Send your E-Mail/Letter to Congress NOW by clicking this link:

http://capwiz.com/abtr/dbq/officials/

August 13, 2008

OverTheHillCarPeople.Com

GM People & All American Retirees,

This is a link http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR01322:@@@P to The Library of Congress  which will show you all of the House of Representative members that are sponsoring bill H. R. 1322. This bill will amend title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to provide emergency protection for retiree health benefits.

We understand this bill would address this issue and make companies live up to the financial commitments made to their employees and retirees decades ago. According to the bill, changes to health benefits would need to be made before an employee retires.

Healthcare coverage is a vital issue for all Americans. It is imperative that before the Democratic and Republican conventions both presidential candidates and Congress address these issues - now of crisis proportion - and put into their platform a true plan of action for the protection of retirees' earned healthcare benefits.

Support from members of Congress is critical to all retirees across the country, especially in light of the EEOC ruling that allows companies to cut supplemental health coverage to retirees age 65 and over.

The bill H. R. 1322 has been referred to a House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.

You can click this link http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR01322:@@@P  to determine if your representatives are supporting this bill. If they are, then write them an e-mail/letter requesting they pressure The Speaker of the House to let this bill go to the congress floor for a vote. If your local representatives are not listed, then send them an e-mail/letter demanding they join the supporters of this bill in forcing Nancy Pelosi to step aside and let congress vote on this issue.

Click the link below to find the e-mail/letter address of your local representatives, as well as, others and send them as many e-mails/letters and/or calls as possible.

Send your E-Mail/Letter to Congress NOW by clicking this link:     http://capwiz.com/abtr/dbq/officials/

To those holding or seeking office in 2008, we encourage you not to take the retiree/senior vote for granted. They represented 62.5 percent of those who voted in the last election.

Please forward this e-mail to as many GM retirees and active employees as possible. All retirees, regardless of their company, can and should do their part by sending e-mails/letters and making calls.

Click Here To Read:

TheStreet.com - News Article About Overthehillcarpeople.com - July25, 2008

Click Here To Read:

TheStreet.Com - News Article About Overthehillcarpeople.com - July 24, 2008

Hello To All GM Folks!

As most of you probably know, a lawsuit was filed in the 1980’s against General Motors on behalf of all retirees concerning the cancellation of health benefits. In the end, the courts ruled in favor of GM and gave them the right to cancel your benefits anytime they choose.

To file another law suit would be costly and timeless, and GM would probably win again. It seems they can win at everything except gaining the media’s and public’s confidence in their quality products. We are at Mr. Wagoner’s mercy at this point and you now know where his loyalties appear to be! If not, just recall this article posted on our web site a few months ago.

Fri Apr 25, 2008 3:42pm EDT

GM CEO's compensation jumps 64 percent in 2007?????

DETROIT, April 25 (Reuters) - General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Chief Executive Rick Wagoner's salary and other compensation rose 64 percent in 2007 to about $15.7 million, mainly due to option grants, according to a proxy filed on Friday.

Wagoner's compensation rose from about $9.57 million in 2006. The figure was arrived at based on Wagoner's salary, all other compensation and the basis of annual grants.

GM paid Wagoner a salary of $1.6 million in 2007, along with $1.8 million in non-equity incentive compensation and nearly $700,000 for other compensation that includes insurance benefits, security, aircraft expenses and other factors.

GM, which reported a record $39 billion net loss in 2007, released the figures in a proxy statement on Friday afternoon that was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (Reporting by David Bailey; Editing by Andre Grenon)

Why Do Retirees Health Benefits Decrease Every Year & Mr. Wagoner Receives A 64% Pay Increase?????

Well, we all have our own opinions about the above person and the issue at hand. All that said, I know all of our members respect General Motors and still remember the love each of us share for the corporation. So, we feel the best course of action at this point is to combine our numbers with other groups and pursue actions to change laws and rulings by our friends in the EEOC and our highly regarded congress (a 9% approval rating).

In order to create a stronger voice in Washington, D.C. to protect pensions and benefits for OverTheHillCarPeople.com members we are affiliating with the National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN). We are also encouraging all GM Retirement Clubs to consider doing the same. Based in Washington, D.C., the NRLN is the only nationwide organization solely dedicated to representing the interests of retirees and future retirees. The NRLN's mission is to secure federal legislation to protect retirees' employer-sponsored pensions and benefits, plus keep Social Security and Medicare strong. The NRLN is a non-partisan, grassroots coalition of 18 retiree associations and individual members representing more than two million retired men and women seeking to preserve retirement benefits. For more information about the NRLN visit their website at www.nrln.org  and look for the Overthehillcarpeople.com logo.

