TRTA Issues Update: Medicare Part B Bills Filed, Texas House Names TRS-Care Interim Committee Members

Click here to send an email to your Congressman and help TRTA keep your premiums from increasing!

The Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) has been very busy this week gathering information about the issues that matter most to you. We know you are busy and we appreciate the time you put in to helping TRTA, its members and the programs we all value.

Medicare Part B Premiums Update: New Bills Filed!

Medicare Part B premiums are projected to increase by 52 percent in 2016. Thirty percent of Medicare Part B participants will be responsible for shouldering the increase if Congress does not take action.

Legislation addressing this issue has been filed. TRTA supports the following bills. Express your support for these bills by calling your Senator and Representative today!

Tell your Representative to support H.R. 3696 (Titus, NV), a new bill: “to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to prevent an increase in the Medicare part B premium and deductible in 2016.”

Tell your Senators to support S. 2148 (Wyden, OR) which is the Senate version of the House bill.

These are new bills, and your Representative and Senator may not have heard about them yet.

See below for a full list of the Texas Congressional Delegation, including their phone numbers.

We have limited time to address this issue. EVERYONE interested in trying to protect their Medicare Part B premiums needs to CALL their Congressmen and ask them to keep their premiums from skyrocketing by 52 percent today!

Please share this email with your friends, family and other retirees you may know in Texas or across the country. Share this information on Facebook and encourage people to pay attention to the proposed Medicare B premium increase.

It is time to make phone calls and get our members and friends activated!!

Video Update

Watch TRTA’s Executive Director, Tim Lee, discuss the latest news about Medicare Part B and TRS-Care.

Texas House Names Members for TRS-Care Interim Study

On Monday, October 12, 2015, Speaker of the Texas House Joe Straus named the members of the TRS-Care legislative interim study committee. Those members are:

• Representative Dan Flynn, Co-Chair;
• Representative Trent Ashby; and
• Representative Justin Rodriguez.

These members have all developed a strong relationship with the Texas school employee retirees in their districts. Representative Dan Flynn (R-Van) is well-known by many of our TRTA members, as he is presently serving as the Texas House Pensions Committee Chairman. He also attended the TRTA 62^nd Annual Convention this past April and provided considerable insight into the 84^th Texas Legislative Session.

Representative Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin) served as the House Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman on Education. Representative Ashby was instrumental in helping TRS-Care receive the $768 million to protect TRS retirees’ health care premiums this last session. We also were fortunate to see Representative Ashby at the TRTA Annual Convention in April, and we look forward to working with him on this committee.

Representative Justin Rodriguez (D-San Antonio) is a member of the Texas House Pensions Committee and has a great working relationship with the TRTA local units in his district. As a member of the House Pensions Committee, Representative Rodriguez has met numerous times with TRTA to discuss pension and health care issues.

As of today, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has not yet named the Senate members to the TRS-Care interim study group. When all members are named, TRTA will provide information about when the group will begin meeting.

Gracias

Protecting your health care benefits is one of TRTA’s top priorities, and your participation can make all of the difference. Be sure to stay tuned to our other digital mediums to keep informed on all the latest news and updates. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Texas Congressional Delegation Phone Numbers

To determine who your Congressmen are, por favor visite este enlace.

Texas U.S. Senators

Texas U.S. Representatives