NOT SO RUSTY OLD JOHN DEERE:

Deere making insurance changes (ERIK HOGSTROM, 10/02/07, Dubuque Telegraph Herald)

Upcoming changes for Deere & Company's salaried retirees will usher in some 21st century health-insurance concepts.

Deere will provide "retiree medical credits" to Medicare-eligible retirees who may purchase a Medicare Advantage plan and a prescription drug plan through private insurers. Retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare will choose one of the two health plan options available to current salaried employees. The plans use Health Savings Accounts to offset retirees' costs.

"As we have seen over the course of the last several years, there are new advances in the market that we want to take advantage of," said Glenn Huston, Deere & Company's manager of employee benefits.