Q. I am a retired Postal Service employee but still carry my insurance as I need it for my wife.
She is going on Medicare on June 1.
I would like to keep single coverage for me. Is this possible, and how would I go about doing this?
My group number is 40240 and my member number is 000687531.
A. You could do that during the next health benefits open season. Information about how to change your enrollment will be in the information you receive in November. Before you do that, you need to consider what your wife would lose in the way of coverage if you take her off of your Federal Employees Health Benefits self-and-family enrollment. The combination of FEHB and Medicare Part A pays most of the bills for hospital stays, post-hospital skilled nursing facility care, home health care, hospice care and needed blood transfusions. If you drop her coverage under the FEHB program, she would be faced with payments that would have to come out of your pockets. Also, if she didn’t enroll in Medicare Part B, she would be on the hook for all doctor’s services, clinical lab, home health care and outpatient service care.
To be covered by Tricare, you must be enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B.
