Update: February 27, 2025

 Legislative Hearing on LD 328, An Act Requiring the State to Pay a Retired State Employee’s or Retired Teacher’s Premium for Medicare Part B under Medicare Advantage.

A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at 10:00 am before the Committee on Labor on LD 328 which MAR asked Representative Dan Shagoury of Hallowell to sponsor. Many public service retirees were promised during their employment that when they retired and started receiving a pension from MainePERS, their health insurance would be paid at 100%. As many of you know, when you became Medicare eligible at age 65, you are now required to pay for Medicare Part B. The present monthly premium is $185.00 which continues to increase on an annual basis. MAR’s President, Bill Laubenstein, will be at the hearing to testify in support of LD 328.

However, MAR also needs your help to get LD 328 voted affirmatively out of the Committee on Labor. To show support for this LD, please contact legislators on the Committee on Labor to let them know the financial burden that paying $185.00 monthly or $2,220 annually has had on your retirement.  LD 328 reads as follows:

An Act Requiring the State to Pay a Retired State Employee’s or Retired Teacher’s Premium for Medicare Part B Under Medicare Advantage

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §285, sub-§7, ¶N is enacted to read:

1. N.  Beginning January 1, 2026, the State, through the commission, shall pay 100% of a retiree’s Medicare Part B premium under the Medicare Advantage plan identified and offered by the commission and available to the retiree as authorized by the commission if the retiree is not eligible for federally approved Medicaid services.

Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §13451, sub-§6 is enacted to read:

6. 6.  Payment by State for Medicare Part B under Medicare Advantage. Beginning January 1, 2026, the State shall pay 100% of a retired teacher’s Medicare Part B premium under the Medicare Advantage plan administered by the Maine Education Association benefits trust if the retired teacher is not eligible for federally approved Medicaid services.

SUMMARY

This bill requires the State to pay 100% of a retired state employee’s or retired teacher’s premium for Medicare Part B under the Medicare Advantage plan beginning January 1, 2026.

PLEASE NOTE: Following is the website address which will give you the legislators’ names and contact information: https://legislature.maine.gov/committee/#Committees/LAB

You may also testify in person at the Public Hearing or submit written testimony before March 5^th to https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/

Thank you for assisting MAR and fellow retirees with this matter.

 

Update: February 26, 2025

MAR enjoys being the bearer of “good news.”

Social Security updated their website yesterday to give people information on when they can expect to see their benefit increase because of passage of the Social Security Fairness Act which eliminated the WEP and GPO effective January 1, 2024. If you have additional questions, please contact your local Social Security Office.

Following is the excerpt from Social Security website at https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/social-security-fairness-act.html

NEW! When will a person see their Social Security benefit increase because of the Social Security Fairness Act?

Starting the week of February 24, 2025, SSA beginning to pay retroactive benefits and will increase monthly benefit payments to people whose benefits have been affected by the WEP and GPO.

 If a beneficiary is due retroactive benefits as a result of the Act, they will receive a one-time retroactive payment, deposited into the bank account SSA has on file by the end of March. This retroactive payment will cover the increase in their benefit amount back to January 2024, the month when WEP and GPO no longer apply.

 Social Security benefits are paid one month behind. Most affected beneficiaries will begin receiving their new monthly benefit amount in April 2025 (for their March 2025 benefit).

 Anyone whose monthly benefit is adjusted, or who will get a retroactive payment, will receive a mailed notice from Social Security explaining the benefit change or retroactive payment.

 NOTE: A beneficiary may receive two mailed notices, the first when WEP or GPO is removed from their record, and a second when their monthly benefit amount is adjusted for their new monthly payment amount. They may receive the retroactive payment before receiving the mailed notice.

 We have been able to expedite payments due to the use of automation. For the many complex cases that cannot be processed automatically, additional time is required to manually update the records and pay both retroactive benefits and the new benefits amount.

 We urge beneficiaries to wait until April to inquire about the status of their retroactive payment since these payments will process incrementally throughout March.

 Beneficiaries should also wait until after receiving their April payment before contacting SSA to ask about their monthly benefit amount because the new amount will not be reflected until April for their March payment

 

Update: January 7, 2025

Subject: Update on WEP and GPO.

