Dear Friend,
Thank you for being part of the AT&T Retiree Town Hall Broadcast on March 22.
We apologize for the audio and video difficulties during the town hall event. In an attempt to accommodates as much AT&T retirees as possible, we expanded the town hall to locations across the state.
Business Solutions
Through its powerful global networks, AT&T provides integrated solutions to business customers
and offers a wide variety of wired and wireless products and services to increase businesses’
productivity. AT&T serves millions of business customers—from the largest multinational
corporations to small businesses in all major industries.
Entertainment Group
AT&T’s Entertainment Group provides entertainment, high-speed Internet and communications
services predominantly to residential customers in the United States.
Consumer Mobility
The Consumer Mobility segment provides nationwide wireless service to consumer, wholesale and
resale subscribers located in the United States or in U.S. territories. Services use our U.S. wireless
network to provide voice and data services, including high-speed Internet, video entertainment
and home monitoring services.
International
The International segment provides wireless services in Mexico and satellite entertainment
services in Latin America.
Sharon Epperson, CNBC – April 6, 2016
If you’re fortunate enough to have a job with good health benefits, you may not think much of the cost of prescription medications you take. You may only have to make a co-payment that covers a fraction of the total cost.
When you are retired and on Medicare, you’ll still have to pay a share of health-care expenses out of pocket — and those expenses will likely consume much of your Social Security benefits and retirement savings.
If you’re fortunate enough to have a job with good health benefits, you may not think much of the cost of prescription medications you take. You may only have to make a co-payment that covers a fraction of the total cost.
By Jason Notte, MainSt – April 6, 2016
Amid not wanting to burden their families with their own long-term health, U.S. women are increasingly taking on that burden for others.
According to a Nationwide Retirement Institute survey of 709 women and 582 men aged 50 or older, 66% of women are worried about being a burden to their families when they get older (compared to 50% of men). Nearly 80% of those women say they are concerned about having money to cover long-term care expenses.
By Jason J. Fichtner, MarketWatch – April 5, 2016
On March 22, I presented testimony before Congress on a proposal to reform the Windfall Elimination Provision, or “WEP.” The WEP reduces a person’s Social Security benefit if they also receive a government pension from non-covered employment on which Social Security payroll taxes were not paid. While the WEP is intended to ensure that Social Security beneficiaries are treated fairly and that benefits are provided only for years in which people paid into the Social Security system, the result is that the replacement rate for some people with high lifetime combined earnings is higher than those with low lifetime earnings. Thus, the WEP mistakenly treats some high-income earners as if they were low-income earners.
By Jason Zweig, Wall Street Journal – April 4, 2016
New rules aimed at stockbrokers will have enormous impacts on the way Americans save for retirement.
The rules aren’t coming from the government’s financial regulatory apparatus but from the Labor Department. This week, it is expected to release final regulations that will require brokers getting paid to provide investment guidance on a retirement account to act solely in the best interest of the investor.
By Nancy Anderson, Forbes – April 4, 2016
Are you thinking of moving in retirement to be closer to family or to reduce living costs?
If so, you aren’t alone. According to a study by Age Wave and Merrill Lynch, 64% of retirees have moved, or anticipate moving, in retirement. The top reasons they give for moving: being close to family members (29%) and reducing home-related costs (26%). Of those who move after 65, about one in six moves to a different state or region.
By Austin Frakt, New York Times – April 4, 2016
New evidence suggests Medicare Advantage may not serve some sicker Medicare beneficiaries as well as it does healthier ones.
Medicare Advantage’s private health insurance plans offer at least the same benefits as the public, traditional Medicare program for older Americans, as well as some who are disabled or have certain diseases. The private plans may also offer additional benefits not available from traditional Medicare — like coverage for hearing aids and eyeglasses — and lower patient cost sharing. These features make Medicare Advantage attractive and help explain why the program is surging in popularity.
By Louise Radnofsky and Stephanie Armout, Wall Street Journal – April 4, 2016
WASHINGTON—Federal regulators said Monday that payments to insurers that offer private Medicare plans to older Americans would rise slightly, but somewhat less than the government indicated earlier this year.
The increase represents a boost for companies who offer the plans under Medicare Advantage, the program in which beneficiaries can get Medicare policies from private companies, which are then reimbursed by the federal government.
Sean Cavanaugh, deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the Medicare Advantage payments would increase 0.85% on average for 2017, and that insurers would likely see overall revenue increase about 3.05%, in a final rule published Monday.
By Todd Campbell, TMF; USA TODAY ~ Apr 03, 2016
The Social Security program provides a critical safety net for 59 million Americans, but that doesn’t mean that everyone knows all there is to know about it. For example, did you know that the latest number-crunching in Washington indicates that Social Security payments could be cut by 29% in 2030? Read on to find out more about how this vital program works and how changes to it may affect you in the future.