Category: Chair Talk

By Bob Kopasz I received the below email from ORS about Federal Tax Withholding: Editor’s note: Bob Kopasz is Chair of the Michigan SERA Council. He may be reached at P.O. Box 692, Mt. Morris, MI 48458; phone 810/240-8380. Read more

By Mary Pollock Lawmakers won’t be in Lansing very much in the run-up to the voting period of September 29 (when early absentee voting at your clerk’s office begins) and November 8 (the last day to vote). There is uniform apprehension about being away from their districts on the part of over 80 of the… Read more

By Bob Kopasz The JEC for Pharmacy Benefits has chosen OptumRx to continue as the provider of the Prescription Drug Benefits for Active State Employees and Retirees. The SERA representative that participated on the JEC was James Borer, President of the Coldwater Chapter and a retired Pharmacist. When I was talking with Bethany Beauchine (Employee… Read more

By Bob Kopasz The August 5th Coordinating Council meeting will be held at the Citizens Forum at Marquette’s Lakeview Arena at 10:00 a.m. Registration is at 9:00 a.m. at which time, coffee and rolls will be available. Reservations are necessary and must be made either by email or phone with 906 Chapter President Tony Grudnoski:… Read more

By Bob Kopasz I have been receiving complaints (email, telephone and letters) from retirees about all the brochures and information from the States Blue Cross PPO MA program. Retirees would like to have all the mail they receive about the States MA Health Plan stopped. I must be the odd-man-out because I believe the more… Read more

By Bob Kopasz I have been contacted by ORS to recruit some retiree volunteers to help with the MI-Login issues. Below is the email I received on March 3, 2022 Editor’s note: Bob Kopasz is Chair of the Michigan SERA Council. He may be reached at P.O. Box 692, Mt. Morris, MI 48458; phone 810/240-8380. Read more

By Bob Kopasz Biden-Harris Administration Will Cover Free Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Tests Through Medicare CMS Developing Initiative to Enable Access to Eight Free Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Tests for Medicare Beneficiaries in Early Spring As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to expand Americans’ access to free testing, people in either Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage will… Read more

By Bob Kopasz Most retirees that have email received the below notice from the Office of Retirement Services. ORS has received many calls and emails because of the changes made in the sign-in process for MI-ACCOUNT. The process is called MultiFactor Authorization (MFA). The process for signing into your MI-Account may take a little longer… Read more

By Bob Kopasz The past 2 years has not helped much to increase membership. In the past 2 years many Chapters have not had meetings (zoom or conference calls), nor have they printed newsletters informing members of legislation and activities that will have a direct effect on their retirees. As an organization, where have we… Read more

By Bob Kopasz Many State Employees/Retirees may have received a postcard with the below highlighted statement: IF YOU PURCHASED OR WERE ENROLLED IN A BLUE CROSS OR BLUE SHIELD HEALTH INSURANCE OR ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES PLAN BETWEEN 2008 AND 2020, A $2.67 BILLION SETTLEMENT MAY AFFECT YOUR RIGHTS. This settlement claims that BC/BS plans violated antitrust… Read more