 With great sadness, the MTABF announces the passing of Joan DeMarzo. Joan was the secretary for MTABF for many, many years, as well as an employee of the MCSD. Without Joan and the dedication and hard work she provided, the MTABF would not have been able to provide members the benefits they currently enjoy. Joan was an amazing lady. Words can not express the loss we feel at her passing. Information on services. Additional Benefit Information Session added at the Falls School. In case you missed your building's session, all sessions are open to members from any building, so come on by and educate yourself.  Hello Retirees, Updated information regarding retirement paperwork was posted last week on the MTABF website, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter. The MTABF is diligent about keeping our members updated. If you don't have a social media account you can still find the same postings on the MTABF Blog. ASO is working with data provided to them by the Preferred Group. One of the reasons MTABF left the Preferred Group is because of inaccurate record keeping. You can create your own ASO MEMBER PORTAL to check & see if your enrollment is up to date, monitor claims, contact ASO, etc. If, by the end of this week, you do not receive retirement paperwork, please reach out to ASO, as they may have received inaccurate data from Preferred. They will work with you to correct any misinformation. Your benefits will not be jeopardized. The people at ASO & the MTABF always have your best interest as their priority. If you have concerns about your individual claims, the most productive way to have them assuaged is to contact ASO. ASO will be happy to assist you. 
Imagine if the government offered dental care. New federal rule could make that a reality.5/17/2024
Dentists can limit which insurance plans they take and require uninsured patients to pay cash upfront. Others steer patients to credit card-style companies that extend credit with high interest rates. Under the arrangement, dentists get paid immediately, and patients get bills and face high-interest penalties if they don't pay the balance during a grace period of several months. Advocates like Melissa Burroughs, director of public policy at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, aim to level the playing field, making dental care accessible to all. “For far too many people in this country, oral health care is unaffordable and out of reach,” Burroughs said. “And that's largely because there are very significant gaps in insurance.” In a move last month that received little fanfare, the Biden administration finalized a rule that would give states the option of adding adult dental insurance coverage as part of their Affordable Care Act plans. In another attempt to bolster dental coverage, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. on Friday introduced the Comprehensive Dental Care Reform Act of 2024, a bill that would expand dental coverage through Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration and increase the number of dentists, dental hygienists and dental therapists nationwide. The deficit in dental coverage is immense: nearly 69 million U.S. adults did not have dental insurance or access to routine oral health care last year, according to a survey by the nonprofit CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. Millions more lost dental insurance last year when states began to unwind Medicaid coverage for people who signed up during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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Photos from Damian Gadal, focusonmore.com, wuestenigel (CC BY 2.0), Jernej Furman (CC BY 2.0), Jernej Furman (CC BY 2.0), wuestenigel, focusonmore.com