The NRLN does not meet with company management or sue or take other action against companies. They make no campaign contributions nor buy lunch or dinner or offer any favors to politicians. They lobby in Washington, D. C. using Grassroots Members. Our members will be able to join the grassroots effort to wake up elected officials to the need for new laws and programs that protect, restore and enhance retiree income and healthcare benefits.

NRLN’s Legislative Agenda

The NRLN's legislative priorities include the further strengthening of pension protections under the ERISA laws, protecting and funding retiree healthcare benefits and securing more affordable and safe prescription drugs. To read the NRLN’s Legislative Agenda go to: http://www.nrln.org/2008%20legislative%20agenda%20summary.htm .

The NRLN's staff in Washington, D.C. uses the rapport they have with U.S. Representatives and Senators and their staff members to be a channel for communications to advance the NRLN’s Legislative Agenda on Capitol Hill.

The NRLN's Legislative Agenda requires all of its Grassroots Advocates to communicate to their elected representatives the importance of the agenda issues. 

Join The NRLN's Grassroots Network

It is the individuals who sign up to be Grassroots Advocates who are the voices that amplify the messages that must be heard by members of Congress. When you enter your name, email address and U.S. Mail address in the Capwiz database by signing up at http://capwiz.com/abtr/mlm/signup/ you are joining a special group.

The reason that email addresses are required for the Grassroots Network is so that the NRLN staff can send you email messages and progress reports on important retirement issues. Your contact information in the NRLN's secure database will only be used to send NRLN messages to you.

Your U.S. Mail address, including 9-digit Zip Code, is important because there are times when the NRLN need to identify the constituents of particular U.S. Senators and Representatives who should hear the views of retirees and future retirees from "back home" on bills before their committees. Capwiz uses Zip Codes to identify them by State, District and name.  After you sign up for the Grassroots Network, you have the option of “unsubscribing” at any time.

OverTheHillCarPeople.com encourages you to become an NRLN Grassroots Member and have your views heard in our nation’s capital. 

If you choose not to contribute to the NRLN's membership fees that will be your choice. You can still use their web site resources, along with Overthehillcarpeople.com, to gain information needed to keep informed and express your views on your local interest and to your representatives. However, as with all groups, there are expenses and the NRLN’s agenda and ours can best be served by you becoming a member of their organization as well as overthehillcarpeople.com.

Folks, be assured, Overthehillcarpeople.com will continue to be a GM web site group and will continue to serve our members as we always have in the past. This combining of groups will benefit all concerned by strengthening our abilities to fight for our hard earned benefits and to be heard.

The EEOC and Congressional members have already been contacted concerning our GM Health Benefit concerns, and you can do your part by following the request listed below:

NRLN Action Alert GM Healthcare Cuts

From Bill Kadereit, NRLN President

Subject: GM Retirees Latest Victims Of EEOC Rule

You have probably read or heard the news reports that on July 15th, General Motors announced a number of cost cutting measures that included the elimination of its health care plan for retirees age 65 and older who are eligible for Medicare.  On January 1, 2009, GM will cancel medical, dental, vision, hearing aid, prescription drug, extended care coverage and a $76 per month Medicare B premium payment, for tens of thousands of retirees, age 65 and older, surviving spouses and dependents.

In lieu of the healthcare benefits, GM will provide a monthly pre-tax pension increase of $300.  This amount will only be a drop in the bucket for what it will cost retirees living on fixed incomes to purchase replacement insurance for the coverage lost.

GM’s announcement is the latest horrific example of the harm that a rule published by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is causing. The EEOC Rule allows employers to reduce or eliminate health care benefits to retirees when they become Medicare-eligible at age 65. The EEOC’s purported reasoning for creating the Rule was that by allowing employers to discriminate and treat older retirees less favorably, employers might have an incentive to continue to offer healthcare benefits for younger retirees and active employees. However, nowhere in the EEOC Rule or elsewhere is it written that those under age 65 have any assurances their benefits will not be reduced. The law does not protect them.

The thousands of GM salaried retirees who will lose their health care benefits are one of the largest retiree groups to be targeted. With the attention that GM’s announcement has received in the press, many other employers are most likely examining GM’s decision and giving consideration to taking similar action. Therefore, it is in the interest of all retirees and future retirees to write to their U.S. Senators and Representatives to request that legislation be passed to overturn the EEOC Rule and provide safeguards for retirement health care benefits.

