Q: I retired from the postal service in November 2009. In January 2010 I discontinued my health insurance, and my husband, a current postal employee, put me on his health insurance. My plan was to drop this insurance when I became eligible for Medicare when I turn 65 in November. I’ve since discovered that Medicare Parts B and D plus a Medigap supplement would cost a lot more than if I had kept my original self-only health plan. Can I get a self-only health plan now, or during open season? Does the fact that I’m on my husband’s plan mean…
Browsing: Coverage after retirement
Q: I have self-only health insurance coverage because my spouse’s health insurance is paid by her employer. I will retire in December 2016. She will retire on the same date. At that time, her employer will no longer pay her premiums. Since I have had my coverage as self-only for the five years prior to retirement, may I change my insurance to self and family coverage? A: Yes.
Q: I am on disability retirement through the U.S. Postal Service. I am 48 years old and am under the Federal Employees Retirement System. I have been retired since 2009. I am also receiving Social Security disability. I just received information from Social Security stating that I am required to receive Medicare Part B. It says I may opt out, but if I decide to join later, I may end up paying penalties. Can I keep my health insurance through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan? If I do keep it and decide to keep Medicare Part B, is Medicare…
Q: I will retire soon and will choose a lifetime annuity, not to include my husband, with survivor benefits. Can I still carry him on my FEHB coverage? A: You can continue to include him under the self and family option of your FEHB plan. However, if you were to change to self-only or die, he would lose that coverage unless he is a federal employee or retiree who would be eligible to continue that coverage on his own.
Q: I have 31 years of federal service with a retirement SCD of Oct. 12, 1980. I am 57 and I have been working part time this year (20 hours per week). Because of my part-time schedule, I have had to pick up 50 percent of the government contribution of my health insurance (from $199.20 per pay period to $401.99 per period). I would like to retire in June. How much will I be charged for my health benefits? Do I get the same deduction as a full-time employee, or do I have to pay 50 percent of the government…
Q: My spouse and I are both under the Federal Employees Retirement System and our service computation dates are within weeks of each other. We would both like to retire under the minimum retirement age plus-10 provision. My spouse wants to retire in 2011 at age 58, with 26 1/2 years of continuous service, the entire time enrolled in a Federal Employees Health Benefits individual plan. The earliest I would retire is 2012 at age 57, with 27 1/2 years of continuous service, all in an FEHB individual plan. Here is our plan: During this open season, I should enroll…
Q: I am retiring at the end of December and have already reached age 65. I have signed up for Social Security benefits starting in January. I also signed up for Medicare Part A coverage but not Part B coverage, as suggested at a retirement seminar. I am carrying over my Federal Employees Health Benefits coverage. I checked with my plan and they said I would not need Medicare Part B. If I decide to switch plans in the future and my new insurer suggests that I need Part B coverage, will I be penalized with the 10 percent per…
Q: I am 53 years old and have 36 years of federal service. One catch: I don’t have the five years of coverage under a Federal Employees Health Benefit plan (I’m still four years short). If my office offers early out through downsizing or restructuring, approved by the Office of Personnel Management, can I retire and carry my health benefits into retirement, even though I don’t have five years of coverage? A: Yes, you would be eligible to carry your coverage into retirement because you would have been enrolled in the program at the time your agency received approval from…
Q: I am a term employee in the Labor Department covered by Blue Cross/Blue Shield. My term ends Dec. 20. I am also a surviving spouse of a federal employee who was covered under the Civil Service Retirement System. I elected to not take health insurance under the annuity about 15 years ago. I would like to continue my current coverage; can my coverage be converted to the annuity coverage? I am a career status employee with approximately 13 years of federal service, 11 years under CSRS, and I elected not to be included in the Federal Employees Retirement System…
Q: My wife and I are both federal employees. We each have had individual coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits plan since we began working for the government. We both plan on retiring next year. She will be 61 and have 26 years of service; I will be 58 and have 20 years of service. I will postpone my retirement until age 60 to avoid the penalty. We plan on converting to a family plan this open season (2010) so that I am covered during those two years of my postponement. Is this the correct way to guarantee that…