Retirees Information

News from Local 675 Retiree Club

The next Retiree Club Meeting will be on Tuesday, August 13th at 8:30 a.m. (breakfast) at the Mililani Golf Clubhouse. Meeting starts at 9:00 a.m.

Local 675 retirees who retain Local 675 membership are welcome to join the Local 675 Retiree Club. Annual club dues of $20 include all breakfasts for that calendar year. For more information, call Jonathan Lee at (808) 892-0099.

New Pensioners

Congratulations and happy retirement to the following pensioners:

Wade Higaki - 3/1/24
Jin Hyuk Pak - 3/1/24
Kyle Hara - 4/1/24
Craig Kaʻawaloa - 4/1/24
Melvin Kakazu - 4/1/24
Steve Ku - 4/1/24
Harold Nakagawa - 4/1/24
Troy Kobashigawa - 5/1/24
Kenneth Sakuoka - 5/1/24
Samuel Sales - 5/1/24

Retiree Club Welcomes Humana Group MedicareRetiree Medicare

Retirees listen to Humana representatives (l-r) Justin Puckett-Market Leader, Joselyn Li-Provider Engagement, and Herman Hoi-Broker Relationship Mgr, Hawaii, along with our Trust Fund Administrator Erinn Liu and Asst Administrator Jaimme Hayakawa.
Retiree President Jonathan Lee receives a check for $5,000 for the Retiree Club from Business Manager Valentino Ceria on behalf of Local 675.

At the Retiree Club Meeting in November, Humana representatives attended to answer any questions or concerns from the retirees regarding the Humana Group Medicare PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) plan. Business Manager Valentino Ceria along with his staff, business agents, Matthew Brady, Benjamin Panis, Samuel Barrett, Jr., and Lance Hayashi. Trust Fund Administrator, Erinn Liu and Assistant Administrator Jaimme Hayakawa were also present to address any questions or inquiries. They discussed PPO benefits, additional benefits, hospital care, physician and facility services. This Humana plan is for those members on Medicare only. If you have questions about your plan, check your Evidence of Coverage document or call the Human Group Medicare Customer Care team at 888-908-6518, M-F, 7a.m.–7p.m., Hawaii time. For additional tools and resources, visit Humana.com/GroupRetirees.

Retirees Get Together

The Retiree Club met on May 9th at the Mililani Golf Club at their quarterly meeting and welcomed the Union and Training staff for their annual updates. “It’s always great to see our members enjoying their retired life and able to get together to catch up with others and to stay informed of their Union. It’s a time for the club members to also ask questions,” said President Matthew Brady.

The Retiree Club just wrapped up their annual Food Drive, successfully donating 150 pounds of food and collecting $1,420. Club President Jonathan Lee thanked everyone for their hard work and contributions.

Brother Jonathan mentioned, “We are always looking for new members to expand and to develop more activities.” They welcome retirees who retain their Local 675 union membership to join the Retiree Club. To be a part of the Club ohana, you just pay the annual dues of only $20.00 which includes all breakfasts for that calendar year. For those interested, please call Jonathan at (808) 892-0099.

Humana Medicare Advantage Plan Replaces HMSA Akamai Advantage Plan

Erin Dey, Humana Account Executive, Group Medicare, speaks to the Retirees on the Humana Medicare Advantage Plan.

Our Retiree Health & Welfare plan offers generously subsidized benefits that are some of the richest health care benefits in the construction industry. With health care cost rising each year, Plan cost must be constantly monitored and managed to continue offering these rich benefits. A change to your Medicare-eligible retiree benefits enabled us to maintain affordable Retiree Health & Welfare contribution rates for the upcoming year. Effective January 1, 2023, the Humana Medicare Advantage Plan will fully replace the Fund’s current Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA) Akamai Advantage Plan and will cover medical costs for the Fund’s enrolled Medicare-eligible participants.

With the Humana MA Plan:
  • You can choose any Medicare provider but you will save money by using providers from our large network.
  • You don’t need a referral to see any doctor.
  • You will have access to Humana’s well-being tools and resources to help you reach your personal health goals.
What to expect next:
  • If you are currently covered by the HMSA Plan, you will automatically be transferred to the Humana Medicare Advantage Plan effective for services on January 1, 2023, unless you make alternative arrangements through Humana or by contacting the Plan Administrator.
  • You were sent your Humana enrollment packet in the mail in November 2022. Review the materials carefully.
  • For more information about the Humana Medicare Advantage Plan, please call Humana Group Customer Care to speak to a licensed sales agent. Humana Group Medicare Customer Care 1-800-824-8242 (TTY: 711), Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., Eastern time.

Please note that the switch to Humana only relates to your medical plan for Medicare-eligible participants under our retiree plan. This change does not affect your existing prescription, drug, vision, or dental plan coverage.

On November 8, 2022, we hosted a Humana meeting for all Medicare Retirees to discuss the switch to the Humana Medicare Advantage Plan and what to expect going forward. It allowed our members to meet our Humana representatives and address any concerns they had. Our Health & Welfare plan has experienced significant premium increases from HMSA over the past decade. If a switch was not made soon, these increases would have been passed to our retirees. Our switch to Humana has allowed us to significantly decrease our retiree contribution rates for all Medicare-Retiree members effective January 1, 2023. For those of you who could not attend the November meeting, Humana will be hosting a webinar for all Medicare Retirees on January 26, 2023 to share important information and answer questions about your Humana plan. An invitation will be sent to you providing further information on how to register for this virtual event.

Medicare retirees and their spouses discuss the changes from HMSA Akamai Advantage Plan to the Humana Medicare Advantage Plan.
(l-r) Humana Group: Herman Hoi-Broker Relationship Mgr, Hawaii, Erin Dey-Account Executive, Group Medicare, Joselyn Li-Provider Engagement, and Justin Puckett-Market Leader.

Officers

President
Jonathan Lee

Vice President
Derek Hirao

2nd Vice President
Alan Arakaki

Secretary
Natalie Castanares

Treasurer
Tracy Tanouye

Director
Donovan Lewis

Director
Glenn Hashimoto