Saturday, May 10, 2008

2008 STRS Board election results (hey, no surprise here!)

From STRS, May 10, 2008
Subject: [News] Retirement Board Election Results
On Saturday, May 10, 2008, the results of the State Teachers Retirement Board election were certified by tellers designated by each candidate and a representative of the Secretary of State. The result of the election for the contributing member seat on the Retirement Board is as follows:
Tim Myers, 26,760 votes
Dan J. Vincent, 5,741 votes
Write-Ins, 93 votes
The term of office for Tim Myers begins on Sept. 1, 2008, and ends on Aug. 31, 2012.

Friday, May 09, 2008

RH Jones re: time for ad hoc increase for retired educators?

From RH Jones, May 8, 2008
Subject: Re: PA - House committee votes unanimously to send pension enhancement bill to floor for vote
To all:
Isn't it also time the State of Ohio gave an ad hoc increase to retired educators? Many retired teachers have been retired for years and have not seen an ad hoc raise from the legislature. They are trying to keep their homes and to put food on the table at a time when energy prices are causing sky rocketing prices of nearly everything. The simple 3% COLA that the STRS provides hardly buys a couple tanks of gasoline.
From John Curry, May 6, 2008
Subject: PA - House committee votes unanimously to send pension enhancement bill to floor for vote
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
(AP)
State pension hikes could cost taxpayers $10 billion
HARRISBURG -- A multibillion-dollar bill to increase pension benefits for some 250,000 retired state workers and teachers advanced out of a Pennsylvania House committee on Tuesday.
The State Government Committee voted unanimously to send to the floor a bill that would provide increases ranging from about 2.7 percent for the most recently retired to 25 percent for those who retired before July 1990.
The estimated cost is $10.4 billion over 20 years, but an actuarial analysis should produce a more precise figure.
To be eligible, workers must have retired before July 2, 2007, and be receiving benefits by July 1 of this year. Retired lawmakers are among those who would receive increases.
Election-year pressure on the Legislature is mounting from retirees, fueled by reports that the two large public-sector retirement plans have reaped eye-popping investment returns in recent years.
"What's a better economic stimulus package than to give your former state employees a cost-of-living increase, which they're going to spend right here in Pennsylvania?" said Nelson McCormick, president of the 18,000-member Pennsylvania Association of Retired State Employees.
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association opposes the bill and warned of its cost.
"The question really isn't whether or not it's affordable," said Tim Allwein, the association's assistant executive director. "The question is whether or not it's going to raise taxes, and it certainly has the likelihood of doing that."
Rep. Matt Baker, R-Tioga, a key backer of the measure, said he and many other legislators have been hearing from retirees about their need for financial relief.
The last cost-of-living increase was in 2002, one year after passage of the so-called "pension grab" bill that boosted benefits by 25 percent for most workers and by 50 percent for most state lawmakers.
"The cost of living over six years has gone up tremendously for a lot of these retirees living on fixed incomes," Baker said.
The Public School Employees' Retirement System would need an estimated $348 million a year for 20 years under the bill, according to a preliminary analysis Baker provided. The cost would be funded by a state government subsidy and by local school taxes.
The higher pensions would cost the State Employees' Retirement System an estimated $174 million annually for 20 years. Last year, the average pension in the state employees' system for people who retired at normal age was about $21,000.
Both the Democratic governor and Republicans who control the Senate expressed caution about the idea.
A spokesman said Gov. Ed Rendell will not endorse the legislation unless its supporters convince him they can raise the billions of dollars it requires.
Senate Republican leaders have not reviewed the bill's details yet, but feel that concern about the pension funds' financial health warrants a careful approach, a spokesman said.
House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, D-Greene, was an early supporter of such a pension boost, a spokesman said.
"The most important thing to keep in mind is that today's committee action ... is the first step in the process, and there will be ample time for additional public input on the proposal," said DeWeese spokesman Tom Andrews.
The plan the committee endorsed yesterday was patterned after a bill introduced two weeks ago by Rep. Steve Nickol, R-York, a leading authority in the House on pensions and a member of the teacher pension board.
Six years is the longest time period between passage of cost-of-living bills since the state retirement laws went into effect in the early 1970s, Nickol said.
Nickol called the bill "an opening gambit, so to speak." He described the proposal as generous and much larger than anything the General Assembly is likely to approve.
Despite a tepid stock market, Pennsylvania's teachers' pension fund earned 13.8 percent last year, while the state workers' pension fund's return was 17.2 percent.