The SSA is expected to publish more details on how it plans to implement the law soon. You can for updates at https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/social-security-fairness-act.html

If you have any questions regarding the WEP provision, please direct them to one of the following phone numbers listed below.

Auburn	1-833-388-6432	Rockland	1-855-269-9179
Augusta	1-866-882-5422	Saco	1-877-253-4715
Bangor	1-877-405-1448	Waterville	1-866-931-9169
Portland	1-877-319-3076	Portsmouth, NH	1-888-397-9796
Presque Isle	1-866-837-2719	Social Security General Office Information	1-800-772-1213

Update: January 2nd,2025

The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO)

Good News for public service retirees!  The U.S. Senate passed a bill that was co-authored by Senator Susan Collins and co-sponsored by Senator Angus King to repeal the WEP and GPO.  The House of Representatives had already passed weeks earlier with bi-partisan support the Social Security Fairness Act.  The bill is now on President Biden’s desk for his signature on Monday, January 6, 2025.

The Maine Association of Retirees (MAR) along with many other retiree organizations have been advocating to either eliminate the WEP and GPO, or at least change the calculation formula for public service retirees who also receive a pension from Social Security.

This means that for millions of retired people who receive pensions from work in federal, state, local government and public service jobs like teachers, firefighters and police officers the repeal eliminates the decades old reductions to Social Security benefits.  Retirees who currently have reductions in their Social Security benefits due to the WEP and/or GPO will see a boost in their monthly payments.

NOTE:  Specifics relative to when recipients would see an increase in their monthly Social Security payments if President Biden signs the bill are not available at this time.  Quote, “The Social Security Administration is awaiting final enactment of the Social Security Fairness Act into law and rules for implementation. We will provide more information on our website, ssa.gov as it becomes available.”

Please thank Maine’s Congressional Delegation for their tireless support/work to eliminate the WEP and GPO.

Senator Susan Collins                             Senator Angus King
413 Dirksen Senate Office Building               133 Hart Building
Washington, DC 20510                                    Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-2523                                                 (202) 224-5344

Representative Chellie Pingree        Representative Jared Golden
2354 Rayburn House Office Building        1107 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515                                 Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-6116                                               (202) 225-6306

 

DISCOUNTED MARINER TICKETS FOR MAR MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILY!

MAR has worked with the Maine Mariners Hockey team administration to obtain discount tickets for MAR members and their families. If you go to the links below you will see a flyer, and the other link is where you can get tickets. Follow the instructions and if for some reason you have difficulty with purchasing the tickets let MAR know.

https://maineretirees.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Discounted-Tickets-Flyer-re-sized-90-11.249-x-7-in-2-003.png

fevo-enterprise.com/group/MARSeasonLongMarinersTicketLink

 

MAINE STATE RETIREMENT

MainePERS is seeking your assistance to ensure your contact information is up to date.  Have you moved since retiring? Has your email or cell phone number changed?  Did you give up your land line? Having accurate information assists us in the verification process when you contact MainePERS and helps maintain the security of your account.  It also ensures you receive critical information in a timely manner.

The quickest way to update your contact information is through the MainePERS Member Portal. If you have already registered, please login and double check your information. Need to register? Instructions are available at www.mainepers.org/memberportal.

Prefer to submit your information via mail? Complete the Member/Benefit Recipient Data Update form available at www.mainepers.org/forms-resources/forms/.  A quick link to this form is available on that webpage. Just complete and mail back to MainePERS at P.O. Box 349, Augusta, ME 04332-0349.

 

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE       

MAR’s spring newsletter highlighted bills pending in the Legislature which would have affected public service retirees. Ultimately, none of those bills nor others of substantial interest specifically to public service retirees were enacted. However, significant changes regarding the eligibility criteria to participate in the Medicare Savings Program (MSP) was left intact. This means that many more retirees may qualify under this Program to have their Medicare Part B premium paid. The article about the MSP provides additional information.

