John Kowalko is a co-founder of Retirees Investing in Social Equity Delaware and a former Delaware state representative.
As far back as mid-August 2022, when New Castle County Councilwoman Lisa Diller and I decided to found Retirees Investing in Social Equity Delaware, we realized that it would take a massive, organized effort on everyone’s part to stop the state of Delaware from imposing its Medicare Advantage plan on its current and future retirees. Joined by Connie Merlet, we decided to formally create and incorporate the entity, known as RISE Delaware.
We agreed that retirees must organize and force a change in the Carney administration’s plan to privatize Medicare. The state plan being proposed at that time would impede the health care access for over 28,000 state pensioners, including state of Delaware retirees and retired Delaware teachers, as well as college and university faculty, covered through the state’s health benefits (including police, firefighters and other first responders). Please see my Daily State News guest post of Aug. 18, 2022, for more details.