RH Jones re: Marc Dann

From RH Jones, May 6, 2008
Subject: Attorneys may think twice at future runs for OH Attorney General?
To all:
If Attorney General Marc Dann is removed from office, will Ohio’s best attorneys be willing to run for that office? No one, especially lawyers, are without fault. They will “shy away” from the job in droves.
Marc Dann could have “stepped on some mighty BIG toes” in his relentless pursuit of corruption in the last administration and of their business partners. This has put him at risk of being “set-up” for a failure.
Yes, he is guilty of some mismanagement of his office. However, he has earned, with his skills at doing his duty as attorney general, a chance to repair the management of his office and his reputation. After all, he did fulfill the mandate of the majority of Ohio voters. He has done a remarkably fine job in his efforts to protect the people. I am quite confident he will continue to do so.
No, he has not done a misdemeanor and is not guilty of not doing the job he was elected to do. Therefore, he should NOT be wrongfully impeached, or removed from office in any way! He has earned the need to be allowed to continue in office. To suggest otherwise is to give in to “power brokers”. He is the people’s choice, and he is my choice, and should be allowed to continue to lead the state to a new level of openness and service to those who elected him. I am grateful to him for what he has done for Ohio.
The opinion of one Ohioan,
Robert Hudson Jones

Special STRS Board meeting May 8, 9 at Columbus Athletic Club

From STRS (http://www.strsoh.org/)
May 2, 2008
PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE
The State Teachers Retirement Board will convene a special meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 8, and resume at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, May 9, 2008, for the purpose of discussing appointment, employment, compensation or other terms and conditions of employment of a public employee or official, and to handle any other general matters that may arise. This special meeting will be held at the Athletic Club of Columbus, 136 East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Those British really think THEY are having problems with expensive Rx! Oh, really!

From John Curry, May 8, 2008
Subject: Those British really think THEY are having problems with expensive Rx! Oh, really!

The article below was taken from a British website and relates to the perceived problem(?) they think they have with the high prices of prescription drugs!!!!!
We (U.S. Citizens) should be so lucky!
Before we get to the actual pricing you have to remember that in England...some folks don't have to pay "anything" for their Rx when they walk into the drugstore thanks to this governmental program of Rx bidding, purchase, and distribution. So, who doesn't have to pay for Rx in England? Well, here's a list of those persons who are exempt. Note, I will put in U.S. currency equivalents where they use the English unit of money. By the way, a 30, 60, or 90 day Rx (penicillin or cancer drugs and Rx in between) is still the same price or..... $13.40 !!!!
March 2007
The following categories of people are entitled to exemption from NHS prescription charges:
  • Men and women aged 60 and over;
  • Children under 16;
  • Young people in full-time education aged 16, 17 and 18;
  • Pregnant women and women who have had a child in the previous 12 months who hold a valid exemption certificate;
  • People who hold a valid exemption certificate for a War disablement pension but only in respect of medication for the disablement;
  • People suffering from the following conditions who hold a valid exemption certificate:
    forms of hypoadrenalism (including Addison's disease) for which specific substitution therapy is essential;
    diabetes insipidus or other forms of hypopituitarism;
    diabetes mellitus (except where treatment is by diet alone);
    hypoparathyroidism;
    myasthenia gravis;
    myxoedema;
    epilepsy requiring continuous anti-convulsive therapy;
    continuing physical disability which prevents the patient from leaving his residence without the help of another person.
  • A person or partner receiving Income support; Pension Credit guarantee credit; or Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
  • Tax credit where income is £15,050 [$29,443 U.S.] per year or less and meeting qualifying conditions
March 2007

(This briefing paper applies to England)

The prescription charge system is outdated and the BMA has long called on the Government to initiate a fundamental review of the whole system of prescription charges and exemption categories. In 2006 the Government announced a review of prescription charges which will report by July 2007.

