Q. I am regular full-time Civil Service CSRS employee with insurance coverage (Blue Cross/ Blue Shield) for my wife and myself. My wife is retired military with Tricare. My insurance costs me about $400 a month and I understand Tricare would cost me only about $500 a year. I want to retire next year. I’m 60 years old. Would you suggest dropping BCBS and going over to Tricare?
A. I’m old enough and wise enough not to give advice. What I can tell you is that if you drop your FEHB coverage, you won’t be able to re-enroll if you later lose Tricare coverage. To avoid that outcome, you could instead either chose a lower- cost FEHB plan and option or suspend (rather than drop) your coverage.
