Q: My husband is a federal retiree. He will turn 65 in July. He has retained his FEHB Blue Cross plan following his retirement. He has been quite satisfied with his Blue Cross coverage and is disinclined to rock the boat by enrolling in Medicare Part A. If he elects not to enroll in Medicare Part A, will he be penalized by Blue Cross in terms of the benefits they will provide?
A: He already paid for his Part A coverage while he was working. There is no additional cost to his enrolling for that benefit, which together with his FEHB plan will minimize future out-of-pocket costs for hospital stays, post-hospital skilled nursing care, home health care, etc. Not enrolling in Part A would make no sense.