There are many unacceptable inequities and anomalies in the present system. Although around four out of five prescriptions are exempt (see below for list of exempt categories), the price of a prescription (£6.85
[$13.40 U.S. dollars] from 1 April 2007) often hits those who cannot afford such charges. There are many people with chronic conditions who are not exempt and those on low incomes find it very difficult to pay. This causes a disproportionate levy on a limited section of the population.

With each rise in prescription charges, the BMA's concern is that more and more patients will be dissuaded from visiting the doctor when they are ill. All GPs have anecdotal evidence of patients asking which of two or more items on a prescription form are the most important as they cannot afford to pay for more than one at a time.

The BMA does not wish to see the specific clinical categories increased but there are many other groups of patients who require lifelong treatment, such as those with cystic fibrosis and Parkinson’s Disease, who are more disadvantaged than some of those presently exempt.

The anomalous position of the exemption applying to all prescribed items for patients in the "chronic sick" list continues to pose problems for doctors with other more deserving patients who have to pay charges for the same drugs. For example, the system allows a diabetic with chronic bronchitis to be exempt from all charges whilst a chronic bronchitic with heart failure must pay for all prescriptions.

The level of charge is now such that often it exceeds the actual cost of the drug. It is unreasonable for a patient to be prevented from purchasing that medicine privately from the pharmacist or dispensing doctor if the cost is less than the charge which would otherwise be levied.

The BMA's General Practitioners Committee supports prescription-exempt patients obtaining all over the counter medicines free of charge.

Other issues which need to be addressed:
  • Women are exempt for the duration of pregnancy and for a year afterwards. This latter period is no longer necessary as women's health is rarely hazarded as a result of pregnancy today.
  • Many patients in the age exempt categories are well able to pay which would spread the overall burden more fairly.
  • Certain drugs have to be given in association with another drug. If the two substances can be combined in one tablet, only one charge is made. However, if the chemical nature of the substances is such that this is impossible or the dose combinations vary, the patient has to pay two or more charges for a combination pack. This particularly occurs with hormone treatment and starter packs for hypertension.
  • Current exemption certificates have to be renewed every three years even for conditions which are permanent. This seems to be unnecessary paperwork.
Exemption categories
The following categories of people are entitled to exemption from NHS prescription charges:
  • Men and women aged 60 and over;
  • Children under 16;
  • Young people in full-time education aged 16, 17 and 18;
  • Pregnant women and women who have had a child in the previous 12 months who hold a valid exemption certificate;
  • People who hold a valid exemption certificate for a War disablement pension but only in respect of medication for the disablement;
  • People suffering from the following conditions who hold a valid exemption certificate:
    forms of hypoadrenalism (including Addison's disease) for which specific substitution therapy is essential;
    diabetes insipidus or other forms of hypopituitarism;
    diabetes mellitus (except where treatment is by diet alone);
    hypoparathyroidism;
    myasthenia gravis;
    myxoedema;
    epilepsy requiring continuous anti-convulsive therapy;
    continuing physical disability which prevents the patient from leaving his residence without the help of another person.
  • A person or partner receiving Income support; Pension Credit guarantee credit; or Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
  • Tax credit where income is £15,050 [$29,443] per year or less and meeting qualifying conditions
Boy, we Yanks really have the edge over the Brits, don't we? However, I do believe the U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturers love us more, don't they?
John

West Virginia educators dropping 401K, returning to defined benefit state pension