We have called for this in letters faxed last week to the Democrat and Republican leaders of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Congressional committees that deal with retirement legislative issues. (Read my letter in the NRLN Website Latest News at www.nrln.org.) In these letters, we proposed the passage of the “Health Care Protection Act of 2008.”  Under the act, should an employer reduce or eliminate health care benefits, retirees would receive a Maintenance of Cost Payment (MCP) equivalent to the cost of their defined health care benefits as of the date of retirement. With the MCP, corporations would know their costs for retiree health care would not grow. Retirees would be more secure in knowing they could replace benefits with the MCP fixed-payment dollars.

I am asking you as an NRLN Grassroots Advocate and a member of Overthehillcarpeople.com to use the NRLN’s sample letter to write to your U.S. Senators and Representative. Please go to http://capwiz.com/abtr/home/ and look for the Action Alert headline: GM RETIREES LATEST VICTIMS OF EEOC RULE. Click on “Take Action.” On the next screen, type in your zip code to identify the Senators and Representative to receive your letter. I encourage you to add your own personal comments to the sample letter. If you have a problem accessing the Action Alert with the above link, go to www.nrln.org and click on the “Take Action Now” headline at the top of the NRLN Website’s Home Page.

Progress Report: July 22, 2008 - During the first 24 hours after the NRLN Action Alert was issued asking Grassroots Members and Overthehillcarpeople.com folks to write to their U.S. Senators and Representatives about GM Retirees being the latest victims of the EEOC Rule, Aug. 11, 2008 - 3,902  emails have been sent to members of Congress. Please send your E-Mail Today! Click here:  http://capwiz.com/abtr/home/

Send your letter today.  It would also help to call the Washington, D.C. or state office of your Senators and Representative. Phone numbers for the offices can be found through the NRLN’s Capwiz website at http://capwiz.com/abtr/dbq/officials/.

The more constituents who write and call their Senators and Representatives, the better chance we have gaining their attention on retirement issues. Please share this email with your family and friends and encourage them to write and call their members of Congress. Also, encourage them to sign up in the Grassroots Network at http://capwiz.com/abtr/mlm/signup/ and become an NRLN Individual Member by making a personal annual contribution. Details are available at www.nrln.org.

Bill Kadereit, President

National Retiree Legislative Network

Sample Letter

Dear Senator ________ (Representative ________ )

Re: GM Retirees Latest Victims Of EEOC Rule

I’m writing to urge you to right an enormous wrong that has been done to America’s retirees.  I’m referring to the fact that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has published a rule that allows employers to reduce or eliminate health care benefits for retirees age 65 and older who are Medicare eligible. This is outright age discrimination! The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) that Congress passed in 1967 was intended to prevent things like the EEOC Rule from impacting older citizens.

The latest horrific example of the harm the EEOC Rule is causing is the recent announcement by General Motors.  On January 1, 2009, GM will cancel medical, dental, vision, hearing aid, prescription drug and extended care coverages for tens of thousands of retirees, age 65 and older, surviving spouses and dependents.

In lieu of the health care benefits, GM will provide a monthly pre-tax pension increase of $300.  This amount will only be a drop in the bucket for what it will cost retirees living on fixed incomes to purchase replacement insurance for the coverages lost. Many retirees will not be able to afford the premium costs to replace these coverages.  GM will end up paying nothing; they will use retiree pension money to pay the $300.

The National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN) has proposed to Congressional leaders that a “Health Care Protection Act of 2008” should be introduced. Under this proposal, should an employer reduce or eliminate health care benefits, retirees would receive a Maintenance of Cost Payment (MCP) equivalent to the cost of their defined health care benefits as of the date of retirement. With the MCP, corporations would know their costs for retiree health care would not grow. Retirees would be more secure in knowing they could replace benefits with the MCP fixed-payment dollars.

If you have a better idea than the NRLN’s proposal, I want to hear what it is. You need to sponsor legislation to reverse the EEOC’s Rule and protect retirement benefits. If you do nothing, it says to me that you don’t care about preserving the retirement benefits that I worked much of my life to earn. If this is the case, why would a retiree want to vote for any incumbent member of Congress? I’ve read that the public’s approval rating of Congress is even lower than the approval rating of President Bush. The partisan bickering between the Democrats and Republicans that I see on the news must stop. You need to wake up to what is happening to retirees and fix the problems before millions of additional Americans are added to the poverty rolls and even greater costs for health care are placed on taxpayers.

