PROTECT PENSION ASSETS FOR RETIREES

Companies and labor unions are lobbying Congress for temporary relief from Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA) pension plan funding requirements. It is critical that LRO members immediately send the NRLN's Sample Letter to their Representative and Senators to tell them they need to include the protection of pension assets in any bill that is passed on pension plan funding relief. Click here to read the NRLN's Action Alert and to access the Sample Letter.

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The LRO CONNECTION - Spring 2010

We invite you to read LRO's latest newsletter, featuring articles about current and future activities. click here

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NRLN Adds Florida Forum in The Villages - Register Now

In addition to two sessions of the NRLN Florida Forum in Sarasota on March 25, 2010, a session has bee added in The Villages on March 26, 2010. The Sarasota Forum will be held at the Gulfcoast Event and Conference Center. The morning session begins at 8:00 a.m. and the afternoon session begins at 1:00 p.m.

The Forum in The Villages will be held at the Savannah Recreation Center. The single session begins at 8:00 a.m. NRLN and Retiree Association leaders want to hear Florida retirees concerns, respond to their questions and discuss with them the NRLN's lobbying efforts for legislation to protect pensions, benefits, Social Security and Medicare. Register yourself, your spouse and your friends today! Read more...

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Clarification of LRO/NRLN Position on Healthcare

Recently a letter from LRO President Andy Guarriello regarding NRLN individual memberships was posted on the LRO website. The letter recommended that individuals also consider becoming NRLN members.

Subsequently, we learned that some NRLN members were under the impression that the NRLN supported pending healthcare resolutions. Please know that is definitely not the case. The following is provided to clarify your LRO's position and thrust:
The LRO does not support any bill, party or member of Congress. Neither does the NRLN. However, the LRO does support the NRLN’s lobbying for the passage of legislation containing provisions that will benefit retirees. Please understand: by law, neither organization can support any bill, party or member of Congress. If we violate this law, we will lose our non-profit status.

There are three health care bills in the House and Senate. At some point, they will become one. Revisions to House Bill HR 3200 are occurring on an almost daily basis. The NRLN does not support HR 3200 either from a liberal or a conservative view. It does support HR 3200’s Sections 164 and 165 (which preserve retiree benefits), and its Section 1181 (which allows for the closure of Medicare’s so-called doughnut hole).

At the risk of being redundant: both organizations support only those sections of pending legislation that will benefit retirees. And they are dedicated to ensuring that retirees are protected to the greatest extent possible as regards their healthcare and pension benefits. Much effort is being put forth to ensure that pending bills are amended so as to contain language that will protect or enhance our retirees rights. We do so without, in any way, defending the entire bill itself.

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CLAIMS AND DEDUCTIBLE INFORMATION AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR RETIREES ENROLLED IN SECUREHORIZONS MEDICARE DIRECT OR UNITEDHEALTHCARE POS OR TRADITIONAL INDEMNITY PLANS

Alcatel-Lucent Benefits Organization advises that retirees who are enrolled in the SecureHorizons MedicareDirect Plan or UnitedHealthcare POS or Traditional Indemnity Plans can access their personal claims and deductible information online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Retirees enrolled in the Secure Horizons Medicare Direct Plan can access their information by going to https://www.uhcretiree.com/. This website is listed on the back of your UH ID card. Registration online is easy. When you access the website it will ask you to register so that you can view your account online. All you need to do to register is provide your email address and your SecureHorizons MedicareDirect member ID. Once you complete your registration online you will be able to view your personal claims and deductible information. If you have any questions regarding your claims and/or deductible information, you should contact SecureHorizons directly at 1-888-980-8117 (TTY: 1-888-685-8480).

There is a different website to access for retirees in the UnitedHealthcare POS and the Traditional Indemnity Plans. They can access their personal claim and deductible information online by going to: https://www.myuhc.com/ This website is listed on the back of your UH ID card. When you access this site, if you are already registered, log in with your username and password to get your personalized healthcare and benefit information. If you have not registered on this site you will need a username and password. Click on Register Now to obtain a username and password through their free registration process for those enrolled in a UnitedHealthcare plan.

If you have any questions regarding your personalized healthcare and benefit information, retirees in the POS plan should contact UnitedHealthcare directly at 1-800-577-8539. For retirees enrolled in the Traditional Indemnity Plan, you should contact UnitedHealthcare directly at 1-800-577-8567.

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LRO Leaders Urge Members To Communicate With Members of Congress

Andy Guarriello, LRO President, and Bob Martina, LRO Legislative Affairs Director, have called on LRO members to take action when they receive an Action Alert from the National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN). They urge LRO members to use the NRLN's CapWiz system to email personalized messages to their U.S. Senators and Representatives. Click here to read the Legislative Initiatives message.