From John Curry, May 8, 2008
Subject: WV educators want to drop their 401K and go back to a defined benefit state pension!
"Tons of transfer forms are coming in today," Anne Lambright, executive director of the state Consolidated Public Retirement Board, said Wednesday. "We are just being swamped. We are overwhelmed, and so are our accountants."
Response picks up in teacher pension switch
State officials say they've received many notices in the past day from teachers and school personnel who want to switch from a 401(k)-style investment plan to the Teachers Retirement System.
"Tons of transfer forms are coming in today," Anne Lambright, executive director of the state Consolidated Public Retirement Board, said Wednesday. "We are just being swamped. We are overwhelmed, and so are our accountants."
That comes as good news to backers of a plan to give the nearly 19,000 participants in the Teachers' Defined Contribution plan the opportunity to switch to TRS pensions - but only if at least 65 percent, or 12,343 people, elect to transfer.
Just last week, executives with the West Virginia Federation of Teachers and the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association sent a letter to Gov. Joe Manchin asking for an extension of the May 12 deadline to submit the transfer forms. They feared the transfer election was in serious trouble.
At that point, only about 1,500 transfer forms had been received by the retirement board, an 8 percent participation rate.
"There's been a lot of activity in the last couple days, as best I can tell, in the schools," said Bob Brown, executive secretary with the WVSSPA. "At this point, it appears we're in position to make the 65 percent threshold."
Likewise, David Haney, executive director of the West Virginia Education Association, said he's aware of a flurry of activity in the past couple of days.
"I'm pretty optimistic about it," he said Wednesday. "I believe we'll get to 65 percent, and I think there's a real chance to get past 75 percent."
The 75 percent threshold is important for TDC participants who wish to buy in for a full pension under TRS. Once the 75 percent margin is passed, the formula for the buy-in drops considerably, dropping the cost from tens of thousands of dollars to thousands of dollars in many cases.
Participants who switch to TRS but do not take the buy-in option will be eligible for a pension equal to 75 percent of the normal TRS rate.
"I think participation has picked up substantially, based on the schools we've been going to and our staff has been going to," said Judy Hale, president of the West Virginia Federation of Teachers.
"This is their opportunity to retire with dignity," Hale said of the TDC participants, the vast majority of whom have critically underfunded retirement accounts.
"I certainly hope we can reach the threshold," she said.
One reason for optimism is it appears that many principals and department supervisors have collected transfer forms from their employees since early April, but waited until this week to mail them to Charleston, Lambright said.
"We've had some schools that collected 100 percent, and they all came in at one time," she said. "The individual forms are mixed in terms of dates."
Other than setting a May 13 deadline for principals and supervisors to mail the collected transfer forms to Charleston, the TDC/TRS legislation did not require principals to periodically submit forms.
"I think human behavior is to wait until the end," Lambright said.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

RH Jones re: Impeaching Marc Dann

From RH Jones, May 6, 2008
Subject: Attorneys may think twice at future runs for OH Attorney General?
To all:
If Attorney General Marc Dann is removed from office, will Ohio’s best attorneys be willing to run for that office? No one, especially lawyers, are without fault. They will “shy away” from the job in droves.
Marc Dann could have “stepped on some mighty BIG toes” in his relentless pursuit of corruption in the last administration and of their business partners. This has put him at risk of being “set-up” for a failure.
Yes, he is guilty of some mismanagement of his office. However, he has earned, with his skills at doing his duty as attorney general, a chance to repair the management of his office and his reputation. After all, he did fulfill the mandate of the majority of Ohio voters. He has done a remarkably fine job in his efforts to protect the people. I am quite confident he will continue to do so.
No, he has not done a misdemeanor and is not guilty of not doing the job he was elected to do. Therefore, he should NOT be wrongfully impeached, or removed from office in any way! He has earned the need to be allowed to continue in office. To suggest otherwise is to give in to “power brokers”. He is the people’s choice, and he is my choice, and should be allowed to continue to lead the state to a new level of openness and service to those who elected him. I am grateful to him for what he has done for Ohio.
The opinion of one Ohioan,
Robert Hudson Jones

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

...a little more on Wal-Mart's $10 Rx for 90 days...K Mart joins in the fracas but only slightly?

