NATIONAL RETIREE LEGISLATIVE NETWORK (NRLN) Updated On: Feb 07, 2012 NRLN National Retiree  Legislative Network 10 Years of Progress, 2002 - 2012   Website: www.nrln.org        P.O. Box 18757, Washington, D.C. 20036-8757        February 2012   To NRLN Grassroots Network Member:        Here are a few news media headlines that were published in late 2011 and early this year: Pensions: Audit Finds Errors In Calculating Pensions In Bankruptcies - The New York Times  $26 Billion Deficit At Pension Insurer - USA Today  Biggest pension funds end '11 with $464B deficit - MarketWatch Corporate Pensions Are in Trouble Too - The Wall Street Journal  Retirement in America is ‘endangered’ - MarketWatch    Social Security: Stop Cheating Social Security With Payroll Tax Cut - Chicago Tribune  Tax Cuts Seen Undermining Social Security - Bloomberg  New Formula Would Reduce Social Security Increases – Associated Press  4 Things That Are Reducing Your Social Security – Yahoo Finance Some See Danger in Changing Social Security's Funding - MSNBC   Health Care Costs: Survey Finds One In Five Americans Juggling Medical Bills - Kaiser Health News Health Costs A Key Worry For Those Nearing Retirement - Kaiser Health News  Family Health Insurance Costs Doubled in 7 Years, Study Finds - The New York Times     Medicare: Wyden-Ryan Medicare Proposal Proves To Be Polarizing - Statesman Journal  Medicare: How Much More Will They Cut? - Money  CBO: Raising Medicare Age Means More Uninsured With Reduced Access To Care - Talking Points Memo CBO: Medicare cost-cutting programs haven’t worked - The Hill No Easy Fix For Medicare Doctors’ Pay - Kaiser Health News  House Republican budget to seek Medicare reforms - Reuters  The Slow Starvation Of Senior Services – Forbes Retirees may find their benefits targeted for cuts - The Wall Street Journal            These and many other news reports identify the challenges to a secure retirement. Since most of these issues are the result of action, or inaction, by Congress, it is no surprise that many retirees believe they have been abandoned by their U.S. Representatives and Senators. Far too many retirees are becoming a major part of a vanishing middle class.          Retirees need a strong voice in Washington, D.C. and that is the role of the National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN). A contribution from you will make it possible for the NRLN to continue to lobby for federal legislation to protect employer-sponsored pensions, benefits and Social Security and Medicare. The NRLN has an annual Legislative Agenda that addresses a broad base of retiree issues. We have developed detailed White Papers to support our top legislative initiatives. I urge you to go to www.nrln.org and click on the "Legislative Action" tab to access the NRLN's Legislative Agenda, Top Initiatives and NRLN White Papers.          Your funding is also used to communicate with you and other NRLN Grassroots Network members through Action Alerts, emails and the FOCUS newsletters. Your money will never be used for political contributions, meals for politicians or to sponsor junkets, etc.          It may be that 2012 is the year that Congress will attempt to make changes to Social Security and Medicare that are not in the interest of retirees. If that happens, the NRLN will be an advocate to protect these programs that you and your employer contributed to through payroll tax deductions during your decades of employment. The NRLN will continue to lobby for legislation to protect retirees' employer-sponsored pension and health care plans and will focus on those proposals that are deficit neutral or in fact may reduce the cost of government. Here is a brief summary of our Top Initiatives for 2012:   PROTECTION AND ENHANCEMENT OF RETIREE INCOME: Gain legislation that stops corporations from using pension plan assets for non-pension expenses. Reform Pension Benefits Guaranty Corporation rules to ensure equitable calculations of benefit payments to retirees when the PBGC has to take over a pension plan. Reform corporate bankruptcy laws to place retirees' pensions and benefits on a list of obligations that companies can’t shed in the bankruptcy process. Gain legislation that protects retirees' pensions when companies merge, are acquired or divisions are spun off. PROTECTION AND ENHANCEMENT OF RETIREE HEALTH CARE: Gain legislation on the NRLN's Maintenance of Cost Protection (MCP) proposal that would establish a fixed monthly payment to retirees equivalent to the value of the benefits an employer provided prior to the reduction or cancellation of retirement health care, prescription drugs, life insurance, long-term care or other benefits. Gain legislation for the reduction of prescription drug costs through passage of legislation that: (1) Enables re-importation and importation of safe prescription drugs approved by the FDA; (2) Enables Medicare to develop formularies and take competitive bids for prescription drugs; (3) Staffs and funds the FDA to reduce generic drug approval backlogs; (4) Prevents drug companies from colluding to control pricing or subvert free markets. PROTECTION OF SOCIAL SECURITY: The NRLN's position is: Social Security is a contributory plan, an earned and paid-for benefit, not a government welfare program. Congress should address any long-term funding gap by focusing on modest increases in the payroll tax rate and increasing the cap on maximum wages subject to the tax. There is no need to reduce Social Security Cost of Living Allowances (COLAs), do means-testing or make other cuts in benefits. Social Security Trust assets should be insulated from access by Congress and never again be loaned out as a piggybank to cover other government spending. PROTECTION OF MEDICARE: The NRLN's position for preserving federal budget dollars for Medicare is to: Eliminate waste, cut back federal budgets for projects, non-strategic grants and planned budget expenditures and stop authoring wasteful preferential bills and amendments. Attack Medicare fraud and include prison time for defrauding the Medicare system. Pass legislation for Medicare prescription drugs that would compel safe importation, competitive bidding, funding to accelerate generic drug sales and eliminate non-competitive practices in the prescription drug industry. Set fair and equitable rate formulae for determining physician fees and make adjustments up or down annually. Examine costly referrals and redundant visit practices and disallow them. Increase the Medicare tax on workers and employers until such time as payroll taxes can again fund 60-65% of the Medicare budget.           How You Can Help: Please help by contacting your members of Congress when an Action Alert is issued and by asking friends to help by signing-up at http://capwiz.com/abtr/mlm/signup/ to receive NRLN emails. Also, please make an annual contribution of $25, $50, $75 or more. Any amount you can contribute will be appreciated. You may make your check or money order payable to NRLN, Inc. and mail it with the Contribution Form below. Or, you may make your contribution online with your credit card on the NRLN website at www.nrln.org by clicking on the "Membership" tab on the home page and selecting “Support the NRLN.”   Bill Kadereit, President, National Retiree Legislative Network   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NRLN MEMBERSHIP CONTRIBUTION                                                   Email  The NRLN is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. Contributions are not tax deductible.   Name___________________________________ Age__under 55; __ 55-64; __ 65 or over   Address________________________City_____________State___Zip_____Zip + 4 ____              Phone___________________ Email Address (if available)____________________________   I get my retirement benefits from______________________________(name of company) Mail with your check or money order (no cash) for $25, $50, $75 or more (any amount will be appreciated) payable to NRLN, Inc., P.O. Box 18757, Washington, D.C. 20036-8757  http://www.nrln.org/