Mass Retirees

10/17/2026

Weekly Update, October 16, 2026: The November 2026 edition of our newsletter “The Voice” arrived in Mass Retirees Association members’ mailboxes earlier this week. In addition to our 2026 General Election endorsements, we report on the latest news and events directly impacting retired Massachusetts public employees.

Our events calendar provides the details on the final three Area Meetings of 2026, along with a “Save the Date” for our upcoming Tewksbury meeting taking place on Friday, January 15th. Our Berkshire County meeting takes place next Thursday at the Dalton American Legion Post 155. Please note the change of venue from the Holiday Inn & Suites in Pittsfield due to ongoing renovations. Next Friday, 10/23, we will hold our West Springfield meeting followed by our final meeting of 2026 in Auburn on Friday, 10/30.

Also contained within the November Voice are detailed articles on possible hospital price caps, part 1 in a series on Social Security insolvency, Governor Healey’s Health Care Affordability Working Group, a legislative update, a review of the new COLA Reform law, a recap of Which Retirement System You Belong To, Medicare Drug Price Negotiations, and more.

Mass Retirees members are reminded to please look to our Weekly Update email for further details. The Weekly Update is emailed exclusively to all Mass Retirees members, for whom we have a valid email address, every Friday morning at 6:00 AM.

If you are not currently a member of the Mass Retirees Association, please consider joining today using the links below. Given the importance of the issues facing public retirees, maintaining a strong well-informed membership is more important than ever. Please help support the work we are doing on your behalf by becoming a member.

Founded in 1968, Mass Retirees is a private statewide nonprofit membership association advocating on behalf of ALL retired Massachusetts public employees and surviving spouses. If you are a retired Massachusetts public employee, but not currently a member, please join today at https://massretirees.com/new-members-join/

We also offer an Associate Membership option to allow active public employees nearing retirement age to subscribe to our Weekly Update, newsletter, and other informational resources that will keep you well informed and help you better prepare for your future retirement. Subscribe today at https://massretirees.com/subscribe/

10/15/2026

10/15/2026

Since 2021, the sharp rise in inflation has hit retirees hard. Mass Retirees, like AARP, has long argued that the CPI does not accurately reflect the impact of inflation on retirees. This is something we will continue to advocate to be changed.

Most adults 50-plus surveyed agree that the projected 3.5% Social Security COLA is insufficient and would prefer a COLA of 5% to 8%.

10/13/2026

Medicare open enrollment for 2027 begins this week, and the Federal Trade Commission is warning beneficiaries to stay alert to online scams.

Scammers can become more active during open enrollment, when more people are searching for and updating their plan information. This year, the FTC expects many of them to appear in paid search ads. These are sponsored posts that can appear at the top of the search results when you look for Medicare information.

Read more at the link below:

Here's how you can avoid online Medicare scams this open enrollment season.

10/11/2026

Doctors Should Keep an Eye on Your Mix of Medication. If They Don’t, You Should.
Medications can snowball as we age. Pill organizers pile up. Prescriptions that are no longer necessary can mix with other drugs to create concerning side effects.

“Once you get to six or seven prescription medications, you get a nearly 100% chance of some sort of side effect or intolerance,” said physician K. Eric De Jonge, director of geriatrics at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
Paula Span writes “The New Old Age” column for The New York Times and KFF Health News. She joined WAMU’s Health Hub on Sept. 30 to talk about common medications — from aspirin to benzodiazepines — that some older patients are overusing.

Span shared tips for keeping loved ones safe and said it’s important for patients and caregivers to be proactive.
“Doctors prescribe medicine based on the evidence available at the time. But science doesn’t stop,” Span said. “Your doctor might not be up on the latest research. And patients get into a routine. They may not question if they still need the drugs they’ve been taking.”

Experts and pharmacists say: Check with your doctor to make sure the meds you’re taking are still right for you.

Read more at the link below:

There’s a term for reducing unnecessary or harmful drugs: “deprescribing.” Especially as patients age, experts say, it’s important to regularly review the medications they’re taking.

10/10/2026

KFF Health Tracking Poll: Health Care Issues in the Lead-Up to the 2026 Midterm Election

With about a month to go before Election Day, the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds a large enthusiasm gap between partisans, with Democratic voters much more likely than Republican voters to say they are “more motivated” to vote this year than usual (63% vs. 38%). As voters make their final assessments before they cast their ballots, the Democratic Party has a clear edge over the Republican Party on who voters trust to handle many top issues in the election, including the cost of health care (42% vs. 22%) and the cost of living (39% vs. 25%). Notably, the size of the gap between the Democratic and Republican parties on health care costs has increased since April of this year, when 37% said they trusted the Democrats and 26% said they trusted the Republicans.

