Q: I can retire at 55 with 32 years under CSRS in the Postal Service. I have worked part time all this time. Last year I was sent what my retirement would be based on retiring at that time. I will only get about $10,000 a year. My husband has been self-employed, but will become a full-time rural carrier after being a substitute for 18 years. He has checked with Social Security, and so far he could receive $2,000 a month. When he becomes a full-time carrier he will be in FERS. I know about the windfall elimination and all,…
Browsing: HEALTH INSURANCE
Q: I have heard that the new health care law requires all federal employees to pay income tax on the government-paid portion of our heath care plan’s cost. Is this true? A: No, it isn’t true. What is true is that in 2018, a 40 percent tax will be levied on health insurance plans that cost more than $10,200 per individual or $27,500 per family. The tax will be on any coverage that exceeds the limit. Those figures will be based on the combined contributions of enrollees and the government, and the expense will likely be passed on to consumers.…
Q: My wife and I are federal retirees and annuitants. We continue to enroll in the CareFirst Blue Cross/Blue Shield standard option. We do not have Medicare Part B. The Blue Cross 2010 Plan Booklet and several explanation of benefits from Blue Cross explain that by law, physicians who do not accept Medicare can only charge us up to 115 percent of what Medicare allows. The law applies to federal retirees and annuitants without Medicare Part B. Please confirm that what I summarized above is correct. A: What you read on Page 23 of your plan brochure is correct.
Q: I am on regular Medicare and have maintained my BC/BS family coverage through FEHBP for a monthly cost of $510 or so. Would I not be better off getting a Medicare supplement policy that would not cost anywhere near as much as my FEHBP premium? Do many federal retirees make this choice? I had thought it wise to maintain FEHBP, and will until my wife catches up with me and goes on Medicare, but due to these costs I wonder. A: If I read you correctly, you are considering dropping FEHB coverage and buying supplemental Medicare coverage before your…
Q: I will retire under FERS in 2015 at age 56 with 33 years of service. I will continue to carry my Federal Health Insurance. I am told that the government will not pay anything toward it like they currently do as a federal worker. Is that true? A: No. When you retire, you’ll pay the same premiums you would as an employee, unless you work for the Postal Service. Postal Service employees have a higher percentage of their premiums paid by the Postal Service. When they retire, they pay the same premiums as all other federal employees and retirees.
Q: My husband payed into a civilian federal employee insurance policy for 28 years. He was riffed and retired in July 2001, but the insurance was still taken out of his retirement check on a monthly basis. He was notified by the federal insurance plan that he was no longer on the insurance plan as of age 65. He is now 67. What happened to the insurance policy and/or it’s value? A: At age 65, his premiums stopped and the value of his Basic insurance began to decline at the rate of 2 percent per month. It will continue to…
Q: I will retire in August at the age of 67. My husband is 68 and works in the private sector. We are covered under my FEHB insurance. We have participated in an HMO for the past 10 years and are satisfied with the services we have received. We both have Medicare Part A, but not Part B. We have not used Part A because of my status as active employee. In one of your previous articles, you stated, “if you are enrolled in an HMO, which already covers most of your medical expenses, you may decide not to enroll…
Q: My husband turns 65 next year and will be eligible for Medicare Part B. I am a federal employee, and he has been on my FEHB plan for years because he is on Social Security Disability. If I understand this correctly, if Medicare Part B will not pay for a procedure or doctor, then Blue Cross also will not pay. Do we even have to take Medicare Part B? I plan on keeping my Blue Cross after retirement. If we do not take Medicare Part B, will this affect my FEHB plan coverage. A: Medicare and your health benefits…
Q: I am working full time as a Coast Guard civilian. I have Mail Handler’s self-only medical insurance, but I am also covered by my wife’s medical insurance, which is what I really use. Her provider sent me a letter informing me that because she is retired and I’m turning 65 on April 28 that I need to sign up for Medicare Parts A and B to continue my coverage through them. I signed up with her insurance company as a single member and my wife changed her plan. Her former employer and her annuity will continue to pay for…
Q: We are on the federal Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan, and our son will turn 22 evidently before the extension comes into effect. I understand that he gets a month of courtesy coverage, which would expire on Dec. 22. So, what do we do for the additional nine or 10 days to keep him covered? A: He will be offered an opportunity to continue his coverage under the Temporary Continuation of Coverage provision in the current law. The cost of that coverage would be 100 percent of the monthly premium, plus an additional 2 percent for administrative costs. Note: The…