From John Curry, May 6, 2008
CORE's June Hughes brings up some good points. Click here for the Target's Rx $4 list. [June writes that Target is matching Wal-Mart's prices. KBB]

A little egg for ORTA??

Dave Parshall to John Curry, May 6, 2008
Hi John, The egg has hatched. My stimulus check was deposited today. I am a typical CORE member who makes less than upper dollar limit to receive a check and filed and paid taxes in 2007. The only members who will not qualify have single incomes of 80 thousand or combined incomes of greater than 125,000 dollars. I am not sure about the upper limit. It may be $150,000. Anyway I doubt that it applies to many of our members except some administrators. This is what I informed our membership of months ago. So CORE was right and ORTA was wrong. Big surprise aye.
Best,
Dave Parshall

ORTA website changed and Ryan's getting his check!

Ryan Holderman to John Curry, May 5, 2008
Subject: Re: ORTA website changed!
Dear John:
They're almost as quick as the Feds. Today, May 5th, I got a letter from IRS telling me that I could expect my stimulus check to be deposited on May 2nd. DUH!
Hopefully all retirees will soon be the recipient of such largess.
Later, Ryan

Monday, May 05, 2008

John Bos re: Wal-Mart vs. the STRS Express Scripts Rx prices

From John Curry, May 5, 2008
Subject: John Bos re. Wal-Mart vs. the STRS Express Scripts Rx prices
I, after reading John's letter below and requesting permission to distribute, just got off the phone with another STRS retiree and cross-referenced Wal-Mart's prices with his walk-in pharmacy using his STRS's Express Scripts card and discovered that he will now save nearly $100 per month by using the Wal-Mart Rx! A more detailed list will be forthcoming when he gets a chance to individually list his comparisons. THIS IS A SAVINGS TO STRS RETIREES. Here is the link for the Wal-Mart Rx price list: http://i.walmart.com/i/if/hmp/fusion/four_dollar_drug_list.pdf
P.S. No, I don't get a "cut" for plugging Wal-Mart...I just care about STRS retirees.
John [Curry]
From John Bos, May 5, 2008
I still fail to understand how Wal Mart can sell these for the $4.00 rate which equals $12.00 for 3 months. The STRS plan which is subsidized by the retirees must pay $25.00 for 3 months. This is a difference of $13.00 plus the STRS contribution!
Good service from Express Scripts, BUT?????????????
We spent over $15,000 for our medical coverage in 2007. How much do the STRS Associates spend for their family plan, co payment, and deductibles?
John Bos
From John Curry, May 5, 2008
Subject: ...a little more on Wal-Mart's $10 Rx for 90 days...K Mart joins in the fracas but only slightly
May 5th, 2008 10:43 am By Ed Silverman The world’s biggest retailer will offer about 350 generic meds at the low price and, according to a statement, has also added $9 meds to treat breast cancer, menopause and hormone deficiency as part of a plan to save women more than $100 million annually. Here’s the list of drugs.
The retailer, which started its $4 generic program in 2006, faces growing competition from Kmart, Walgreen, and CVS/Caremark, which are targeting Americans who lack insurance to pay for their drugs, Bloomberg News notes, adding that nearly a third of Wal-Mart’s over-the-counter drugs now sell for $4 or less.
“We are trying to help our customers through tough times,” John Agwunobi, Wal-Mart’s president of health and wellness, says today on a conference call. Some elderly couples are sharing heart meds and some consumers are delaying purchases, he continues, adding that purchasing a 90-day supply may help consumers save on co-pays and avoid mail-order delays.
Kmart, which sells three-month supplies of some generic drugs for $15, said in March it would sell over-the-counter drugs such as aspirin and decongestants for $1 each, Bloomberg points out.

