As I sit down to write this blog
post, I can’t help but think about how difficult 2018 has been for so many of
my fellow retired public educators—teachers, bus drivers, secretaries,
librarians, classroom aides, custodians, maintenance workers, sign-language
interpreters, nurses, cafeteria workers, police officers, and
administrators. And as I look ahead to
2019, I can’t help but hang on to a glimmer of hope that the 86th
Texas Legislature, which convenes January 8, 2019, will restore what the 85th
Texas Legislature took from us during the 2017 Legislative Session.
They took our faith that the
promises made to us throughout our careers in Texas public education would be
kept.
They took our affordable healthcare
and created a healthcare nightmare.
They took our belief that the state
would offer us comparable benefits, through TRS (Teachers Retirement System of
Texas, which is a misnomer since it covers all public-education employees/retirees),
that all other retired state employees--including retired legislators--receive
through ERS (Employees Retirement System of Texas).
They took our trust that we were
trading higher salaries throughout our careers for a decent pension and that affordable
healthcare.
The 85th Texas
Legislature took so much from us. The 86th
Texas Legislature has the opportunity to restore our benefits…and our trust in
them.
I have not been able to stop
thinking about my fellow retired public educators because of what I have
experienced. All year, I avoided going
to the doctor. No annual physical and no
doctor visits when my throat was so sore I couldn’t swallow and when my elbow,
first injured in a serious car accident, caused excruciating pain. Nevertheless, there were three visits I could
not avoid as they could have led to physical conditions far, far worse.
Because of the 85th Texas
Legislature, I am still paying for all three of those visits because they took
our $400 deductible from us and turned it into a $1500 deductible with no copay
at all until we reach the entire $1500. (For
retirees who have their spouse on their TRS healthcare, that deductible is
$3000—not $1500 per person but $3000 before a single penny is paid.) Thus, I am required to pay 100 percent of
these visits, with a TRS pension that has never seen a cost-of-living
adjustment. And just when I am within
one month of paying these bills off, my deductible resets in January.
Meanwhile, all ERS retirees—including
our retired legislators—have a $0 deductible.
How any member of the Texas
Legislature can find this equitable or ethical is beyond my understanding.
As I look at what I have faced this
year, at the hands of the 85th Texas Legislature, I think about my
fellow retirees who have faced far worse medical issues than I have, retired
public educators who have been unable to get critical hip replacements because they
cannot afford the out-of-pocket expense, who have had to deal not only with the
physical suffering that comes with cancer treatments but with the emotional trauma
of how they will be able to pay their monthly bills, and who have had to
practically beg pharmaceutical companies for help because that $1500 deductible
also applies to prescriptions.
We already know How the Grinches Stole TRS Healthcare.
All I want for Christmas is for the 86th Texas
Legislature to return what was stolen from us.
How right you are,as long as this governor and Lt.governor are in office nothing will change.This so called healthcare they have forced upon us is a total con job by con artists.They act like they did us a favor by not raising premiums even more this past year but you can be sure they will raise them every year from here on out.I payed into this farce for 24 years,like everyone else did.They are hoping everyone will jump ship like the 35,ooo trs retirees did this past year,then they won't have to pay anything and they can get back to more important things like the bathroom bill.
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