Q. I am going to retire in four months. I am 72. Do I need to keep my federal Blue Cross/Blue Shield, or will Medicare cover all of my health care benefits? To continue Blue Cross will cost me $400 a month. Thus, I end up with about $750 a month with 13 years of federal service.
A. Whether you “need” to keep it is something you’ll have to decide. You’ll have to review the benefits available from each program to see if your Federal Employees Health Benefits enrollment is worth the cost to you. As a rule, the combination of FEHB and Medicare reduces out-of-pocket expenses to a minimum.