• AFT Offers Online Help in Choosing a Medicare Drug Plan for 2008
• Three-Quarters of Medicare Beneficiaries with Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans Could Face Premium Increases in 2008
• Big Drug Companies Pay To Keep Generics Off the Market
• Empire BCBS Agrees To Establish Physician Ranking System
• California Supreme Court Awards CalSTRS $200 Million
• Thousands Protest NLRB Assault on Worker Rights
• New Orleans Schools Need Book Donations
• This Holiday Season, Shop Union
• Quote of Note: Medicare Open Enrollment
• Web Site of the Week: www.Medicare.gov

Between Nov. 15 and Dec. 31, everyone with Medicare can sign up for the Medicare prescription drug benefit (Part D) for 2008 or switch Medicare private drug plans. This is the time to review your current drug coverage, because after Dec. 31, most people will be locked into their Medicare private drug plan until 2009. For most people, buying a Medicare drug plan is voluntary. Even if you like the Medicare drug plan that you have in 2007, do not assume it will work the same way next year. Many Medicare private drug plans change the drugs they cover and the cost. Plans were required by law to send you a letter by the end of October to explain these changes. If you haven't received a letter, call your provider and ask for one.

If you have drug coverage from another source—such as from an employer or retiree plan—and are considering the Medicare drug benefit, first find out if your coverage is as good as Medicare's ("creditable"). If it is and you like it, you can keep it without paying a penalty later if you decide to get drug coverage through Medicare.

To learn more about your Medicare drug coverage, for tips on how to find the right Medicare drug plan for you, or for how to get "Extra Help," log on to Medicare Interactive. This unique Web tool http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/_d111111Nq0g/ brings you the most up-to-date Medicare resources, including state-specific information on picking the right plans, how to file an appeal, and what to do in the prescription drug coverage gap. It is brought to you by the AFT, NYSUT and the Medicare Rights Center.

THREE-QUARTERS OF MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES WITH STAND-ALONE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLANS COULD FACE PREMIUM INCREASES IN 2008

Medicare beneficiaries should look closely at their current drug plans, because many of them are increasing premiums, co-payments and deductibles. According to consulting firm Avalere Health, monthly premiums for 2008 on average are increasing 21 percent. On Nov. 14, the Kaiser Family Foundation released data showing that three-quarters of Medicare beneficiaries who are enrolled in stand-alone drug plans could face premium increases in 2008, and monthly premiums will increase 17 percent on average. According to the foundation, there was about a 5 percent increase in 2007. UnitedHealth Group's AARP Plan-Saver, which has about 900,000 beneficiaries, will increase its premium by 87 percent, according to Avalere. Humana's PDP Standard plan premiums have nearly tripled since its debut in 2006.

BIG DRUG COMPANIES PAY TO KEEP GENERICS OFF THE MARKET

As part of their nearly $40 million lobbying campaign, big drug company lobbyists have stalled legislation that would make cheaper generic drugs available more quickly. This tactic is costing the American public billions of dollars. According to a recent review by the Associated Press, the legislation introduced by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) would have prohibited most "reverse payments," settlements in which generic drug manufacturers are paid by name-brand pharmaceutical companies to delay introducing the alternative. The Generic Pharmaceutical Association notes that generics are 30 percent to 80 percent less expensive than the originals. A bill to end these settlements—the Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act (S. 316)—has been offered twice by Sen. Kohl and is stalled in committee, as is a similar House bill, H.R. 1432, introduced by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.). At the same time, at least a dozen drug companies and their trade associations spent $38.8 million to lobby issues, including that legislation, from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007.

EMPIRE BCBS AGREES TO ESTABLISH PHYSICIAN RANKING SYSTEM

In 2008, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield will create a physician ranking system in New York that provides information about how cost-efficiency and skill contribute to its selection of "preferred" providers, N.Y. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (D) said Nov. 14. The company is the third insurer in the past two months, along with Cigna and Aetna, to agree to guidelines for ranking systems developed by Cuomo's office, the American Medical Association, the Medical Society of the State of New York and consumer advocacy groups. Under the guidelines, insurers must use nationally recognized standards to measure quality of care, and they must disclose to consumers how the program is designed and the criteria used to rank physicians. In addition, Empire will hire an oversight monitor to evaluate the insurer's compliance with the agreement and report to Cuomo biannually. Cuomo also will meet with Empire twice a year to review information compiled by the company.

CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT AWARDS CALSTRS $200 MILLION

The California Supreme Court has turned down the Schwarzenegger administration's appeal of a $200 million interest payment owed to the California State Teachers Retirement System. In September, the state repaid half a billion dollars, which is earmarked for a special supplemental fund for 63,000 older retired schoolteachers, who use the benefits to protect their pensions against inflation. But the administration challenged the interest rate set by an appellate court, hoping it would be reduced. State legislation is required to appropriate the money.

THOUSANDS PROTEST NLRB ASSAULT ON WORKER RIGHTS

Thousands of union members and supporters rallied in cities across the country on Nov. 15 to draw attention to a slew of anti-worker decisions handed down by the National Labor Relations Board, declaring that the NLRB should be "closed for renovation" until the nation gets a board that is fair and impartial. In Washington, D.C., a substantial AFT contingent joined a rally of 1,000 workers and union leaders at the AFL-CIO building and then marched to the NLRB headquarters a few blocks away. "The chamber of commerce and big business have gone to war on workers, and it looks like they've enlisted the board on their side," said Fred Azcarate, director of the Voice@Work Campaign at the AFL-CIO. In September alone, the Bush-dominated NLRB—an agency that is supposed to protect workers' rights—issued more than 60 decisions, many of them attacking employees' rights to form a union. This includes making it harder for workers to form a union through majority sign-up; making it harder for workers who are illegally fired to recover back pay; and making it easier for employers to discriminate against union organizers.

NEW ORLEANS SCHOOLS NEED BOOK DONATIONS

The restructured school district in New Orleans is in desperate need of children's books for kindergarten through 12th grade. Send the books directly to: Troy Peloquin, RSD Volunteer Coordinator, 1641 Poland Ave., New Orleans, LA 70117. Contributors are responsible for the postage. For more information on the program, contact Mary Keane at the AFT public affairs department, mkeane@aft.org.

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, SHOP UNION
You have a choice this Thanksgiving weekend: Join the mobs at stores that overstress and underpay workers, or avoid the crowds and purchase your holiday gifts at The Union Shop Online https://unionshop.aflcio.org. It's easy—you can shop from the comfort of your home. Plus, you'll know all your holiday gifts are union-made in the U.S.A. Choose from a wide assortment of holiday gifts, including cards, music, clothes, movies and stocking stuffers.

QUOTE OF NOTE: Medicare Open Enrollment

"Medicare private drug plans are a moving target for Americans with Medicare. A plan that worked well for someone this year may be more expensive, cover different medications and have different restrictions on their covered drugs in 2008."

Robert M. Hayes, President
Medicare Rights Center

WEB SITE OF THE WEEK: www.Medicare.gov

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has established a new online tool to allow users to enter the list of medications that a Medicare beneficiary currently takes, to determine the amount that each prescription drug plan charges for premiums, co-payments and deductibles. In addition, the tool allows users to compare Medicare prescription drug plans based on customer service and other areas.