost.
CHILDREN
• Beginning Oct. 1, 2015, a state may shift children eligible for care under the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to health care plans sold on its exchange, as long as HHS approves.
• States must maintain current CHIP eligibility rules through Sept. 30, 2019.
TAXES
• Beginning Jan. 1, 2018, an excise tax equal to 40 percent of the excess benefit is to be imposed on high-cost health insurance plans.
Source: Congressional Quarterly Staff
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