Florida retiree puts heart and mind into helping others

In Peggy Rudolph’s mind, time is the most precious gift anyone, especially teachers, can give. The retired art teacher says she grew up in a family that taught her to be a giver. It’s a lesson she’s never forgotten.

At age 75, Rudolph spends 10 to 20 hours a week volunteering as the direct aid chairwoman of the Safespace Foundation, a program to help victims of domestic violence in the Miami-Dade County, Fla., area. The program works closely with a local shelter for abused women and their children as well as operating two thrift stores that provide these families with donated clothing and household goods. Rudolph has held a seat on the Safespace board of directors for 26 years and recently stepped down from serving as the foundation’s president.

As a teacher, Rudolph felt the need to help children whose lives had been touched by violence. Years ago, people didn’t talk about abuse, says Rudolph, who is a member of the United Teachers of Dade retiree chapter. But she defied convention by getting involved and challenging others to do the same.

“Teachers are in a crucial position to recognize abuse and get help for children,” she says. “They should share the wealth of experience and knowledge. It is an energy that should be tapped and given as a gift.”

Rudolph lives these words. She retired in 1994 after teaching for 40 years and is currently an adjunct professor of art at Barry University in Miami. Her heart, however, is with her volunteer work. She never passes up an opportunity to help the Safespace clientele. The retired teacher has enlisted current and retired UTD members to donate materials to the Safespace thrift stores, and each year members donate toys for the annual Christmas party.

There is a lot of heartbreak in her work, admits Rudolph. “There is also a lot of joy. You can’t separate the two. I’m going to keep at it because it’s one way I know I can help.”

What you need to know about the new Medicare law

In December, President Bush signed Medicare prescription drug legislation. The AFT and other labor and retiree groups believe the bill undermines the Medicare program and undercuts employer-provided retirement health insurance. Here are answers to some of the questions being raised about the new law.

Q. What is the new Medicare prescription drug program?
A. The program is voluntary and will not be administered by Medicare but by private insurance drug plans (PDPs), which will develop the list of drugs to be covered by the plan. Those who participate must choose to join a new PDP or a Medicare + Choice plan—renamed Medicare Advantage—administered either by a health maintenance organization (HMO) or a preferred provider organization (PPO). Under these plans, you are limited to healthcare providers in your plan—you cannot choose a doctor outside the plan without paying more out of pocket.

Q. Will I be forced to join the Medicare prescription drug program?
A. Although the new prescription drug program is voluntary, your retiree health plan may require you to join as a condition of participating in that plan. Many union contracts and state laws governing retiree health coverage require participation in Medicare as a condition of eligibility for continued coverage in your retiree health plan.

Q. Will drug prices be lower because of the new law?
A. The law specifically prohibits Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices—a major obstacle to lower prescription drug costs. The Bush administration claims that its temporary prescription drug card for 2004-05 will reduce prescription drug costs, and that PDPs and Medicare Advantage plans will negotiate lower drug prices by 10 percent to 15 percent. But it is not known which drugs will be covered and how much the discount on any given drug will be.

Q. Will I lose my retiree health benefits?
A. In spite of the $80 billion the new law provides to help both public and private employers maintain their existing retiree health plans, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that 2.7 million retirees will lose their employer-provided drug coverage as a result of the new law. Most retiree health coverage for our union is the result of collective bargaining agreements and/or state or local statutes, which could be subject to change.

Q. In the past, many Medicare + Choice plans have dropped coverage, raised costs or eliminated benefits. Will the new law prevent this in the future?
A. No. Unlike traditional Medicare, which guarantees benefits, there is no guarantee that private plans will always be there to provide coverage. If they cannot earn enough revenue to match or exceed their costs, these plans will be sold, merged or go out of business.

Q. Can a retiree enroll in both the new Medicare prescription drug plan and an employer prescription drug plan?
A. Yes, your employer may allow you to be in both Medicare Part D and the employer’s plan, but the employer’s plan will not receive a federal subsidy.

Q. What is the design of the new Medicare drug benefit?
A. Those who opt for drug coverage will pay an estimated premium of $35 per month ($420 annually). There is also a $250 deductible for drug expenses. The plan pays 25 percent of prescription drug costs up to $2,250, and participants pay the next $2,850 themselves. Once participants spend $3,600 out of pocket, they will pay 5 percent of remaining costs for the year or $2 per generic prescription and $5 per brand-name prescription, whichever is greater.

AFT activists lead Alliance chapters

Luisa Kaufman, a retired United Federation of Teachers activist, who now lives in Arizona, was elected first president of the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans at the founding convention in Phoenix in January. More than 100 senior leaders attended the event.

Kaufman is a former special education teacher and an activist in UFT's Arizona retiree chapter. Other alliance state presidents include former New York State United Teachers secretary-treasurer and AFT vice president Fred Nauman (New York) and former Wisconsin Federation of Teachers president Carston Koeller (Wisconsin).

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