A change on ORTA's website

From Shirlee Zerkel, May 5. 2008
Subject: ORTA website changed!


It appears that ORTA has changed their site today. The article that was there last week is gone and a new one replaces it. But there was no apology for their misinformation that I could find.

Shirlee

Walmart expands their drug list

From John Bos, May 5, 2008
STRS Retirees can save more at Walmart than they can with their provider program. How about the STRS Staff. I don't think that can save from their Cadillac Plan.
Wal-Mart Expands $4 Generic Program
Posted by Sarah Rubenstein
Wal-Mart gets a lot of negative publicity, but one one story that draws plenty of positive coverage is its roster of $4-a-month generic drugs. And this morning the company said it’s expanding the cut-price drug program.
Here are the latest pharmaceutical bargains unveiled by the megaretailer:
• Prescriptions for up to 350 generic drugs will cost $10 for a 90-day supply.
• The generic version of Merck’s osteoporosis drug Fosamax, which came out earlier this year, will cost $9 for a 30-day supply or $24 for a $90-day supply. Generic drugs including tamoxifen for breast cancer and combo pill estrogen/methyltestosterone for menopause and hormone deficiency were added to a list of $9 women’s meds.
• A new $4 over-the-counter program will include Wal-Mart’s own versions of drugs including Zantac, Johnson & Johnson and Merck’s Pepcid and Schering-Plough’s Claritin, as well as women’s health products such as prenatal vitamins.
The first two programs are available in Wal-Mart, Neighborhood Market and Sam’s Club pharmacies, and the OTC part is in Wal-Mart and Neighborhood Market. Here’s a list of drugs in the $4 prescription program and here’s a fact sheet that Wal-Mart prepared for the media.
Wal-Mart, which has been wading deeper into the health-care waters lately, has been bragging a lot lately that its drug program is saving customers boatloads of cash at a time when health-care costs continue to climb. As of April 28, Wal-Mart’s tally of savings on generics is $1,163,726,502.08.

What does ORTA know re: Stimulus Checks?

From Duane Tron, May 5, 2008
Subject: Re: CORE President re. Stimulus Check
I told everybody so! We must have a lot of people with selective listening. Oh! That is a common characteristic among teachers and it obviously doesn't go away with retirement. What the hell do I know?? I made one telephone call and got the skinny on all of this from close to the top. I guess that wasn't good enough for everyone else. And these are the same people who think there is some miraculous difference between the Republicans and Democrats running for office. The problem is they are ALL running for office and none of them are running for US! You get the idea! I've made this statement several hundred times during the past eight years. And the garbage just keeps piling up election after election.
Duane
CORE President re. Stimulus Check
David Parshall to John Curry, May 5, 2008
John, I contacted the IRS several months ago and found out the same thing. I announced this at a CORE meeting. It must have been in the minutes. Nancy was not at this meeting. Thursday I called the large well known accounting firm that does my taxes (not H & R Bock) and also a friend of mine who also is a STRS pensioner called them. They told us that our names are on the list for the $600 stimulus check. ORTA does not know what they are talking about as usual. However, I will let you know when I actually have my check. My last two SS numbers are early so I guess sometime this week or next are the predicted dates. God knows what the government may actually do.
Dave Parshall

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Sunday, May 04, 2008

ORTA: 'We'll keep reviewing this issue.'

Molly Ganz to John Curry, May 4, 2008
Subject: Re: Duane Tron re. Recent ORTA Press Release regarding economic stimulus money
John, when I wrote ORTA about this on Friday, the reply I received was:
"It appears to us that some retirees will get a stimulus checks and some will not get one. I heard from a disability retiree today who did get one by direct deposit. We'll keep reviewing this issue."
I wonder why everything is a fight.... it's tiring.
Larry KehresMount Union Collge
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