MAR’s attention now shifts to the 132^nd Maine Legislature which will convene in January 2025. We will be discussing future legislative priorities and strategy. MAR will undoubtedly need to continue to educate legislators, especially new electees, on public service retirees’ issues. You can help by letting candidates for the Maine House and Senate who are campaigning throughout the State know your views regarding needed law changes for retirement benefits.  Usually, candidates running for public office want to know about concerns that are important to you. For example, many legislators do not know that numerous public service retirees are not eligible for Social Security but are still required to pay for Medicare Part B in order to continue with their group health insurance plan.    Others have limited knowledge about the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS) and the constraints placed on retiree benefits.

MAR’s Legislative Committee Chair will be at the Regional and Informational Meetings.  Please plan on attending one of these meetings for a more comprehensive discussion. Meeting dates/times are listed on page 1 of this newsletter. You may also contact the MAR office or your Regional Director with issues/concerns.

If you would like to show support for any of the LD’s, please contact your legislator.  Following is the link to testify in person at the hearing or submit written testimony:

https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/

If you would like to know what MAR has been doing with regard to Legislation that would affect Public Service retirees. Following is the link:

https://maineretirees.org/legislation-policy/

For further information contact Diane Bailey, Executive Director, Maine Association of Retirees, 157 Capitol Street, Suite #4, Augusta, ME 04330

Good news!  Additional changes took effect July 1^st for the Medicare Savings Program (MSP) due to State legislative approved amendments. The MSP helps to cover Medicare costs including paying for Part B premiums. Maine’s income criteria to determine eligibility has increased significantly.

MSP has two separate tiers which provide different levels of assistance.

• • • Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB)
    • Qualifying Individual (QI)

The new monthly income limits are:

	Single	Couple
QMB	$2,322	$3,138
QI	$3,152	$4,259

 

As you know, the present cost for Part B is $174.90 monthly or $2,098 annual and it is likely this amount will increase January 1, 2025.  If you qualify for either QMB or QI, then the Medicare Savings Program will pay for your Social Security Medicare Part B premiums.

Other changes include:

• • • As of January 1, 2024, assets are no longer counted towards determining if you are eligible for the MSP. Examples include savings accounts, additional property other than your home, stocks/bonds, etc.
    • There is no estate recovery associated with MSP. No claim will be made toward your estate if the only benefit you receive is the MSP.

NOTE: Married couples with income greater than the amounts listed above may still be eligible due to some disregards. Applications are now being accepted.

To obtain an application go to: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ofi/applications-forms and click on MaineCare applications or you may create an account at www.mymaineconnection.gov   You may also call 1-855-797-4357 or visit a local Office for Family Independence.  Office locations can be found at: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/about/contact/offices

If you have questions or need assistance completing the application, you may contact Consumers for Affordable Health Care, Maine’s Consumer Assistance Program at 1-800-965-7476. You may also call the MaineHealth Access to Care Coverage Team at 1-833-284-8816 or 207-662-7930.

JOIN SOLAR

Join Solar is a leader in community solar development in
Maine and we are proud to partner with the
Maine Association of Retirees.  Our membership is open to all renters and home owners who are serviced by CMP & Versant – offering these benefits:

• Free and simple to join
• Save money on your energy bill
• Support clean, local energy
• Offsite solar array, nothing on your roof

Community solar offers local residents an opportunity to
participate in clean energy production – with guaranteed savings
and no risk involved. Your community solar membership
supports the environment while lowering your utility bills.
If you would like to speak with a Join Solar representative, please contact Michael
Borrell at (651)-364-7185 or michel.borrell@joinsolar.org

Or JoinSolar Here

*Use referral code ‘MAOR-0250’ upon registration and Join Solar will donate $50 to the Maine Association of Retirees*

EDUCATION-MAINE SENIOR COLLEGE

The Senior College Network offers face-to-face and online Zoom classes at seventeen locations across the state.  Starting July 1, 2024, MAR has increased annual registration reimbursement from $15 to $25. To obtain reimbursement, please provide MAR with a copy of your receipt.  To find out more about the many exciting, fun and thought-provoking classes offered, visit maineseniorcollege.org or call 207-780-4128.