Health costs continue to be a top affordability worry for voters, tied with concerns about gas prices as in recent months. Six in ten voters are worried about being able to afford their health care costs, and about half of voters say it is “extremely important” for candidates in the midterm elections to talk about the cost of health care—ranking alongside the cost of living as the top two issues voters want to hear candidates talk about in the closing weeks of the midterm campaigns.

Read More at the link below:

With the 2026 midterms about a month away, health care costs remain tied with gas as voters’ top midterm concerns and the Democrats hold a clear edge over the Republicans Party on who voters trust to handle many top electoral issues, including the cost of health care and the cost of living. Two-th...

10/09/2026

On Wednesday, in coordination with the Belmont Retirement Board, Mass Retirees held a special meeting for all Town of Belmont retirees to help with the transition to the state’s Group Insurance Commission. Four communities have voted to join the GIC on 1/1/2027: Belmont, Greenfield, Methuen, and North Attleboro. Special meetings have now been held by our Association in three of the four communities, with the North Attleboro meeting taking place this coming Thursday, October 15th.

Open enrollment for the four communities is now underway through Friday, October 30th. Retirees from Belmont, Greenfield, Methuen, and North Attleboro with enrollment questions are welcome to contact Mass Retirees for assistance.

10/09/2026

Weekly Update, October 9, 2026: Mass Retirees is proud to endorse State Treasurer Deb Goldberg for reelection. As members will read within the November 2026 edition of our newsletter, The Voice, our close relationship with Deb Goldberg began nearly 30 years ago when she helped secure local adoption of Municipal COLA Reform as a member of the Brookline Select Board.

During her tenure as State Treasurer and Receiver General, Goldberg’s support for public retirees has never wavered. Not only does she deeply value public service, but she has also supported and helped promote policies that improve the lives of our members.

Under Deb’s stewardship as Chair of the Pension Reserves Investment Management (PRIM) Board, the pension fund has more than doubled in size. The historic success of the fund has enabled the creation of the new COLA Reserve Fund. For the first time, a portion of excess investment gains will be earmarked to pay for the new Enhanced COLA law and future COLA base increases for retired State Employees and Teachers.

We believe that Deb Goldberg has earned the endorsement of our Association through her actions and longstanding commitment to public retirees. We urge all retired Massachusetts public employees to please grant Deb Goldberg every consideration for your vote in the November 3rd election.

Mass Retirees members should look for our November newsletter for further election endorsement information. The Voice is now in the email and will arrive in mailboxes in the coming days.

Meanwhile, members can look to our Weekly Update email for the full endorsement of Treasurer Goldberg. The Weekly Update is emailed exclusively to all Mass Retirees members, for whom we have a valid email address, every Friday morning at 6:00 AM.

If you are not currently a member of the Mass Retirees Association, please consider joining today using the links below. Given the importance of the issues facing public retirees, maintaining a strong well-informed membership is more important than ever. Please help support the work we are doing on your behalf by becoming a member.

Founded in 1968, Mass Retirees is a private statewide nonprofit membership association advocating on behalf of ALL retired Massachusetts public employees and surviving spouses. If you are a retired Massachusetts public employee, but not currently a member, please join today at https://massretirees.com/new-members-join/

We also offer an Associate Membership option to allow active public employees nearing retirement age to subscribe to our Weekly Update, newsletter, and other informational resources that will keep you well informed and help you better prepare for your future retirement. Subscribe today at https://massretirees.com/subscribe/

10/08/2026

October is National Retirement Security Month, and Americans are sending a clear message about the future they want: 70% believe a pension is better than a 401(k).
Yet at a time when support for pensions remains strong, retirement security is becoming harder to achieve.

Rising costs, market volatility, longer life expectancies, more self-employed gig workers, and gaps in workplace retirement coverage have left millions of workers questioning whether they will ever be able to retire at all, let alone with dignity.
Recent research from NIRS shows that 80% of Americans believe the nation is facing a retirement crisis, and 85% believe policymakers should make retirement security a higher national priority.

Read more at the link below:

October is National Retirement Security Month, and Americans are sending a clear message about the future they want: 70% believe a pension is better than a 401(k).

10/07/2026

The Future of Social Security: The Reform Proposals Congress Is Considering
The House Budget Committee recently held a hearing to discuss the merits of a fiscal commission to help Congress address the national debt.

Social Security featured prominently in these discussions, with many Members of the Committee speaking about the importance of addressing Social Security as part of larger budgetary reforms. Former Director of the Office of Management and Budget and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was among the witnesses testifying before the Committee, and his message on Social Security and the broader budget crisis was clear: “For goodness’ sake, do something.”

Read more at the link below:

What a recent House Budget Committee recently hearing to address the national debt means for the future of Social Security.