LRO Member Jim Stickel and NRLN President Jim Norby

Featured On CNN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight News Report

CNN News’ Lou Dobbs Tonight program on Thursday, March 24, presented a report on how retirees are coping with runaway health care costs.  Jim Stickel, a Lucent Technologies retiree, and Jim Norby, President of the National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN), were featured in interviews in the report.

Lou Dobbs:  “Companies are trying to improve margins.  Those companies are cutting employee benefits while they are raising executive pay.  Bill Tucker reports:”

Bill Tucker: (Voice over video of Mr. And Mrs. Jim Stickel looking over letters from Lucent Technologies)  “For thirty-three and a half years Jim Stickel worked for the Bell Companies, first for Bell Labs and then for Lucent Technologies.  His work helped the companies grow.

Jim Stickel: (Video - Face on camera)  “We now it seems like get an annual letter, and this has been true since the beginning of 2003, an annual letter from Lucent that begins with Dear Lucent Retiree: We had to make some very difficult decisions and you lost.”

Bill Tucker: (Video of Jim in golf cart followed by closeup of documents from Lucent) “He pays out of his pocket $7,000 a year for medical costs.  Just a few years ago he paid about $1,000 per year. Lucent no longer pays his dental insurance.  It no longer provides a death benefit. And as of this year it no longer provides insurance for his wife. 

(Video of seniors in various activities) “Lucent is not alone.  Many companies are cutting benefits and raising the cost of insurance for retirees.  Those companies defend the increases saying that health insurance costs have risen dramatically and on that point companies are right.

(Video – Graphics on health insurance costs 1999 – 2004) “Over the past five years health insurance premiums have risen 68% for single employees and 72% for employees with families. (Video – Seniors working at their jobs) That gives creditability to the argument that the companies are in the same boat as the employees.  But…”

Jim Norby:  (Video – Face on camera)  “While companies continue to take benefits away from their retirees, they grant to their CEOs (Video – Dollars on printing press) huge bonuses and salaries.  That’s one of our big problems. (Video – Face back on camera) On one hand the takeaways and on the other hand the outrageous compensation levels being given to these employer/executives.”

Bill Tucker: (Video – Jim Stickel in his home) “It has left a bitter taste in Jim Stickel’s mouth.”

Jim Stickel (Video – Face on camera) “ I think if there is one thing that maybe really kind of reeks inside is that I’m no longer proud of that legacy.  That may seem a little hackneyed but that’s the way I feel.”

Bill Tucker: (Video – Face on camera) “The Kaiser Family Foundation found that 79% of  large companies surveyed put more health insurance burden on their retirees last year.  And, Lou, 85% said they plan to do so this year.”

Lou Dobbs (Video – Face on camera) “The working men and women in this country are under incredible pressure.  This assault is just more evidence of the same, particularly at precisely the moment that it is becoming increasingly expensive to pay for health care in this country.  Bill Tucker, thank you.”