At age 65, all retired members of Congress and other retired Federal employees are guaranteed healthcare benefits as good as GM’s, including Prescription Drugs, Long Term Care and Catastrophic insurance coverage. My hope is that you will help me so that I can be treated equally under the law.

Sincerely,

Your Name & Contact Information

Many of you have been asking what you can do. Well, now you know! A lot of hard work and time has gone into this project, so let’s get behind it and send those letters and call those congressional people until they do something. If they don’t, vote them out of office in November!

Please copy this link and send it to all of your GM friends and relatives .......ask them to send the letter/make the phone call on your behalf:

http://www.overthehillcarpeople.com/nlrnjoiningletter072208.htm

If you have questions, please feel free to write us at spoacdc1@aol.com .

Regards,

Jack Dickinson

Spoacdc1@aol.com

www.overthehillcarpeople.com

July 20, 2008
 

Jack Dickinson
spoacdc1@aol.com
www.overthehillcarpeople.com

This morning Rick Wagoner, GM’s Chairman and CEO, announced a series of actions to bolster the company’s liquidity by $15 billion through 2009.  Included in these actions is the suspension of the GM common stock dividend, reductions in capital spending and structural cost, and a 20 percent reduction in salaried employment cash costs. In addition, he announced planned asset sales and capital market activities that again are focused on improving the company’s liquidity position.  

As part of the 20 percent reduction in salaried employment cash costs, we are making a change to the General Motors Salaried Health Care Program.  I wanted to share this information directly with you, a retiree club president, in order to help you understand the announcement and how this will impact retirees and surviving spouses.  

Effective January 1, 2009, GM is canceling health care coverage for salaried retirees, surviving spouses and their dependents when an individual is age 65 or older.  Instead, eligible salaried retirees and surviving spouses over age 65 will receive a monthly pension increase of $300.  This pension increase is designed to help offset some of the health care costs in retirement.

Eligible salaried retirees, surviving spouses and their dependents, who are pre-age 65, may continue to participate in the General Motors Salaried Health Care Program until they turn age 65.  This Program remains subject to the Salaried Retiree Health Care Cap that became effective January 1, 2007.      

Salaried retirees and surviving spouses should receive a letter and Q&A document in the mail this week.  We have attached copies for your information.  Also attached are today’s press release and Rick Wagoner’s remarks from this morning’s press event.

Going forward, this change impacts how we will manage our health care plans and implementing this change will require the ongoing cooperation and assistance of our team, including you as one of our retiree club presidents.  Work is already in process, but we have a significant and aggressive implementation schedule ahead of us.   General Motors is absolutely committed to assisting the impacted retirees, surviving spouses and dependents.  Our goal, over the next six months, will be to accomplish as smooth a transition as possible for those impacted.  

We have hired Extend Health, a company that will assist retirees and surviving spouses in transitioning from GM coverages to individual Medicare plans like Medicare Advantage or Medigap.  GM is very concerned about possible confusion that will result within the retiree community as they may become inundated with direct marketing materials.  You can help with this.  We have requested that GM's current health care plans refrain from direct marketing to retirees and surviving spouses impacted by this change and instead make their individual plan offerings available through Extend Health.  If direct marketing materials are distributed, please instruct impacted retirees and surviving spouses to disregard and to look for materials that will be distributed later this year from GM and Extend Health rather than from health plans directly.

GM intends to host many retiree meetings to help explain the changes and answer questions.  We will be reaching out to salaried retiree clubs to set up meetings in the near future.   If you have questions in the meantime, please contact Julie Monahan, GM Health Care Training Consultant, at  julie.a.monahan@gm.com or 313-665-8463.

This was a particularly difficult decision for the Company to make; however, it is necessary to take this action given today’s economic conditions.  As hard as this action is, we are doing what is necessary to position GM to withstand the U.S. market downturn and emerge a stronger company.  We ask for your understanding and continued support.

Sincerely,

Kathleen S. Barclay
Vice President, Global Human Resources
General Motors Corporation
 

To all of you "American's" who would rather support Japan and its Japanese retirees: Your Time Is Coming!

Jack - Here is the letter I fired off on July 15.