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LRO Monitoring Performance of SecureHorizons Healthcare Plan

The LRO Benefit Committee is monitoring the performance of the Alcatel-Lucent provided United Healthcare SecureHorizons-Medicare Direct plan.

Some retirees are experiencing problems with their doctors and/or hospitals not accepting this coverage. When the LRO leaders hear about problems, they immediately go to work, in conjunction with the Alcatel-Lucent Headquarters Benefit Organization, to get retiree problems resolved in a timely manner, if at all possible. An executive at United Health SecureHorizons told the LRO that their customer service folks will vigorously pursue situations where this coverage is not accepted, in an attempt to get providers deemed (accepting this coverage).

He told the LRO that, in many cases, they do get the doctors and hospitals to come on board after they explain who they are and how they function. They are not successful in all cases, and when they aren't, they locate alternative providers in most instances. He further stated that their overall providers plan acceptance (deeming) rate is at 95.5%. This is predicated on all providers listed on Alcatel-Lucent's 2008 retirees healthcare claims activity. Retirees should contact their providers to insure they are currently accepting SecureHorizons and resolve any problems before an appointment or emergency arises.

If a deeming problem arises, the SecureHorizons Customer Service number is 1-888-980-8117. If problems persist contact the Alcatel-Lucent Benefits Center on 1-888-232-4111. If you cannot obtain a resolution, then you can contact the LRO for assistance by email at: benefits@lucentretirees.com.

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Reminder To Regularly Visit LRO Benefits Team Web Pages

LRO Members are reminded to regularly check the LRO Benefits Team web pages for healthcare and prescription drug information.
 Click here to go directly to the Benefits Team Home Page or click on the Benefits tab at the top of this Home Page. Once on the Benefits Home Page, click on the "Rx Tab" for updated information about prescription drugs.

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LRO Still Seeking Older Pension & Benefit Documents

The LRO appreciates that many members have responded generously to the LRO’s request for pension and benefit papers to build the LRO Documents Library.  We now have copies in our data base of many pension, medical, dental, death benefit and life insurance plan documents and correspondence from about 1980 to the present. The LRO is still seeking older pension, life insurance and benefit plan documents and correspondence from the 1970s and earlier.  If you have or know of other Lucent retirees who may have any documents and correspondence from this period, the LRO would appreciate learning about them. Click here to learn how you can help expand the LRO Documents Library.

Read more...

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Health Care’s Obstacle: No Will to Cut
By David Leonhardt; The New York Times ~ Mar 09, 2010

For anyone who cares about medical costs — which is to say anyone who cares about the take-home pay of American families or about the budget deficit — President Obama’s health reform plan is a terribly mixed bag...Read more...

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Democrats doubt deadline on healthcare
By John Whitesides & Donna Smith, RNS; The Washington Post ~ Mar 09, 2010

Congressional Democrats on Tuesday cast doubt on their chances of meeting the White House's March 18 deadline for voting on a stalled healthcare overhaul, but said they are moving as fast as they can...Read more...

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Democrats' full-court press on healthcare reform
By Gail Russell Chaddock; The Christian Science Monitor ~ Mar 09, 2010

The steady stream of top Democrats in and out of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office Tuesday was the latest signal of a full-court press to get a majority of Democrats on board healthcare reform... Read more...

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Pressure mounts for/against healthcare bill
By Kim Geiger and Tom Hamburger, Los Angles Times - March 8, 2010

As President Obama pushes for a prompt up or down vote on his health initiative, lobbyists and activist groups on both sides of the issue have launched grass-roots and high-dollar advertising campaigns on the roughly two dozen members of Congress who may be the final swing votes on the controversial issue... Read more...

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Obama takes hard-sell health pitch to Pa.
By Richard Wolf, USA TODAY - March 8, 2010

President Obama stepped up pressure Monday on his fellow Democrats to retool the nation's health care system, decrying those who put politics above policy...Read more...

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'Trust' Gap Between House, Senate Dems Hurting Health Care Push
FOX News ~ Mar 07, 2010

With President Obama pushing anew to pass the health care package through Congress in the coming weeks, several House Democrats have voiced concern that the Senate could betray them if they go along and pass its version of the health bill... Read more...

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Obama's health care pitch to Democrats: Trust me
By Charles Babington, AP; Plainview Daily Herald ~ Mar 07, 2010

In private pitches to Democrats, President Barack Obama says he will persuade Congress to pass his health care overhaul even if it kills him and even if he has to ask deeply distrustful lawmakers to trust him on a promise the White House does

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n't have the power to keep... Read more...