Charles McGuire
Minden, NV

July 15, 2008
General Motors Corporation
300 Renaissance Center
MC 482-C32-D82
Detroit, MI 48265

To save me valuable time and assure that I do not misquote your statements I have taken the liberty to cut and paste your entire letter to this memo. All of my comments, following your statements, are in the brown color, indeed brown was chosen because this is a very gloomy and disappointing “Special Announcement”.

GM Retiree eNews
July 15, 2008

Special Announcement

GM Turnaround Actions and Initiatives
Since the first of this year, U.S. market and economic conditions have become significantly more difficult.  These conditions, along with the rapid change in automotive industry sales mix, require us to take further actions that will position us not only to survive but, to come out of this as a lean, strong and successful company. How many times have I heard this statement both as an active employee and retiree? It is insulting for you to have the audacity to attempt to have people believe the change in the automotive business has been rapid. Where has our leadership been, why has it taken us so long to become lean, strong and successful? The lean, strong and successful initiatives started way back in 1995; at least that is when it was rolled out in my division. 

This morning Rick Wagoner, GM's Chairman and CEO, announced a series of actions to bolster the company's liquidity by $15 billion through 2009.  Included in these actions is the suspension of the GM common stock dividend, reductions in capital spending and structural cost, and a 20 percent reduction in salaried employment cash costs.  In addition, he announced planned asset sales and capital market activities that again are focused on improving the company's liquidity position. What about cuts in leadership salaries and perks? What about cuts in NASCAR? What about cuts in consultants who have failed to do their jobs or GM has failed to implement their recommendations? What about cuts in rebates, they haven’t saved us over the last 20 (twenty) years anyhow? What about cuts in non productive salary and hourly positions? What about holding senior management accountable? What about following the lead of Honda and Toyota and manufacture products the public will buy? Why can’t we be as nimble as our competition (I know our legacy costs are much higher but they only go away with death or take backs and neither is a good alternative)? What about shutting down some models or divisions? What about cutting back on charitable contributions to others, charity begins at home? How will you accelerate retirements when those you want to retire see how you treat retirees?  What about soliciting retirees to donate time to work on special projects etc.?

As part of the 20 percent reduction in salaried employment cash costs, we are making a change to the General Motors Salaried Health Care Program.  Effective January 1, 2009, GM is canceling health care coverage for salaried retirees, surviving spouses and their dependents when an individual is age 65 or older. This is a devastating announcement. Why punish the retirees for the shortcomings of the leadership that has not led the organization in the right direction, generated profits or at least cut costs and turned General Motors around much sooner. Instead, eligible salaried retirees and surviving spouses over age 65 will receive a monthly pension increase of $300. This pension increase is designed to help offset some of the health care costs in retirement.

Eligible salaried retirees, surviving spouses and their dependents, who are pre-age 65, may continue to participate in the General Motors Salaried Health Care Program until they turn age 65.  This program remains subject to the Salaried Retiree Health Care Cap that became effective January 1, 2007.

More information regarding this announcement will be mailed to retirees and surviving spouses this week.  GM intends to host many retiree meetings to help explain the changes and answer questions.  We will contact salaried retiree clubs to set up meetings in the near future. I can hardly wait, I am sure we will get a sales pitch one would not believe. You are probably going to tell us that by making this sacrifice we will be lifted up, God will bless us and future take backs will be minimal.

This was a particularly difficult decision for the company to make; however, it is necessary to take this action given today's challenging economic conditions. Economic conditions have been challenging for a long time as evidenced by retiree take-a-ways over the past 4 (four) years.  As hard as this action is, we are doing what is necessary to position GM to withstand the U.S. market downturn and emerge a stronger company. GM is not in this position because of the economic downturn; they are in this position because of poor leadership and decision making.  GM's goal is to make this transition as easy as possible for retirees who are impacted. How are you going to make this easier?

I hope our leadership sleeps well at night, I sure don’t. I have always been a loyal GM employee & retiree but myself like many others are getting tired of turning the other cheek. You ask us to sell cars, buy GM insurance, finance through GMAC, support the General Motors Dealer body, and support the GM credit card, which for the most part I have always done, in most cases at a premium. I just don’t think I can afford to be loyal anymore, you might say I will just be hurting myself but in most cases General Motors is not competitive in the items mentioned above. I could identify many more concerns here but bottom line I am disappointed and mad.

Charles F. McGuire   camcguire46@msn.com

 If you would like to express your comments to GM like Charles did or read comments from other GM folks just click this link:    GM Robs Its Elderly Retirees

Overthehillcarpeople.com In The News:
 

July 24, 2008 -       What to Do If GM Cut Your Health Insurance     

Gavin Magor

General Motors' GM salaried retirees were caught by surprise last week with the announcement of the withdrawal of health care from 2009, and the initial anger is still there, but now it's being replaced by concerns about the future.

Here's an outline of what GM retirees can expect, and what steps to take to get health insurance if this has happened to you.

What Has Changed

Effective Jan. 1, eligible GM salaried retirees and their spouses will no longer receive health care benefits once they reach 65 and become eligible for Medicare. Instead they will receive a taxable increase to their pension of $300 per month. Eligible retirees are those who currently do or would have received GM health care assistance after age 65.

Both retiree and spouse will continue to receive GM health care until they individually reach 65.

The $300 increase to the pension is a discretionary increase and is subject to GM's continuation of this benefit, which means that it could be reduced, removed or increased in the future.

GM has contracted with Extend Health to provide health insurance advice and coordinate enrollment, and has asked individual health insurers not to contact retirees directly.

GM Plan Isn't So Bad, Comparatively

Both Ford F and Chrysler have been through this process over the past two years, and GM retirees may actually consider themselves somewhat fortunate after looking at the options offered by the other companies.

Chuck White, chairman of a group of Ford retiree organizations, says, "We get $1,800 each year into a Health Reimbursement Account, plus the same for a spouse/domestic partner. The average retiree would prefer the GM plan, no medical expenses to be reimbursed, spend it however you want. It is twice as much, even if it is taxable."

Enrollment Concerns

It would be fair to say that we have received much feedback from both Chrysler and Ford retirees about their experiences with EH. White says, "Extend Health did some good things and improved as they found problems. If a retiree calls, he will have one benefits adviser throughout the process."

Chuck Austin, president of the National Chrysler Retirement Organization, says he's heard anecdotal evidence that EH was "simply overwhelmed with calls."

Bryce Williams, president and CEO of Extend Health, says things have improved: "Extend Health is providing a better and more efficient enrollment process with most of the health care providers. ... We will have hundreds more agents on the phone and every time you call you will speak with a licensed benefits adviser."

Williams adds that they have increased technology usage with health care providers and that these two steps should take care of 90% of the previous problems.

EH has arrangements with most Blue Cross Blue Shield companies, including BCBS of Michigan, and offers the plans that BCBS-MI has on the market.

Health and Coverage Concerns

With the exception of end-stage renal failure patients, who should contact them, EH says all other retirees will be able to obtain access to a Medigap or Medicare Advantage guaranteed-issue plan within the Medicare enrollment period. Those undergoing cancer treatment or suffering from chronic conditions, such as diabetes, will be able to obtain coverage.

Austin of the Chrysler retirees group says, "There is a Medicare Advantage plan with Blue Cross offering comparable care to the old Chrysler plan in Michigan. When Chrysler withdrew the plan, most people transferred and were not refused coverage. Prescription plans varied and some people found that they were not covered for the drugs they previously had."

Other Concerns

EH says it will work with spouses who lose coverage, as well as the retirees themselves.

Some retiree-rights advocates have voiced concern about confusion and difficulty, given the magnitude of the changes, as well as the fact that some of those affected might require assistance in sorting through the options and making the decisions.

Jack Dickinson of GM retiree group Over the Hill Car People.Com  says, "This is overwhelming to retirees in their 70's and 80's. Help lines like Extend Health are meant to be a help but it is overwhelming to elderly people who don't expect to have to make these kind of decisions."

Regarding those who may be infirm or need help with the choices, EH's Williams says "a caregiver or relative can be on the call to us, as well to assist getting them on the right plan. There are legal documents that can give caregivers or relatives proxy to help enroll the infirm."

As for the cost, Williams says, "We cannot predict what will happen, but most clients are very surprised at the competitive value of the individual plans available in the market."

NCRO's Austin says, "Finding our own coverage is more expensive -- everyone is paying more than before." He says costs have risen between $2,000 and $10,000 a year.

White of the Ford group comments, "Some retirees in good health found that they could get a pretty good plan at a lesser cost ... but with high prescription plan requirements, costs rose. Everyone is different."

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10430045/1/what-to-do-if-gm-cut-your-health-insurance.html

Click this link to read all of the information Overthehillcarpeople.com has at this time on the subject of GM canceling health care for 65 and older salaried retirees:   GM Robs Its Elderly Retirees Of Health Care!